Chocolate and Stimulants

Last week I gave a presentation on chocolate to a tour group staying at The Bacara Resort and Spa in Santa Barbara.  One of the questions was: "Does chocolate have stimulants?"  The answer is yes and this is why you'll find the basic components of chocolate in so many health food preparations and fat burners.  The nice thing is the main stimulant of chocolate is theobromine and not caffeine.  Theobromine is relatively mild, helps elevate one's serotonin levels producing a really nice side effect of feeling good.  Another benefit is that chocolate and theobromine has thermogenic properties which help increase one's calorie burn.  That's why if you eat good chocolate that hasn't been spoiled with a bunch of fillers you get a "feel good" high along with a slight warming rush (the thermogenic calorie burning response).  The darker the chocolate the more likely you'll get these results.

Cocoa / chocolate is derived from the seeds of the theobroma cacao tree (cocoa beans).  Chocolate contains small amounts of caffeine, but pretty high amounts of theobromine, an alkaloid in the xanthine family. Theobromine is classified as a mild central nervous system stimulant and has physiological effects similar to those of caffeine, but much weaker. The average cup of hot cocoa contains about 10 mg of caffeine and over 200 mg of theobromine. A 3 1/2 ounce (100 g) semi sweet dark chocolate bar contains about 12 mg of caffeine and 155 mg of theobromine. 

So in sum, eat up and enjoy your chocolate - especially dark chocolate.