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Chocolate has been our secret little helper throughout history.
No one gives chocolate the credit it deserves. But chocolate has been quietly saving the world for a very long time.
I’m about to tell you just one of many stories involving our favourite superhero, chocolate.
This is the story of how chocolate once saved the world.
June 6th 1944, D-Day
160,000 Allied troops – British, Canadian, and American forces – stormed the beaches of Normandy.
They went up against the Nazis and caught them by surprise.
It was one of many attacks in which countless lives were sadly sacrificed but this attack ultimately led to the end of WWII.
The success of the mission was based on many factors. The Allied troops had the surprise factor, they had air and sea superiority, there was much careful planning, and there was also a healthy dose of luck.
But there was also chocolate.
Soldiers were given packs of carefully rationed food, all chosen to be the most effective sources of energy in times of war.
Food needed to be easy to carry, morale boosting, and packed with energy.
What food did the trick?
Chocolate.
Soldier rations of chocolate were specifically designed to be light and easy to carry (4 ounces), high in calories to increase energy, resistant to heat, and taste good.
The chocolate that soldiers carried did all of those things except the last one. The bars in their ration packs tasted nothing like chocolate today.
The chocolate bars were just blocks of chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, oat flour, and skim milk powder all mixed together.
These chocolates certainly were not the most inspiring treats for weary soldiers fighting a war. But they got the job done.
These chocolates might not have tasted too good but they still managed to boost morale. The bars still contained ingredients that boosted the happy chemicals in the brain. When soldiers took a bite of their chocolate, they got a hit of serotonin and dopamine. When things looked bleakest, a bite of chocolate could have helped them through.
These bars were also packed with calories. These soldiers were tired. Their feet ached. In fact, their whole bodies ached. Every single soldier was thoroughly ready for the war to end. They wanted to go home. They wanted to see their loved ones. But the calories in their blocks of chocolate helped pushed them onward. They gave them that extra energy to keep going.
Chocolate didn’t single-handedly win the war. That’s an absurd claim. Brave soldiers who believed in preserving the freedom of their countries won the war. They pushed through pain and suffering like few would ever understand and they secured the freedom we still have today.
But chocolate was fuelling many of those soldiers. It may have tasted gross compared to what we love now but it did the job. It kept our men moving and it contributed to saving the world.
This is just one of many instances in which the world was saved because chocolate was in the picture. History is filled with stories in which chocolate was the savior. This will not be the last time chocolate saves the world.
Chocolate will continue to be there for us. Chocolate will fuel us. It will comfort us. It will provide relief from stress and trouble. Chocolate will see us through and, when it feels like our entire world is crumbling down, chocolate will save the day.
When the world next needs saving, you can be sure of one thing: chocolate will be there to lend a helping hand and see us through.
