The Mediterranean All-You-Can-Eat Chocolate Diet
There are diets that most of us are used to, and the Mediterranean diet goes for a different route. People going for this diet may eat nuts and eggs to their heart’s content, and yes, even chocolate! Only, it should have more than 50% cocoa. It allows them to have as much fish, seafood, low-fat cheese, and whole-grain cereals as they want.
If you are looking to follow this diet, you must also stick to having olive oil, which you use on salads as well as cooked veggies abundantly. Also, you must have at least two servings a day of vegetables, with at least one of those servings in the form of a salad, on top of at least three servings a day of fresh fruit.
Legumes, which include garbanzo beans, lentils, soybeans and peas, must be eaten at least three times a week. Additionally, you should eat fish or seafood three times a week, with at least one meal of a fatty fish like salmon, tuna or sardines.
A sauce made with tomatoes, garlic and onions simmered in lots of olive oil at least twice a week must also be a staple in your diet. You can pour the sauce on pasta, rice or vegetables. If you’re a wine drinker, you can have it with meals, at least seven glasses a week.
It goes without saying that there is also a list of foods you have to limit. Those include: cream, butter, margarine, pâté, lunch meats, French fries, potato chips, soft drinks and other drinks with sugar added.
Don’t shy away from the oil and nuts, considering they tend to make you full, making you eat less of other foods. Truth be told, nuts are ideal to be eaten at dinner time, since they are so filling.
I’m rambling on while the main idea is that you can eat as much chocolate as you want! This diet is supposedly based on what people in Mediterranean countries used to eat.
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: all you can eat chocolate, chocolate diet, meditarranean diet, nuts, people, three, unlimited chocolate, week
Things You Should Know About Chocolate
Chocolates that contain at least 70% cocoa are the best ones you can choose, taking into account the higher the cocoa content, the more nutrients you can get. Your chocolate is also better non- or lightly alkalized or non-dutched. Milk and white chocolate are sooo good, but they don’t have as much healthy flavanols as dark chocolate does.
If you’re not crazy about dark chocolate, don’t worry. They say it’s an acquired taste, and you can learn it by gradually increasing percentage of cocoa in the chocolates that you have. Truth be told, there are milk chocolates with 50 percent cocoa or more available these days.
Portion control is the way to go. Studies have shown that as few as 30 calories of flavanol-rich dark chocolate can lower the blood pressure. Nevertheless, indulging yourself once in a while is not so bad. A 500-calorie indulgence amounts to only about a two-ounce weight gain, and you can sweat that out in the gym any day.
No, don’t confuse chocolate with an aphrodisiac. Sorry chocoholic boys, but science has still not proven that chocolate can increase the libido of your female partner. Don’t go sending here boxes of chocolate and expect something in return!
However, cocoa can be considered as a fountain of youth in its own right, since it is proven to keep skin young. Cocoa beans come with antioxidants that can combat free radicals, which are known to bring about skin damage. When cocoa beans are made into chocolate bars, they can lose a sizable amount of antioxidants. That being said, have it in liquid form and drink cocoa instead!
Furthermore, chocolate is beneficial to the heart, given that a study had shown that specific substances in chocolate cold lessen LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) and an increase the HDL cholesterol (the good kind).
Also, chocolate is not evil for the teeth. As a matter of fact, chocolate can help prevent cavities and plaque build-up on the teeth. A sugar-laden chocolate is a different story, though.
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: antioxidants, chocolate fun facts, chocolate information, cocoa, dark chocolate, fun chocolate facts, fun facts, once
Awesome Chocolate Is Awesome
An array of things have already been said about chocolate with regard to its beneficial effects to the human mind and body. Little do we know that deeper investigation and research are being done so as to lengthen the existing long list of the good things about it.
The American Heart Association did a study, reported in their journal named Hypertension. The outcome of which indicated that cocoa, which is the main ingredient of chocolate, has antioxidants that aids in improving mild cognitive impairment in the elderly.
The said research involved a group of aged participants, who in a span of two months, were supplied with drinks that have different cocoa flavonol levels. Such process produced results displaying that the ones who received the highest of these doses exhibited progress in a few cognitive tasks, which includes memory function.
Other flavonol rich products, aside from chocolate, include red wine, apples, tea as well as berries.
