Let's talk chocolate

Who doesn't love chocolate? Okay okay some people don't, I'm not judging. I know you're thinking, "but Claire, what does chocolate have to do with speaking English, this isn't a cooking blog..." But it does! Tell me what kind of chocolate you like and I'll tell you what type of language learner you are. Just kidding, I'm not that creative. But, in light of Easter, and all the chocolate eggs that you'll be eating, I thought that I'd give you an excuse to eat "just one more" piece of chocolate! Today we are going to talk about how chocolate can help with your language learning!

But first, vocabulary!

Not all chocolates are created equal, so before getting into how chocolate can benefit your studies, we must be very clear on the different types of chocolate: white chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate. For you sugar lovers, sorry but white chocolate and milk chocolate don't do much for your brain, except give you a sugar high. Dark chocolate, on the other hand, has the least amount of sugar and a high amount of something science calls flavanols. Their definition is too scientific for me, so just know that they're good for your brain. Anyways, studies show that consuming food with this magical stuff inside it is good for your brain! For more info, if you're keen on science, check out this article.

Three ways dark chocolate can help you learn English

Short term memory boost: eat a piece of chocolate before you have your English lesson or before doing some self study, and you might just remember more than if you hadn't eaten any!
Long term memory help: eat it regularly, and over time you will be able to recall more of what you learn in your lessons, self study, and free time English activities!
It improves brain blood flow, higher oxygen levels and better nerve function. What's not to love?

I didn't make all this up, you can read up on the topic in this article. As I always say, there is no magical pill or formula to learning English faster, but I suppose every little bit helps, and perhaps eating dark chocolate does boost your brain power a bit, and even if it doesn't, you're eating something scrumptious while benefitting from its placebo effect. Win - win, right? And, if you're just a curious George and want to know more about chocolate, here's a video on the history of chocolate. Who knows, maybe you'll learn something fun that you can whip out at Easter lunch to surprise your friends and family🤣.

Glossary

sugar high: to have a lot of "shaky energy" after eating a lot of sugar
flavanols: plant compounds with a variety of health benefits
to be keen on [someone/thing): phrasal verb - to like or enjoy something
short term: expression used to talk about the immediate future
long term: expression used to talk about the foreseeable future
make [something] up: to invent or imagine something
to read up on [something]: to study or find information on a specific topic
in light of [something]: synonym for - taking into consideration, considering
whip out: phrasal verb - to take something out of place quickly - in this context, it's used figuratively - you take out information from your brain to share with your listeners

Let's talk chocolate

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