The Truth Behind Chocolate Myths
In my many years of existence, almost all the people I know have a divine love for chocolate. You are seriously disturbed if you hate this treat, or you may be the biggest liar of all time. Levity aside, the mere thought of disliking chocolate is not really usual. However, if you’re really not crazy about chocolate, can you please explain why?
Chocolate contains caffeine, however not in dangerous levels. You may still savor it but it’s not going to make you jumpy and stuff.
You may have hears about the link between chocolate and acne. That’s not necessarily accurate. You may blame it on the natural changes that occur with age. Truth be told, there is no actual evidence-based proof that chocolate causes acne.
Same theory applies with chocolate being linked to hyperactivity. It can be considered as a stimulant, but not to the point that its stimulating elements go overboard and make you jumpy, like I mentioned a while ago. Studies have also failed to show any link between chocolate consumption and excessive energy. Call me when there is.
Furthermore, there has been no correlation and whatnot between chocolate and migraine. A lot of migraine sufferers seem to think this way, but it is not scientifically accurate.
Another very common notion about chocolate is that it causes tooth decay. That is a huge misconception. Research has it that the sugar content of any food is not the culprit behind tooth cavities, but rather the length of time that the food ingested will stay in your mouth. Any food you eat and any drink you have, once stuck in your teeth, will cause dental issues.
Moreover, only few people are allergic to chocolate. A greater part of the population is still allergic to all the other stuff.
Finally, as much as we want to always eat chocolate, it does not yet belong to the basic physiological needs of us humans. It is just that we crave always, I repeat, always. But yes, it is not addictive.
If you know the myths associated with chocolates, then you may tend to become skeptic about enjoying your chocolaty treat. But now, I have already let you in on some secrets. Not everything you hear is true. These are real and honest facts about chocolate that will eventually turn you from a cynic to a fan.
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: chocolate education, chocolate myths
Bread and Chocolate
In Europe, the Netherlands is actually one of the biggest fans of bread. Numerous tourists who get to come by are taken aback by the assortment of the breads they find there. Generally speaking, the breakfast and lunch of their people mainly consist of bread. That said, you will not be surprised if you see the variety of bread and sandwich toppings there. “Luxury” isn’t the right term for it, “necessity” is more apt.
Usually, their breakfast consists of 2-4 slices of bread, and it actually depends on whether you would want an open or closed-face sandwich. Butter or margarine is spread onto the bread so as the toppings would stick. One sandwich has one cover that is savory, and the other one will be sweet. Dutch children usually eat the savory one first, and then the sweet sandwich which they usually have their sights on.
Given that they basically live and breathe sandwiches, they could actually be considered as masters of decorating bread toppings. Chocolate is among their favorite!
Dutch children are generous on this. They sprinkle ample amounts of chocolate flakes or ‘vlokken’ on their sandwiches, which pretty much is equivalent to half a bar of chocolate. Chocolate vlokken could either be white, milk, dark chocolate, or all three rolled into one.
Chocoladevlokken came out in the year 1955, and this was the first ever product to be used in decorating a slice of bread. After some two years, chocolate hail came out.
Story has it that after receiving some letters from a little boy asking him to come up with a chocolate bread topping, Mr. De Ruijter released chocolate sprinkles or chocolate hail. The first ads from a company called Venz featured a girl and a boy, and they were hiding themselves from a chocolate hailstorm. They had with them a slice of buttered bread, and they stuck it out from the umbrella they were hiding under.
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: bread, chocolate bread
Single Origin Chocolate: A World Tour
One of the most favorite gifts given all over the world is chocolate. Its popularity is insanely high that you can never go wrong giving it to someone dear to you. If the receiver will not like it then there must be a mistake on the end of that person. But kidding aside, all over the world chocolates come in several varieties such as in shapes, sizes, colors and containers. But the most important quality of a chocolate, is its origin. To better appreciate these sweet treats, it is best to look into details and discover more things about how they become such wonderful delights.
