The Chocolate Story

The Chocolate Story

Chocolates are one of my few weaknesses I can’t resist. Give me any kind of chocolate I would happily consume it and if you don’t. I will manage to have it anyway and this is exactly what I did lately.

On my birthday night (26^th December) while on bed when I was reliving some good old memories my eyes scanned a Cadbury Pouch and a can of Pringle chips on the table with a balloon tied on it, being an optimist I assumed that this surprise-gift must be presented to me by my ‘loving siblings’ that I wondered how went unnoticed by me, to confirm this pleasant surprise while carrying the stuff I proudly walked into his room, to thank him.

Me: Sameer, who has given it to me, Adeel or you?

Sameer: What? Bhai keep it from where you have picked it. Faiza has brought it for me; this is my over due birthday’s gift she couldn’t present it on 23^rd (Dec)

Me: Ohkay!

Sameer: You thought it was for you?

Me: Obviously, it’s my birthday what else would I assume, anyway open it. Let’s eat it.

Sameer: No, I will eat whenever I feel like, just drop it.

Me: Okay but do share it with me because I also gave you lots of chocolates when you were too young, you don’t remember.

Sameer: I don’t know you. Just drop the packet or I will hide them and you will get nothing.

Me: Hmm Okay! (walked into my room with heavy heart)

Later when he slept and nobody was around my mind started working, I did all arrangement to accomplish what I call a “Tasty Crime” project. All what I needed was a scissor and a masking tape.

I took the

1- Cadbury pouch in my hand

2- Turned it upside down

3- Subtly holed up the pouch’s base with scissor

4- Took out at least 5-8 chocolates from its bottom

5- Covered the base with the tape so that the chocolates remain in the packet and don’t drop down.

Now the pouch’s looking shiny and untouched but a bit lighter in weight — but who cares as the mission was successfully accomplished.

Right now I am indulging the chocolate experience and penning down my achievement — on the other hand my innocent bro, as expected — has already hidden the pouch and eating his few chocolates assuming that the pouch is safe from ‘Big Boss’

It’s widely perceived that with the passage of time we start getting mature avoid doing things that count “silly” but in my view how much older we grow such tiny but adventurous moments keep providing us a sense of joy. I love being what I am…

Chocolate helps eliminate cough

Chocolate helps eliminate cough.

Theobromine, an ingredient in over-the-counter chocolate bars, has shown promise as an anti-coughing agent.

Researchers have discovered that a chemical compound, theobromine, a methylxanthine commonly found in dark chocolate and other substances derived from the cocoa plant have shown great promise as an anti-cough medication.

Chronic cough is a symptom characteristic of many conditions, and many times it can simply be an irritating burden to the sufferer. Or in the case of kids with colds, it can keep them and their parents up all night.

Current over-the-counter cough remedies contain some kind of opioid, like dextromethorphan or codeine, compounds that may not only cause many side-effects but may also prove to be quite unreliable in dealing with the cough itself.

Researchers tested theobromine on both humans and guinea-pigs (not in that order, that would be inhumane) by using capsaicin and citric-acid, irritants that stimulate the cough reflex. This is a common method used to study the proper inhibition of coughs by medications. The cough reflex has been linked to vagus nerve and sensory nerve stimulation yet most scientists are still trying to determine the exact mechanisms responsible for long-term coughs brought on by many different conditions.

In this study theobromine was shown to inhibit both sensory and vagus nerve depolarization in test-test tube conditions, but the difficulty of reproducing and checking this in live organisms still remains elusive so it's unknown whether this is the main mechanism behind theorbomine's success. The studies, regardless of the mechanisms, demonstrate that it works however; a huge plus for cough sufferers everywhere.

The levels of Theobromine in over-the-counter chocolate bars however might be quite small . But the good news is that it's quite high in chocolate pudding (74.8mg / serving) and chocolate milk (0.011 mg / g). Despite these levels you're most likely not going to be picking up snacks when you're sick just yet. You would have to eat about 12 chocolate pudding cups just to get the amount needed to suppress your cough...something I'm actually looking forward to.

The sad part is that you would most likely be taking this form of medication in a non-edible form or at best as really really bitter dark chocolate. But I return to my chocolate fantasy for a final thought:

As a long-time lover of chocolate, I for one welcome this news as something extremely positive. It provides another reason to reach for a chocolate bar at random times with the most minuscule of excuses as to why I'm actually eating so much. Next time, I'll just say I'm taking my medicine.