Food of the gods
The cacao tree’s name,Theobroma cacao, trans-
lates to ‘‘ Food of the gods.’’ Humans found numerous
medical uses for that food throughout the years. The
Maya and Aztecs used it to treat conditions including
seizures, fevers, and skin infections. During the 17th
century, people used chocolate as a sleep aid, blood
purifier, and a pain reliever during childbirth. Some
people believed that chocolate helped them live longer.
People realized that chocolate gave them energy.
They knew it could be fattening, but excess weight was
a sign of prosperity in the 19th century. A thin figure
meant that a person wasn’t well-off financially, and
chocolate was sold as a weight-gain powder. Stand-
ards changed during the early decades of the 20th
century, when the ideal image was a thin figure. Choc-
olate became known as a forbidden food for dieters.
The role of chocolate in diets started to change during
the 1990s.Chocolate health plans
During the 1990s and in subsequent years,
researchers began investigating the health benefits of
chocolate. In unrelated actions, several books pro-
moted weight-loss plans that involved chocolate.
THE PASTA-POPCORN-CHOCOLATE DIET.Adiet
detailed on some websites in the spring of 2007 was
attributed to Lenny Neimark, a film maker and screen-
writer. Neimark wrote The Pasta-Popcorn-Chocolate
Diet, a 32-page book published in 1999 by Soul Pro-
prietor. It was out-of-print in April of 2007 when Ama-
zon.com carried a link to a bookseller offering one copy
of it for $.192.01. According to online information,
Neimark based his book on ‘‘his unique and humorous
perspective of human nature, drama, and people’s
desire to look, feel, and be thin, scientific facts,’’ and
the case histories of overweight patients. The histories
were provided by his brother, a doctor with a family
medicine practice in California.
The book’s title described three foods allowed on
a diet, according to descriptions on websites including
idiet4u.com. Also on the weight-loss plan were fruits,
vegetables, and 1 ounce (28.3 grams)of chocolate each
day. Chapter titles included ‘‘Thinking Thin’’ ‘‘The
Science and Mathematics of Losing Weight,’’ and &
‘‘How to Maintain Results.’’
THE CHOCOLATE DIET.Sally Ann Voak’s The
Chocolate Dietis a 235-page book published in 2001.
Voak, a British journalist, was then theThe Sunnews-
paper’s slimming editor. Her writing credits include
The Fatfield Diet,a book about a weight-loss plan that
she created for the British village of Fatfield. Residents
were challenged to follow the healthy weight-loss plan.
Their progress was tracked on ‘‘Bazaar ‘‘ a popular
BBC daytime program.
Voak targetedThe Chocolate Dietat chocoholics,
people who have trouble resisting chocolate. Her book
included six diets and the promise that people could
eat chocolate and lose weight. Although the paper-
back book is out of print, copies were available
through Amazon.com in the spring of 2007.KEY TERMS
Body Mass Index—2Also known as BMI, the
index determines whether a person is at a
healthy weight, underweight, overweight, or
obese. The BMI can be calculated by converting
the person’s height into inches. That amount is
multiplied by itself and then divided by the
person’s weight. That number is then multiplied
by 703. The metric formula for the BMI is the
weight in kilograms divided by the square of
height in meters.
Calorie—The nutritional term for a kilocalorie,
the unit of energy needed to raise the temper-
ature of one liter of water by one degree centi-
grade at sea level. A nutritional calorie equals
1,000 calories.
Carbohydrate—A nutrient that the body uses as an
energy source. A carbohydrate provide 4 calories
of energy per gram.
Cholesterol—A fatty substance found each cell of
the human body and in animal foods.
Fat—A nutrient that the body uses as an energy
source. Fats produce 9 calories per gram.
Fiber—A complex carbohydrate not digested by
the human body. Plants are the source of fiber.
Low-Density Lipoprotein—Also known as LDL,
the type of cholesterol that may cause clog
arteries. A high LDL level increases the risk for
heart disease.
Obese—A person with a high amount of body
fat; someone with a Body Mass Index of 30 or
higher.
Overweight—A person is too heavy for his or her
height; someone with a Body Mass Index of from 25
to 30.
Protein—A nutrient that the body uses as an energy
source. Proteins produce 4 calories per gram.Chocolate diet