Since origin has been previously mentioned, that will be the focus of attention. Single origin chocolates are the type of chocolates made from beans that come from the soils of a certain place such as a region or a country. The coffee beans yielded from these respective places have their unique textures and flavors that are perfect ingredients in creating unique organic chocolates. The downside of these single origin holiday chocolates is the fact that it may be more pricey than the usual ones. In order to stick to the budget but still being able to give a great gift, opt for single origin organic chocolates.
Chocolate per se all started in Latin America and from then until now, most of the cocoa beans enjoyed all over the world comes the places there. It is very unique in taste that it can easily be identified with the region where it is produced from. Colombian chocolate has both fruity and deep flavor. It is slightly bitter as compared to others but that is what makes it unique. Ecuadorian chocolate is known for a fruity flavor combined with Jasmine. It is believed to be inclined to herbal touches as well. Costa Rican chocolate is also fruity but with the classic cocoa feel. Brazilian chocolate leans more on bright taste mixed with acidity. Venezuelan chocolate is treated to have the most intricate mix of all the fruits of the world.
If you want to try other flavors then jump onto another continent. The biggest percent of cocoa beans in Asia is produced from java Island in Indonesia. If you desire to create variety in your chocolate gift box, then the mixture of these chocolates from all over the world would be the perfect choice. Although it is named single origin chocolate, you can put them together and have the best of both worlds.
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: CHOCOLATE, single origin chocolate
Chocolate For Everybody
Try asking people around about what their favorite food is to match their sweet tooth and certainly most if not all of them will answer chocolate. Do not just ask the little kids or the young adults because even middle aged people and the senior citizens still fancy this ultimate chocolate delight. If you base it solely to that, you can easily conclude that chocolate is one the most loved food there is in the whole wide world. Because of that, it has been made available for everyone to enjoy.
Based on practices, chocolates have been a part of the rewards and punishments as a disciplinary method among children. If they scored high in tests or if they made a good deed, they will be rewarded with a box of these sweets. But if they did the opposite, they will be grounded and deprived from these delicious chocolates for a period of time.
Onto the next age level which is the teens or the youth. Chocolate is every girl’s best friend. If they are sad and troubled, they would drown themselves in chocolate and feel better after downing a handful of it. Chocolates have also evolved into becoming a symbol of love and affection. It is a favorite gift given to a person dear to you. The sweetness of every bite size reflects the feelings of the sender towards the receiver of the gift.
Moreover, when people reach middle age they still have that special attachment towards chocolates. Unfortunately, in this age group entails a lot of problems and complications when it comes to health. Although the cocoa is nothing but alluring, the sugar content is what’s holding them back most specifically to the ones diagnosed with Diabetes. But the good news is, since chocolate is for everybody, manufacturers found ways to lessen the sugar content or even make it sugar free but still keeping intact the sweetness that it brings.
For the older ones, the availability of hot chocolate has been their favorite. Alongside that is the introduction of dark chocolate syrup. The strength of the taste and aroma brings them back to their younger years when they used to eat as much as they want with no holds barred.
With the increasing demand of chocolates in the market, more and more manufactures have innovated their production and made a wider range of flavors. Because of that, chocolate has been made very cheap and affordable making it a staple favorite for all the people in the world, young or old.
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Categories: chocolate articles Tags: chocolate lovers, Chocolates, learn about chocolate
Chocolates – The Modern Drug And Its Ancient Roots
It may come as a shocker to find out that one of our most favorite treats is found to be not good for our health, mostly the sugary ones. Chocolate is what I am referring to. With an average of 12 pounds of chocolate a regular person consumes annually in the United States, you can gauge how much danger this unhealthy caffeine fueled treat brings to millions of people. Let us look back into a little bit of history in order to become enlightened as to what dark chocolate has that will serve people beneficial. Chocolates can date back to around the time of 600 AD when Mayan Indians were the main holders and owners of cocoa plantations around the famous Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. The Mayans were the predecessors of the Aztecs who created a certain chocolate drink that they called ‘xocoatl’ that was later known as ‘chocoatl’ which were derived from the cocoa beans that are produced from cocoa trees. This drink chocolate drink has been added with vanilla and many ancient spices had the consistency of honey. It was consumed only in liquid form during this time.
