Ashton Harris
1910 Granville Towers Ln W
Chapel Hill, NC 27515
chaston@live.unc.edu
January 31,2016

Dear Mrs. Boyd:

I am a current freshman studying Health Policy and Management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Currently, I am working on an article discussing the health benefits of dark chocolate consumption. I admire your journal and realize the prestige that it offers. That being said, I am hoping that you will find a place for my article in your nutritional journal.

In today’s culture, the majority of American citizens would agree with the statement, “dark chocolate is good for you.” But what does this mean? What defines “good?” Why is dark chocolate, say, better than other forms of chocolate? In order to find the answers to these questions, we will need to investigate the actual contents of dark chocolate and the effects that they have on bodily function. In order to do so, studies will be investigated and background information regarding the make up of dark chocolate will be addressed. With this in mind, I will aim to prove just why dark chocolate is in fact “better for you.” In my article, I will explain the physiological effects related to the consumption of dark and whether or not these will benefit or harm the human body. If dark chocolate harms the body, it should be avoided; on the other hand, if the treat actually improves the physiology of the body, I will address the proper portions for consumption.

I believe this topic to be extremely important in American culture because of the fairly recent fascination with nutrition. Think about it, how many people do you know that own a FitBit? How many constantly check to see the number of steps they have reached or how many stairs they have climbed? Sure, one could argue that this may have to do with an interest in technological advancements, but if that is true, wouldn’t nearly everyone have a hoverboard? Here’s the thing, unlike the hoverboard craze, nutrition does not “attach” itself to any age group. Instead, nutrition is universal. You could see a sixteen year old and a seventy-year-old American citizen both wearing the same FitBit, performing the same function. With this in mind, if any food, especially if it is as satisfying as dark chocolate, is claimed as “healthy,” chances are everyone will be talking about this sooner than later. And in fact, that has been the case with dark chocolate.

The health benefits of dark chocolate are all rooted in a high concentration of cacao in comparison to other forms of chocolate. In lay mans terms, the higher the percentage of cacao the more natural the chocolate. When milk chocolate is made, cacao is manipulated structurally and chemically in order to create a higher percentage of cocoa, which is probably the more familiar form of chocolate. The reason more people know about cocoa over cacao can be related to a recent study performed by ProQuest. In a randomized study of one hundred people, eighty-four people claimed that they prefer milk chocolate over dark chocolate while the remaining sixteen favored dark chocolate. When those who preferred milk chocolate were asked why, the majority stated that, “milk chocolate is sweeter than dark chocolate;” the basis of this statement deals with the amounts of cacao in each sample. Bitter taste parallels to cacao while a sweeter taste relates to amounts of cocoa.

Overall, I will show that dark chocolate improves the physiological functions of the blood stream and the vascular systems. In order to do so, I will relate the effects of dark chocolate to the percentages of cacao. I will be aiming to prove to the reader that dark chocolate is in fact good for you. After stating my claim and supporting it with an abundance of evidence, I will then educate the reader on portion control, in regards to the consumption of dark chocolate. Though dark chocolate will improve vascular function, an abundance of this sweet treat could reverse effects by introducing too much of one thing into the human body. In fact, dark chocolate is sometimes described as an accessory rather than a main course. It is important for the reader to realize that I am not encouraging complete reliance on dark chocolate’s effects, but rather consuming the treat in regards to its intended purpose and function.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Ashton Harris