Why Chocolate for Valentine's Day?

Valentine’s Day is many things to different people- a chance to start new relationships, rekindle old ones, or remind that special someone how wonderful they really are. Others feel it is just another “Hallmark” holiday where they are expected to do something for unknown reasons. Regardless of your hopes, expectations, or reservations about Valentine’s Day, chocolate has long been a favorite gift for lovers.

Since the days of the Aztecs chocolate has been used as a gift. Today a box of luxurious quality chocolate says a thousand “thank you’s”, “good luck”, or “I love you”. Chocolate can be given as a way of saying “congratulations”, “I am sorry” or “get well soon”. On Valentine’s Day chocolate clearly says “I LOVE YOU!” Chocolate is more than food, it not only fills your belly but also makes you feel soooo good. Elaine Sherman wrote “Chocolate is heavenly, mellow, sensual, deep, dark, sumptuous, gratifying, potent, dense, creamy, seductive, suggestive, rich, excessive, silky, smooth, luxurious, celestial. Chocolate is downfall, happiness, pleasure, love, ecstasy, fantasy … chocolate makes us wicked, guilty, sinful, healthy, chic, happy.” What more could you want to say to your lover on Valentines Day? Even the scientific name for the tree from which chocolate is derived, Theobroma cacao, translated from Greek, means “food of the gods”.

Why does chocolate evoke so many feelings and emotions for us? Chocolate has long been associated with passion, romance and love. This association may go all the way back to the Aztecs. They believed chocolate was a source of spiritual wisdom, incredible energy and elevated sexual power. Chocolate was widely used as a nuptial aid and was widely served at wedding ceremonies. The Aztecs did not know chocolate as we do today; they consumed the cocoa as a drink. Reports indicate that the Emperor Montezuma consumed large quantities of the drink every day and always fortified himself with a cup before entertaining his harem. The explorer Cortes reported to Carlos I of Spain that chocolate is “… the divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink enables a man to walk for a whole day without food.” From the earliest times, chocolate was considered a substance of power and a source of vitality.

Chocolate has been a subject of study since the first shipment from Veracruz arrived in Spain in 1585. But modern science has made some interesting findings that may help explain our lust for quality chocolate. Chocolate contains organic substances known as alkaloids. The most important of these substances is theobromine, which works as a stimulant to the kidneys. Stimulants in chocolate also affect the central nervous system, with effects similar to caffeine, which is also present in chocolate. A chocolate bar may contain as much as 200 mg of theobromine but only about 25 mg of caffeine. Another important substance found in chocolate is phenylethylamine, which is part of a group of chemicals known as endorphins. Endorphins have an effect similar to amphetamine and are found naturally in the human body. When endorphins are released into the bloodstream, the mood is lifted and feelings of positive energy are reached. The sensation known as “runners high” is caused by endorphins released during exercise. Phenylethylamine levels in the brain have also been linked to “falling in love”. One more chemical found in chocolate is seratonin. Seratonin is known for its calming properties. The presence of these chemicals may explain the multitude of feelings chocolate evokes.

Debra Waterhouse, author of Why Women Need Chocolate, conducted a survey and found: 97% of women reported cravings, 68% of which are for chocolate, 50% would choose chocolate over sex, and 22% were more likely than men to choose chocolate as a mood elevator. These findings could easily be interpreted as a result of how chocolate makes us feel. I don’t know why more women choose chocolate than men, for I am a man and I love chocolate.

Critics would say that the benefits of eating chocolate are small when compared to the sugar and fat contained in a chocolate bar. The best chocolate, dark chocolate with high cacao butter content has no added fat, as well as a high percentage of cacao solids and correspondingly less sugar. Although chocolate will never be considered a health food based on its nutritional value, it is still good for you! Good for your heart and soul-anything that helps relieve stress and makes you feel so good must be.

Receiving a nicely wrapped box of chocolates causes a sense of anticipation. The pleasure of unwrapping the box, the sensual smell, lifting the soft seductive papers, the look of the smooth dark chocolates. When it finally passes your lips and starts to instantly melt filling your mouth with exquisite pleasure. The taste and smell flood your senses with overwhelming ecstasy. Eating it slowly, taking time to enjoy and savor every bit. What better way to start off an evening of love?

David Eisen is owner of Euphoric Chocolate, come visit us at [http://www.euphoricchocolate.com] Our large variety of novelty chocolates, chocolate truffles, and elegant gift boxes are the perfect touch to add to any occasion. We can help you creat the perfict wedding favor, bridal shower favor or baby shower favor for your special event.

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Antioxidants Found in Chocolate

For the past decades, many proven scientific studies have shown that chocolate antioxidants are beneficial to our health and body. It has been known for a fact that the antioxidants present in chocolates, particularly dark chocolates, are potent source of antioxidants that destroys free radicals in our system. Chocolate antioxidants are primarily responsible for fighting these highly unstable and destructive molecules thereby maintaining a balance in our system to prevent occurrence of deadly diseases such as cancer, heart disease and hypertension, to name a few. Generally, chocolate antioxidants are rich in flavorous that arrest oxidation processes in our system and therefore preventing damage in our body.

Another classic benefit that these antioxidants bring in our health is that it effectively strengthens our immune system thus enabling our body to defend itself from potentially harmful viral and bacterial infections. Our immune system is our defence system tasked to eliminate destructive molecules and other abnormalities found in our body to keep us to function normally everyday. It is also an established fact that chocolate antioxidants and any other form of antioxidants found in fruits, green tea and red wines for instance, slows down the aging process. Antioxidant is key to longevity as it allows you to stay longer and younger in the pink of health.

