ask the expert chocolate

Chocolate does have some other potential benefits if you are talking about, shall we say, romance. It contains theobromine, which, like caffeine, stimulates the body's endorphins. It also has anandamide, another euphoria stimulant that produces positive mood effects. And it contains phenylethylamine, which is sometimes called the "love chemical" because it is a precursor of dopamine. Dopamine is a brain neurochemical that can trigger lust, combats depression and releases testosterone.

The down side is that if you eat too much chocolate, you will have consumed too many calories and fat, and that is a negative for sexuality.

What do you tell your patients about chocolate?

If you like chocolate and you find it romantic or stimulating, by all means eat some. But the problem with chocolate is that we tend to add butterfat and sugar to make it. Eating just the cocoa bean would be the healthiest thing to do. So limit the amount you eat and eat dark chocolate - it has better health benefits than white or milk chocolate. And if you are going to have even an 8- or 9-ounce bar, then you are asking for trouble. You are talking about 1,000 calories, and that is half the calories women need daily.