The arrival of Europeans paved the way to more advancements and breakthroughs in terms of chocolate development. They were astounded to see chocolate to be served in its purest and rawest form. This was able to change during the early 1800s during the time when a certain Dutchman who goes by the name of Coenrad Jahannes van Houten was able to discover that adding alkali-potash to the beans before they are being roasted tends to have an acid neutralizing effect.
This was coined to be the dutching process and it posed a big problem since the process removed the most essential parts of the dark chocolate known as flavonoids. These substances have an effect that fights free radicals and are considered antioxidants that slow the aging process of our bodies. It is said to be true that the healthiest chocolates are in its most raw form which unalkalized. Chocolate contains little or no caffeine at all which is hard for people to realize since it is one really good food that counters sleepiness.
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Categories: chocolate articles Tags: CHOCOLATE, Drug
Chocolate Cards – Good Freebies for Corporate Fund Raisers
Fund raising events that are sponsored by big corporations is sure to be a creative event and requires a whole lot of excellent time management skills. Lots of companies do enjoy and organize these fund raising events to be able to raise funds that will benefit a cause that will increase awareness of people about it. According to a research made by Giving USA, a total of $14.5 billion has been gathered and collected by corporate donations in 2008 alone. The end part of deciding as to who will receive the donations, (may it be a community services group or a charitable organizations) every little detail must be planned well though. Teamwork is also very essential in order to make this certain event a very successful one. People are able to attain success by doling out simple items such as light pens, company t-shirts or even chocolate business cards all throughout the event, just to entice people.
A certain basic requirement for successful corporate fund raising events is to have a goal as to how much money the organizers intend to collect. It is also very important to be able to set out attainable goals that will surely push the organizers to plan the event properly. It is also helps in a sense that limited resources are geared well in order to obtain the maximum results.
One must also make sure that enough and adequate time is available for the event to be prepared well for. A well thought out plan can be formulated if coupled with an ample amount of time. This will allow planners and organizers to go through every little detail that needs to be given attention. Proper and keen advertisement about the event in the locale like community centers, schools and other public areas in order to maximize the funds that are going to be collected and just be able to reach to a greater number of attendees.
Finally, it would help if certain items are to be sold and auctioned in the event as to really add an extra amount of cash in the said fund raising event.
Chocolate Benefits
Chocolate has many benefits. It is made from cocoa tree which translates that it contains many benefits that can be obtained from other vegetables. These perks are from flavonoids which serve as antioxidants. Antioxidants are able to protect the body from rapid aging caused by free radicals which can do damage tantamount to heart diseases. Chocolates are containing large amount of antioxidants as much as eight times more than that of strawberries. Flavonoids are also able to maintain a normal blood pressure through the making of nitric oxide and regulate certain important hormones in the body.
According to a Mayan belief, chocolate is medicine. It is considered to be the “drink of the gods”. It is derived from cocoa beans and not high in calories. But recent innovation can cause fat since it contains sugar as well as milk.
Chocolates are good for the heart. A small bar a day can help the heart run well. It can lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol by up to 10%. Aside from protecting our hearts, chocolates also taste good, stimulates endorphin making which gives a feeling of pleasure and serotonin which serves as an anti-depressant. Also it contains theobromine that serves as a stimulant. This information doesn’t mean that a person should be consuming a pound of it per day. Most studies made utilized no more than 100 grams of dark chocolate a day to be able to obtain the benefits. One bar of dark choco contains 400 calories. But if you are an avid consumer of chocolate, you should cut down the source of other sweets or snacks. Chocolate is a complex food that contains over 300 compounds as well as chemical even with a single bite. To really be able to enjoy this treat, one should take time to bite and taste it in order to assess the smell, feel and taste of each piece.
In recent studies made in Europe, 38% of German women and 34 for French do consume chocolate to make them happy and cheerful. Many doctors suggest eating chocolate to alleviate depression as well as stimulating the pleasure center of our brains.
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Categories: chocolate articles Tags: Benefits, CHOCOLATE
