Freilache Menschen Lunch and Program

Guilty Pleasures: Jews and Chocolate

Ever wonder why chocolate is the number one craved food and why eating chocolate only makes you want to eat more? We will explore the history of chocolate and the role that a Portuguese crypto-Jew played in cacao processing and trading. Explore some links between the sensory aspects of chocolate and the neurochemical processes that underlie appetite and craving.

Speaker:
Marjorie Freedman received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Nutrition from UC Davis. She has worked as a nutrition and health educator for over 20 years – in industry, for a non-profit educational company, as a consultant, and now in academia. At San Jose State University (SJSU) she teaches nutrition education and community nutrition to undergraduates as well as graduate students. Her local advocacy efforts are aimed at decreasing rates of obesity, and have resulted in environmental changes that support healthy lifestyles at San Jose State, in public schools and public libraries. She actively challenges her students to become more involved in the community and the legislative process. One of her favorite foods is dark chocolate.