Milk chocolate is many people's favorite candy. But everyone knows that you can't eat too much of it because chocolate is bad for you. Or at least that was the common misunderstanding. In fact, scientists are now discovering that chocolate has many health benefits, and may help you fight cancer, heart disease, and tooth decay. Chocolate contains iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and many vitamins. But before you start eating fistfuls of chocolate bars, consider this. Chocolate is healthy in its pure form, which is very bitter. When you mix chocolate with fats, sugars, and dairy products to make it the creamy sweet food that most people think of when they think of chocolate, it loses many of its health benefits.
Which rhetorical technique does the author employ in the beginning of the paragraph?
1. quoting an expert
2. presenting credentials
3. alluding to history
4. making a generalization