Chocoholics Rejoice..Chocolate is Healthy?
I've always considered chocolate to be one of the most decadent, satisfying and unquestionably addictive foods on this earth (along with countless other women, I'm sure).
It's been there for me as a pleasure-producing comfort food through rough times, blue moods and trying times on the job.
So, how could something that elicits such feelings of bliss be "bad" for me?
Well, researchers are now saying that chocolate, especially the high quality variety, offers certain unique health benefits never before discussed or studied.
Now, does this mean it's ok to consume a king sized Hershey bar every day?
No, of course not.
Because you see, unfortunately along with the indulgent good flavor and body of chocolate, there comes an inherent "unhealthy" factor in the sugar and fat added to accomplish it's distinct texture and flavor.
The ingredient in chocolate that gives it that unique flavor that so much of us crave as "comfort food" is cocoa, and this is also the ingredient that packs the nutritional compounds of which I am speaking - not the sugar or the fat.
The healthiest type of chocolate that you can eat is actually the darker chocolates, because they typically contain more cocoa and less sugar and fat.
The darker chocolates also tend to be more bitter, but that is actually my favorite type of chocolate as opposed to the creamier, less cocoa-concentrated version, milk chocolate.
Whether you're a dark chocolate or a milk chocolate fan, you still receive some sort of nutritional benefit even from the lighter, creamier stuff.
So, what is this "healthy" nutrient that the cocoa in chocolate gives us?
The cocoa bean, from which cocoa powder is derived from, contains a fairly potent concentration of antioxidant nutrients, so the more cocoa, the better.
If you're a dark chocolate lover, this means you get more of that antioxidant benefit delivered to your blood stream, which helps to ward off unhealthy tissue growth and destroys free radicals, the arch enemy of the healthy cell.
Chocolate not only imparts rich nutrient benefits when consumed in moderate amounts, but studies have also shown it elevates the mood, which partially explains our emotional connection with chocolate, AKA addiction.
OK, aside from the rich texture and taste bud tempting taste.
There has actually been research done where the unborn fetuses in a mother's womb who consumed chocolate exhibited elevated signs of activity.
Researchers came to the conclusion that the chocolate consumption of the mother subsequently improved her baby's temperament, which translates into the adult term for "happy".
Chocolate has even been called the most high impact food when it comes to cravings and mood.
When we crave chocolate, we tend to crave it when we are feeling low emotionally.
The likely mechanism of chocolate's mood altering abilities is it's ability to make the body produce endorphins.
Endorphins are essentially the primary "pleasure chemical" which is emitted by the brain and cause pleasurable sensations of well being and contentment.
Whether the endorphin release is caused simply by the good taste of chocolate, or whether there is some actual mood altering chemical in chocolate is still up for debate.
Whatever the case may be, it cannot be ignored that many of us, especially women, equate eating chocolate with pleasure and comfort, and there is definitely a reason for it.
Chocolate consumption will always be a sure thing when it comes to mood enhancement.
We have to be prudent when consuming chocolate though, since the effects of the sugar can actually cause us to crash and feel worse.
Another unfortunate fact is that chocolate is high in calories and can definitely add up if you consume it several times a day, or you over do it on the portion.
So, the next time you feel that irrestistable urge for chocolate, grab a mini chocolate bar, and get those antioxidant, mood boosting juices flowing
Chocolate as Medicine
Which would you rather take to help prevent heart attacks and strokes? Chocolate or aspirin?
Amazingly, researchers in California have found that taking a flavonol rich cacao drink, equates almost exactly to taking a low dose aspirin, when it comes to blood thinning properties.
It seems that the cacao drink acts in a similar way to low dose aspirin in ensuring your blood flows freely -- and the platelets do not stick together, thus reducing the risk of stroke or heart disease.
But as usual with these studies, the boffins urge caution, they stress they are not advocating a couple of candy bars in place of your daily physician prescribed aspirin.
There are a substantial number of people who cannot tolerate aspirin, and possibly for those people, eating flavonol rich cacao may be useful to them.
You may also be interested to know that there are bioactive compounds in chocolate that promote well being, lessen the pain response...
