Is Chocolate A New Health Food?
Could it be possible that our beloved chocolate may actually be good for us? This is the nutrition news we have all been waiting for. So here is the scoop on chocolate and its health benefits. Yes, you read right, health benefits!Recent studies show that cocoa and dark chocolate with a high cocoa content contain many heart-healthy antioxidants. They contain a compound called flavonoids which may help prevent the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels in the blood. There is also some evidence that these flavonoids may prevent certain cancers.
It is important that we are all on the same page here, not all chocolate have these health benefits. The healthy flavonoids found in chocolate are found in the cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Milk chocolate is diluted with milk and sugar and contains little amounts of these substances, therefore providing fewer health benefits. So, for those of you who love dark chocolate this is your lucky day! The darker the chocolate, the higher the cocoa content and the more antioxidants it contains. The quality of the chocolate you consume is also important.
The cocoa butter is quite pricey so less expensive brands will replace the cocoa butter with milk fats and hydrogenated oils which are bad for our health. Look for high quality chocolates with their main ingredients being cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Unsweetened cocoa powder is one of the purest forms of chocolate you can eat and is lower in fat and calories than other chocolates. Although this is great news for all chocolate lovers, don't forget that most chocolate (unless you use unsweetened cocoa powder) does still contain sugar and saturated fat. And please remember calories.
An ounce of chocolate contains around 135 calories. So enjoy a cup of hot cocoa or an ounce of chocolate once in awhile to contribute to your health and not to your waistline!? Meri Raffetto, 2004.
Meri Raffetto is a Registered Dietitian and a recognized professional in the area of nutrition and wellness. She has developed online weight management programs to help people get off of diets and get into way of life. For more information or to sign up for our free newsletter, visit www.reallivingnutrition.com.How to grow Chocolate Cosmos
Love Chocolate? Here's How to Grow Chocolate CosmosChocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguinea) is both nose and eye candy for your garden. When it's in full bloom, mature blossoms on long, slender stems look like candy kisses on a stick and fill the late afternoon with the sweet scent of vanilla tinged chocolate. New blossoms hug the foliage of the plant, nearly concealing it with their numbers! Add to that the sweet chocolate fragrance and you end up with something very special.Although chocolate cosmos is endangered in the wild, transplants are easily found at most nurseries and garden centers in the spring. However, gardeners who are inexperienced in how to grow chocolate cosmos may overlook what seem to be small, messy tangles of miniature dahlia leaves, unaware that once established, prolific blossoms nearly conceal the foliage. Once in bloom, chocolate cosmos blossoms continuously throughout the summer into the first frosts of autumn.
If you're planning a gothic garden, chocolate...
How to grow Chocolate Cosmos
Chocolate > How to grow Chocolate Cosmos
Chocolate Gift Ideas
People give gifts to strengthen bonds, to remind friends, family, and colleagues that they are an important part of their lives. Fine chocolates are just about everyone's favorite. And as the food industry has evolved in the last few decades, gourmet chocolate seems to be a real niche item available anywhere you shop. Gourmet chocolates can be gifted on Mother's Day, Birthdays, Wedding Gifts, Valentine's Day or for any other special occasion.Gourmet chocolates are a great treat for any chocolate lover, and there is a huge selection online for gift giving. Everyone knows that person who just craves chocolate! Imagine their surprise and delight when they receive the most delectable gourmet chocolates.
Getting the perfect gift for the chocolate lover is simple when you shop online from Harmony Sweets.Harmony Sweets has over ninety world-class confections available including edible gold chocolate pralines from Switzerland, strawberry cream seashells from Belgium, unique Dragon Beard...
Chocolate Gift Ideas
Chocolate > Chocolate Gift Ideas
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
LAKE CHAMPLAIN CHOCOLATES ALL NATURAL HOT CHOCOLATE NOW AVAILABLE TO CONSUMERS
(Burlington, VT) Lake Champlain Chocolates (LCC), a gourmet Vermont chocolate maker, has introduced the All Natural Hot Chocolate line.
The new line is arriving on retail shelves now, and is also available at www.lakechamplainchocolates.com.
Patrons of LCC's chocolate caf?s in Vermont have been enjoying the special taste of LCC's hot chocolate for years. Now everyone can enjoy this all-natural, epicurean chocolate drink made in the Old World tradition.
Flavors ? for everyone from children to chocolate connoisseurs ? include Old World, Aztec, Organic, Traditional, Mocha, Raspberry, and Unsweetened."This is hot chocolate the way it should be," explained Jim Lampman, founder and president of LCC.
"Rich, aromatic, full-bodied, and deeply satisfying ? it's the closest thing we mortals have to ambrosia."
LCC's hot chocolates are prepared with...
Chocolate > LAKE CHAMPLAIN CHOCOLATES ALL NATURAL HOT CHOCOLATE NOW AVAILABLE TO CONSUMERS
DailyOlive.com Valentine’s Day “What I’ve Done for Chocolate” Contest Awards Richard Donnelly Chocolates
Los Angeles, CA (ContentDesk) February 2, 2006 -- Most of us have a humorous, impressive, or embarrassing story about the lengths we've gone to in order to get a chocolate fix. DailyOlive.coms What Ive Done for Chocolate Valentines Day contest (http://www.dailyolive.com/chocolate/what_ive_done_f.html) rewards one lucky chocoholic with an indulgence thats truly worth the effort.
The winning confessor will receive an 8 oz. Richard Donnelly assortment (a $65 value) and the tale will be posted on DailyOlive.com on Valentines Day. Richard Donnelly Chocolates, located in Santa Cruz, CA, opened in 1988 after Donnelly bought a caramel apple store.
He then studied with master chocolatiers in Paris and Brussels. Donnelly Chocolates are made from French and Belgium couvertures. Kyeann Sayer, from DailyOlive.com explains that To many, premium chocolate is associated with elaborate packaging...
DailyOlive.com Valentine’s Day “What I’ve Done for Chocolate” Contest Awards Richard Donnelly Chocolates
Chocolate > DailyOlive.com Valentine’s Day “What I’ve Done for Chocolate” Contest Awards Richard Donnelly Chocolates
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