Moreover, new studies look back at past studies to compare. They have found out that cocoa products high in flavonols may contain a small, but very significant role, in lowering high blood pressure.
More to these, it also aids in alleviating risks for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and aging problems.
Nevertheless, keep in mind that too much of everything is bad enough. Yes, chocolate can do you good but it can backfire when you go overboard. Take slow steps, and always eat in moderation.
Furthermore, dark chocolates have more cocoa in them, hence an increased sense of beneficial effects. White chocolate does not contain cocoa at all, sad to say. All chocolates are high in calories and sugar, it’s not a secret anymore. You would not want to overgrow your favorite clothes or be swimming in a bed of ants.
Many people tend to be hard on themselves by depriving themselves of chocolate. That’s not ideal. If you want to enjoy it, throw away the guilty thoughts and savor it the healthy way. Better!
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: aids, chocolate facts, chocolate lovers, chocolate studies, chocolate tasting, cocoa, research, things
Chocolate and Parkinson’s Disease
A recent study published in the Neuroscience Bulletin by Borah et al. at the Assan University in India showed that B-Phenethylamine (B-PEA, a substance naturally found in cococa beans) could be a causative factor for Parkinson’s disease.
The scientists said: “As consumption of some B-PEA-enriched food items has become an addiction in modern life, our proposed mechanism is of enormous significance and impact.” That is the reason behind their suggestion of limiting consumption of chocolate.
Nevertheless, their statements are quite arguable, since it focuses on rodent studies. They admit that they need deeper investigation on human needs.
Study shows that a person eating a standard size of 100g chocolate per day, he or she has a B-PEA intake of 0.36-0.83 mg per day. It relies upon on the type of chocolate ingested, though.
Past research indicated that 0.63-1.25mg/day of chocolate consumption could bring about Parkinson’s in adult mice.
One of the scientists said: “These results suggest that the amount of chocolate that a person takes normally might be toxic to dopaminergic neurons.”
Don’t worry, given that some antioxidants also found in chocolate can fight these negative effects, since so many studies have found out that polyphenols like cathechins could protect against Parkinson’s disease.
B-phenethylamine is also found in wine and cheese. Nevertheless, chocolate is supposedly the highest-containing food item.
Scientists don’t have a full grasp on Parkinson’s disease yet, but too much production of reactive oxygen species and the resulting mitochondrial complex-I dysfunction have reportedly been the underlying cause.
Researchers have always been curious about the beneficial effects of chocolate on Parkinson’s disease, considering Parkinson’s patients have the tendency to eat more chocolate than the general population.
It has been recently found out that there were no scientific evidences that showed how chocolate improved the motor function in Parkinson’s patients. They concluded that the increased chocolate consumption is “largely enigmatic.”
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: CHOCOLATE, chocolate consumption, chocolate science, chocolate studies, fight, found, Parkinson's Disease
Chocolate Gifts
Chocolate gifts always make almost anyone happy, from a mother for Mother’s Day to a friend who has just graduated from college or a couple who just got married. If you’re on the hunt for chocolate gifts, then there are myriads of choices, from milk and dark chocolate to white chocolate gifts.
A lot of individuals purchasing chocolate gifts opt for conventional items such as mixed boxes of different types of chocolate, but there are tons of other choices, including truffles and chocolate covered fruits or nuts.
There are chocolate gifts products you can buy by the kilo, and this makes some chocolate gifts stores a great option for bulk buyers that want to stock the shelves of their retail store with top-of-the-line chocolate gifts.
If you want chocolate gifts but you are unsure about what type to opt for, then check the list of the bestsellers.
You can use these chocolate gifts for a wide range of occasions, and a lot of individuals want these kinds of gifts for wedding, corporate events and parties. They may even include amazing chocolate buffets, which can be totally tailored to fit the needs of anyone.
Those who opt for this kind of chocolate gifts can pick their own type of chocolate, pretty much any bowl of container they want, any type of bag and as many scoops as they deemed necessary.
If you want chocolate gifts for a present for a loved one, or you want these chocolate gifts options to make your special day personal and very memorable, looking for stores that offer these treats is not very challenging these days. They are rampant already.
Anyone who gets chocolates for a gift would surely smile from one corner of the mouth to another.
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: anyone, CHOCOLATE, couple, dark chocolate, Gifts, option, people, stores, type
