Chocolate and Valentine’s Day go hand in hand. Not only is chocolate a sweet gift, but dark chocolate, when eaten in moderation, is a healthy treat. Not only is it satisfying, dark chocolate provides nutritional value because in contains healthy antioxidants, phytochemicals and flavonoids. The flavonoids come from the cocoa bean extracts in dark chocolate, while the high percentage of cocoa gives your body healthy antioxidants.
A recent study in The Journal of The American Dietetic Association showed that the ingredients in dark chocolate offer many health benefits. The primary benefits of chocolate are the antioxidants responsible for preventing cholesterol from sticking to your artery walls as well as the flavonoids that contribute to heart health. Eating 2 oz. (50g) of plain chocolate a day with a minimum content of 70% chocolate solids provides protection against heart disease and high blood pressure. Did you know that dark chocolate contains some of the same healthy compounds that are found in red wine and tea? So, eating 1 ½ oz of dark chocolate a day may provide as many cancer-fighting antioxidants as a 5 oz. glass of red wine.
Chocolate contains both saturated fat and unsaturated fat but does not appear to increase blood cholesterol levels. In fact, chocolate contains a type of oil that has been shown to help maintain a healthy heart. There are also chemicals in chocolate that decrease the risk of sugar damage to your teeth.
Chocolate has a variety of trace elements and nutrients such as iron, calcium, potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Vitamin E. Some types of chocolate are now enriched with plant sterols, which have been shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by lowering blood cholesterol levels.
Don’t believe the myth that chocolate contains a lot of caffeine. While it is true that chocolate does contain caffeine, the amount is actually very small. One ounce of milk chocolate has only 6 mg of caffeine, and 1 oz. of dark chocolate has 20 mg of caffeine. In comparison, 8 oz. of decaffeinated coffee has 3 mg of caffeine, but 8 oz. of regular coffee has 85 mg of caffeine.
Some other interesting chocolate facts:
1. 50% of food cravings are for chocolate.
40% of women and 15% of men report chocolate cravings
2. Chocolate stimulates secretions of endorphins producing a pleasurable sensation similar to a “runner’s high.”
3. In 1847 Joseph Fry of Bristol, England produced the first chocolate bar.
4. In 1861 Richard Cadbury created the first known heart-shaped box for Valentine’s Day, and in 1868 he produced the first chocolate box.
5. Today 36 million heart-shaped boxes are sold each year.
6. It would take about 875,000 chocolate chips to provide one average-sized adult with enough energy to walk around the earth.
7. And how about this one? In 1775, Thomas Jefferson wrote John Adams a letter declaring that chocolate was superior to coffee and tea. Wow, he knew something that we are just discovering!
Are you confused about the different types of chocolate? Well, hopefully this will help:
1. Unsweetened Chocolate is called baking or bitter chocolate. It contains no sugar. It has a strong bitter taste and it is used for cooking.
2. Bittersweet Chocolate is a dark chocolate but it is a little sweeter than unsweetened chocolate. It has less sugar and more liquor that semisweet chocolate. It can contain up to 75% cocoa solids and a little or no sugar. Bittersweet chocolate can be interchanged with semisweet chocolate.
3. Semisweet Chocolate is slightly sweetened during processing. Semisweet chocolate is a favorite chocolate of homemakers. It is often used in frostings, sauces, fillings, and mousse.
4. German Chocolate is a dark but sweeter chocolate than semisweet chocolate. German chocolate is a predecessor of bittersweet chocolate. German chocolate has no connection to Germany but was developed by a man named German.
5. Milk Chocolate is candy bar chocolate. It consists of chocolate with whole milk or skim milk powder added. It is rarely used in cooking because the protein in the added milk solids interferes with the texture of the baked products. Milk chocolate contains only 20% cocoa.
You can find some chocolate recipes on these websites
http://www.mms.com/us/baking/
http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/
http://www.ghirardelli.com/bake/recipes.aspx
A video history of chocolate can be viewed at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/multimedia/videos/A-Brief-History-of-Chocolate.html
And if you want to play some chocolate games, try M&M’s website http://www.mms.com/us/becomeanmm
This Valentine’s Day, give dark chocolate to your special someone!
