Chemistry Professor Shares Benefits of Chocolate this Valentine’s Season at Local Libraries
Professor Mike Cross
There’s little doubt that chocolate is a delicious treat and typically seen as a guilty pleasure but did you know that chocolate can also be healthy?
According to Professor of Chemistry Mike Cross at the Northern Essex Community College (NECC) in Haverhill and Lawrence, MA chocolate might just be the “perfect indulgence.”
With high quality versions of chocolate carrying over 500+ natural chemicals and more antioxidants then a bowl of blueberries … chocolate can increase feelings of well-being, reduce high blood pressure, relax blood vessels and more, says Cross.
In a presentation called “Chocolate, The Perfect Indulgence,” Professor Cross will share his knowledge as both a chemist and a passionate lover of chocolate with audiences throughout the area this Valentine’s Day season. Presentations are scheduled at libraries in Boxford, Rowley, Brookline, Reading, and Swampscott, and most, if not all, include a chocolate tasting.
Cross holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Utah where he specialized in oxidative lesions in DNA and RNA. His presentation is part of NECC’s Speakers’ Bureau. For more information on the college’s Speakers’ Bureau visit, www.necc.mass.edu/speakers-bureau, call 978 556-3862 or email speakersbureau@necc.mass.edu.
NECC Professor Mike Cross will present Chocolate: The Secret Indulgence on the following dates:
Saturday, Jan. 23
Rowley Public Library, 141 Main St.
https://www.rowleylibrary.org/
Free and open to the public.
Saturday, Jan. 30, 1 p.m.
Public Library of Brookline, 361 Washington St.
https://www.brooklinelibrary.org/
Free and open to the public.
Wednesday, Feb. 13, 1:00 p.m.
Boxford Public Library, 7A Spofford Road
https://www.boxfordlibrary.org/wordpress/
Free and open to the public.
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 7 to 8:30 pm
Reading Public Library, 80 General Way
Free and open to the public.
Wednesday, April 20, 6:30 p.m.
Swampscott Public Library, 61 Burrill St.
https://www.swampscottlibrary.org/
Free and open to the public.
