What is chocolate? Chocolate is produced from the seed of the cacao tree. Unfortunately for many home gardeners eager to have their own stash of chocolate, trees grow only in tropical regions: Central America, the Caribbean, Indonesia, and Africa.
It takes 400 cocoa beans to make one pound of chocolate. Each cacao tree produces approximately 2,500 beans. Research to date supports that chocolate can be enjoyed as part of a balanced, heart-healthy diet and lifestyle. The average serving of milk chocolate has about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of decaf coffee.
Let your sweet tooth rejoice: Eating dark chocolate is good for your cardiovascular health, says a recent study in the journal Nutrition.