I ask every client I coach which sweet food they crave most. I never hear, "bubble gum" or "whipped cream." The overwhelming response is CHOCOLATE. There are few foods that people are as passionate about as chocolate. As my friend, Patti says, "take away anything, but don't touch my chocolate."

Just thinking about chocolate makes many people drool like Pavlov's dog. If you are a chocoholic you probably suspect there is something in chocolate that alters your mood. It goes beyond the pleasure derived from eating the smooth, creamy melt in your mouth textured sweet.

In fact, there are many scientific studies that have attempted to find out more about chocolate and to isolate specific chemicals and chemical combinations which may explain some of chocolate's pleasurable effects. (What a job!) I've read that it contains more than 300 known chemicals. Caffeine is the most well known of these chemical ingredients, although the amount in chocolate is small. In the 1940s and 50s, the famous Hershey family extracted a stimulant called theobromine from its cocoa beans and sold it to Coca Cola, which used it to pep up its soda. Since then phenylethylalamine, a chemical related to amphetamines has also been found in chocolate There's no doubt that the combination of these stimulating chemicals (and probably others) provide the "high" chocolate lovers experience.

Perhaps the most controversial findings come from researchers at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, California. They believe that "chocolate contains pharmacologically active substances that have the same effect on the brain as marijuana, and that these chemicals may be responsible for certain drug-induced psychoses associated with chocolate craving." The neurotransmitter, anandamide, produced naturally in the brain, and responsible for a good feeling similar to that of serotonin is present in chocolate. Like anti depressants that prevent the uptake of serotonin, chocolate may inhibit the natural breakdown of anadamide.

Research continues. In the meantime we do know that the bad effects of eating chocolate are either overstated or entirely false. Eating chocolate doesn't cause or aggravate acne and by itself it doesn't cause cavities. (The sugar added to chocolate causes cavities.) The cocoa butter in chocolate does contain saturated fat, which can increase cholesterol and like any good tasting food, too much chocolate means too many calories. But good things are best in moderation.