Today is World Chocolate Day, and you can freely celebrate your love of all things chocolate. It is safe to say that chocolate is one of your major food groups. Not only do you always have an emergency stash nearby to tackle any cravings, but your presence can be detected by the scattering of empty wrappers you leave in your trail.

Today is World Chocolate Day. Yep that’s right – a whole day completely dedicated to the good stuff. It’s also a valid excuse to ditch the diet for 24 hours. World Chocolate Day, or International Chocolate Day as it’s also known, happens each year on July 7. According to Wikipedia, celebrations on the day include ‘the consumption of chocolate’… no surprises there. It’s also believed that World Chocolate Day 2017 marks 467 years since chocolate was first introduced to Europe. Despite this, it was apparently another three centuries before the world’s first chocolate bar was created. And of course, you can always be relied upon to know exactly where the latest limited edition chocolate offerings are stocked.

1. Fierce debate

You have lost count of a number of times you have become involved in an intense debate worthy of Question Time focusing on which is the best chocolate. You’ve even lost friends over their chocolate choices, and at Christmas all chocolate talk is banned at the table.

2. Easter what else is the Best

Forget your birthday, because the real treat for chocolate lovers is of course Easter. You aren’t really sure about the details of the Easter story, but you are definitely aware of the new Easter eggs, and which supermarket has the best offers on.

3. You judge people by chocolate choice

We’re all guilty of judging people by things like their political affiliations, their fashion choices and musical tastes. But you believe that chocolate choice is the best factor to determine someone’s character. For example, anyone who loves chocolate covered raisins is not to be trusted.  

4. It reduces stress

In a study that was conducted some years back, people with anxiety were given chocolates to eat (about 40 grams) for two long weeks. These people confessed on experiencing lower stress levels. Chocolate has

Chocolate has bioactive compounds that activates brain receptors and increases anandamide which is responsible for your stress to reduce. So if you are feeling low or in stress, just eat a bar of dark chocolate than eating ice cream.

5. Always stock up

You have a special cupboard in your kitchen which is full of chocolate, and in fact you have made a conscious decision to pile up on your favorites. You may be mocked by others, by what if there is an international cocoa shortage? What if your favorite chocolate is discontinued?

Stockpiling is the only choice to avoid heartbreak.

6. The joy of discovering something new

There is nothing like discovering a brand new chocolate to cheer you up.
Once discovered you consume a large quantity and tell everyone about this new life changing taste.

7. Limited edition excitement

Whenever a new limited edition comes out you are convinced that someone over at the chocolate factory has read your dream journal and turned your wild fantasies into reality.

Obviously, these limited editions are also stockpiled.

8. The heartbreak over a changed recipe

The feeling of betrayal, sadness, anger and utter despair is too real when you take a bite into a familiar chocolate to realise that the recipe has been altered.

A true tragedy.

9. Or reduced size

Why do chocolate companies think it is fair to start shrinking the size and still expect consumers to pay the exact same?
Please stop with these insults.

10. Favourite gift

The easiest way to make you happy is by giving you a large quantity of chocolate.
It doesn’t even have to be gift wrapped.

11. All desserts are chocolate focused

Any dessert you decide to make or indulge in has to be chocolate based, otherwise you are not interested. If a new recipe you are trying fails, you are comforted in the knowledge that you can pop open the freezer and have a scoop of chocolate ice cream instead.

12. Goes with everything

It is the perfect compliment to all other foods. Want to be healthy? No problem, drizzle a little melted chocolate over some fruit.
Prefer something savory? How about chocolate covered pretzels?

13. It’s all you think about

All thoughts are chocolate related and concerned with where you will obtain your next fix from.

14. People who don’t like it = total mystery

These people are the sort of people that you could never understand, relate to, or become close with.
Anyone who doesn’t like chocolate is no friend of yours.

15. It is your one true love

Above all it is your soulmate.
It understands you, it makes you so happy and you could never get bored of it.

16. Reduces risk of heart diseases

Eating chocolates often prevent clotting of blood that reduces your risk of developing any heart diseases. Dark chocolate has antioxidants that help in increasing the flexibility of your arteries and veins.

17. Reduces risk of a stroke

If you eat about 45 grams of dark chocolate every week, you reduce your chances of a stroke by 20 per cent. This was confirmed by a study done recently. Chocolate has flavonoids that help the body in fighting strokes.

18. Reduces type 2 diabetes risk

The general notion about diabetes is that you should be low on sugar or anything sweet since it puts you at an increased risk of diabetes and will also increase your weight. However, some researchers recently found out that if you have dark chocolate for a long time, you will be at a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes. This study was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This study hasn’t explained how this works, but some experts have said that it is because chocolates enhance your insulin sensitivity which is a good thing to prevent Type 2 diabetes.

19. Gives relief from diarrhea

Treating diarrhea with coca has been a practice since the 16th century in Europe and South America. And according to modern science, this treatment is indeed effective.  Cocoa flavonoids help in curing diarrhea by regulating fluid secretion in the small intestine.