Chocolate > Chocolate as Medicine
Gardening - For the Love of Chocolate - New Specialty Nursery Grows "Chocolate" Plants
Imagine a garden filled with chocolate ? chocolate mint; chocolate columbine; chocolate morning glories; chocolate nasturtiums; chocolate daylilies; chocolate foxglove; chocolate sunflowers and much more.Imagination becomes reality this spring at Chocolate Flower Farm where owners Marie Lincoln and Bill Schlicht specialize in growing unusual, rich, dark plants that add a spot of drama and exotic beauty to the garden.
Not just chocolate colored plants but plants in shades of maroon, purple and black and even several plants that smell like chocolate such as Chocolate Cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguiness), Chocolate Flower (Berlandiera lyrata) and Chocolate Vine (Akebia quinata). What came first, the chocolate or the flowers?
"Our nursery is named after Bill's love of chocolate and my passion for gardening.
I already was partial to dark plants and had quite a collection of them in our gardens, thus we combined our two passions and named our farm Chocolate Flower Farm.
Chocolate > Gardening - For the Love of Chocolate - New Specialty Nursery Grows "Chocolate" Plants
How To Eat Less Chocolate
Chocolate contains important minerals, such as potassium and magnesium. It also contains vitamins B1, B2, D and E. It even contains antioxidants, subtsances that protect against cancer and old age. But let's not fool ourselves, you can get all these benefits in other foods: you don't have to eat chocolate to get these important nutrients.There's nothing wrong though with chocolate in moderation, but the key phrase here is 'in moderation', because unfortunately many people find it difficult to eat chocolate in moderation. If you're one of these people, try taking a good zinc supplement.
Many people find a regular intake of zinc, reduces their chocolate craving - you need to look for a zinc supplement that contains 10 mg to 15 mg of elemental zinc, and take one each day. Tea, coffee and alcohol interfere with the absorption of zinc, so make sure you leave a gap between taking your zinc supplement and drinking any of these.Zinc is a vitally important nutrient, so taking it is likely...
How To Eat Less Chocolate
Chocolate > How To Eat Less Chocolate
Chocolate and heart health ? fact or fallacy?
Wouldn't it be wonderful if chocolate and heart health went hand in hand. However, there is so much information lately about the health benefits of chocolate that it is only natural that people get confused.It is true, that if people only ate pure cocoa, then there might be heart health benefits. The problem is that most people eat processed chocolate bars containing sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, dairy cream not to mention other "baddies" contained in some of those tasty fillings. Some of these added ingredients can clog up arteries and create havoc to your waistline.That said, you might be surprised to find out that chocolate isn't all that bad. In fact, the fat content in chocolate, contained in premium grade dark chocolate, is comprised of equal amounts of oleic acid (a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil), stearic and palmitic acids.
Stearic and palmitic acids are forms of saturated fat ? not so good. Saturated fats are linked to increases in...
Chocolate and heart health ? fact or fallacy?
Chocolate > Chocolate and heart health ? fact or fallacy?
Chocolove Introduces Chocolatour - A Limited Production, Single Origin Chocolate Bar
Chocolatour is a new line of single origin, vintage chocolate bars from Chocolove, a premium chocolate manufacturer. Chocolatour offers a world tour of chocolate.Eating a Chocolatour is an experience like tasting a bottle of fine wine. You can choose a specific terroir and vintage and if you taste carefully, you'll be able to taste something of the country and the weather.Because Chocolatour is made from single origin cocoa beans and weather affects the quality of the cocoa bean from year to year, Chocolatour will be made exclusively from origins and vintages that have high quality cocoa beans. Consequently, Chocolatour is made in limited productions and some origins may be available only once in a few years.2004's production was limited to 5,000 bars of each origin. Currently, Chocolatour is available in: Sao Tome dark chocolate with 70% cocoa content, Grenada dark chocolate with 60% cocoa content and Java milk chocolate with 33% cocoa content."The 2004 production offers the consumer...
Chocolove Introduces Chocolatour - A Limited Production, Single Origin Chocolate Bar
Chocolate > Chocolove Introduces Chocolatour - A Limited Production, Single Origin Chocolate Bar
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