A study conducted by the National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research in Rome suggests a proper way of taking in chocolate antioxidants in order to maximize the absorption of antioxidants in our body. The result of the study indicates that eating chocolates, especially dark chocolates, should be eaten not in conjunction with any type of milk or its derivatives as the milk interferes with the body's absorption of chocolate antioxidants. The subjects who ate pure dark chocolates have shown substantial drop in their blood pressure compared to those who mixed it with milk. Thus, if you are a chocolate lover it is time to change gear and switch to pure dark chocolate for optimum acquisition of chocolate antioxidants.

The best source of chocolate antioxidants comes from cocoa powder as it contains the highest amount of antioxidant capacity. The basic is rule is that the darker the chocolate, the more potent source of chocolate antioxidants it is. The suggested daily intake of dark chocolate based on the study made is 3.5 ounces to get the optimum chocolate antioxidants. Milk chocolates in particular have the least antioxidant properties and this claim was backed by the study mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Further, dark chocolates are known for having less sugar content and good source of cholesterol compared to milk chocolates. For the more health conscious individuals they always ensure that they have the regular source of rich antioxidant supplements. We should also be warned from eating excessive chocolates because they are rich in calories which may lead to obesity if consumption with gusto is not properly observed. To successfully attain a healthy, disease free body, the secret, however, is moderation and balance our diet by eating nutrition-rich vegetables, cereals and fruits.

John Ulonka can often be found sipping a hot cup of espresso at the local beanery. Besides savoring the latest blends, John has a site with reviews of straight blade razor, as well as a review of vintage straight razors.

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What Does Ecommerce Really Mean and How Does It Work

Ecommerce or electronic commerce has enabled financial transactions on the internet that provide a variety of services which include sales, insurance, marketing, online advertisements and the like. With the current estimated value of ecommerce being $591 billion, there are various large-scale and small-scale companies that want a share of these financial transactions to promote their business. However, there have been innovations in the area of electronic commerce as home-based businesses have greatly profited form online marketing. Ecommerce continues to grow as a major economic sector.

What is E-commerce?

In general terms e-commerce is the market place of the Internet where buying, selling and distributing of goods and services takes place through an electronic medium. It is a virtual environment where the buyers and the sellers decide upon financial services. Therefore, any economic transaction that is enabled over an electronic medium i.e. Internet it is termed as E-commerce.

Since the advent of the Internet, Ecommerce has grown steadily enabling optimization of businesses. The following figures elaborate the growth of Ecommerce:-

• Online population in the U.S. has increased by 50% from 141.5 million in 2001 to 210.8 million in 2006.

• Online U.S. retail sales have grown from $47.8 billion which was estimated in 2001 to $130.8 billion in 2006.

• The total number of small companies in the U.S. is 2.3million out of which only 60% of them are based on the Internet. 16% of these companies specialize in retail trade.

• The annual expenditure of the buyers has increased from $457 which was in 2001 to $784 in 2006.

However, there are various large and small companies that offer products and services in order to meet the overall customer requirements. Companies such as Ebay, Amazon, and CoinStar Inc are just some of the top 50 online retailing sites. These companies are able to sell their goods and services to consumers through credit card transactions online. This enables a real time commercial transaction as these transactions are done with a click of a mouse. At these speeds of conducting business, online retail companies have managed to optimize their commercial transactions. By selling online these companies have profited greatly which has offered tremendous growth potential.

What is the scope of small companies in E-commerce?

E-commerce has provided small companies especially self-employed businesses to gain the advantage of marketing which they can carry out from their offices in order to spread the awareness of the products and services.

Unlike large companies, small companies cannot afford expensive advertisements. In order to increase the awareness of the products and services, online marketing provides them a solution to enable potential consumers’ access to their goods and services. In fact there are only 2.3 million small companies in U.S. out of which 60% are providing retail services on the Internet. These small scale companies have enabled to expand their base by having virtual customers on the internet that increase their profits.

The advantages that small-scale companies can gain from Ecommerce can be seen as follows:

• Larger pool of customers: Small companies are able to gain greater access to customers through emails and advertisements.

• Increased marketing: Through web commerce small companies are able to market their products and services through online advertisements and able to target the potential customers through their profiles.

• Optimization of business: Small businesses don’t have the expertise to research and conduct market analysis. By linking their websites with other similar websites in their category they can find potential customers. Internet technology enables small businesses to keep a track of the customers that are visiting their website.

• Increase in profits: Internet commerce has increased market access and optimized businesses, small companies can earn better profits thus allowing them a better growth potential.

With over 3 billion customers having Internet access it becomes convenient for the companies to reach them through the Internet and provide information about their products and services in an interactive way. In fact, with the introduction of shopping cart users can select various books, furniture, clothing and technology gizmos. As an audience the virtual customer has the best benefit of knowledge as information flows to them in terms of the latest news regarding plane fares, cinema tickets, holiday tours and other news that will enable them to exercise their choice as a customer.

Therefore Ecommerce continues to grow as a lucrative option for many businesses as it bridges the gap between the seller and the buyer and provides an opportunity to gain the advantages of globalization.

Nick Hurd is the CEO of 1CartPlus a hosted shopping cart that is easy to set up for beginners and provides all the tools that a professional online marketer needs to compete effectively in todays competitive online world. Fulfill all your ecommerce needs at 1cartplus.com [http://www.1cartplus.com/Ecommerce] copyright 2007 1cartplus.com

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