Depression And Chocolate Consumption Related, Further Studies Needed to Confirm if Chocolate Causes Depression
A Reuters report said that people who are depressed eat more chocolate than an average person. In numbers, US researchers reported that among their study’s respondents, those who were depressed ate an average of 8.4 servings of chocolate per month, as against 5.4 servings among those who were not depressed. The report said one serving of chocolate is equivalent to 1 ounce (28g) of chocolate.
This particular study, which shows a higher chocolate consumption among the depressed ones, was conducted on both men and women. One thing is for sure, depression and chocolate lovers go together. However, the study is nowhere near conclusive on which causes what.
I’ve always looked at chocolate as some sort of a comfort food. (I don’t like chocolate bars, but I like drinking chocolate drinks in chilled tetra packs.) I thought the “comfort” has something to do with chocolate stimulating some hormone in my body and subsequently easing my sad mood. But it turns out, chocolate could cause depression. Would you buy that? Could it be that chocolate triggers depression?
What I would like to find out is, does this study work on chocolate bars alone, or does it include all the many ways that a chocolate can be consumed – as ice cream ingredient, as chocolate drink, chocolate cake, etc?
It would also be informative if the study could consider the chocolatiers in the industry. We have chefs all over the world who make the most amazingly delicious chocolate confections. Surely, these chefs love the aroma of chocolate in their kitchen. Is their being drawn to the sweet aroma of chocolate an indication of predisposition to sadness? Or is the chocolate causing any amount of extra stress on them when they work in the kitchen, smelling nothing but chocolate?
Sources:
Depressed? You must like chocolate
Chocolatiers on Wiki
Written by Arlene Paredes
Freelance Writer, Photography Enthusiast, Backpacker Wannabe
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Categories: chocolate articles Tags: Causes, CHOCOLATE, Confirm, Consumption, Depression, Further, Needed, Related, Studies
Craving Chocolate? Your Body Needs Magnesium.
Craving chocolate? Your body needs magnesium.
A lack of the mineral magnesium in your body can actually be the reason why you crave chocolate.
The cocoa bean is one of the foods with the highest amount of magnesium in it. Therefore there can be a natural context to why people with magnesium deficiency are craving chocolate.
I give you good information on what the magnesium does for your body, why it is so important, and how you can effectively eat your way out of your chocolate hunger.
If you are often craving chocolate, it can actually be the body’s way of telling you that you are lacking the vital and very important mineral, magnesium in your body.
When your body is lacking of a certain vitamin or mineral, it will send you signals to motivate you to eat certain foods which contain the items your body needs to function properly. And when it comes to magnesium, chocolate comes to the top of the list.
Magnesium has many vital functions for your body. The lack of magnesium can cause insomnia, mood swings and nightly muscle cramps. Especially runners or highly sportsactive people need magnesium to prevent muscle cramps. Magnesium produces serotonin, which is what makes the body feel relaxed. Without it, your body will not get into balance after for example a long run, and your muscles will never relax, which will cause the cramps.
Other than this, magnesium fills out many functions in your body, and is important for your nerves, your growth, energy, digestion and brain. Together with calcium and, I would say that magnesium is THE most important mineral.
Below here is a list of 5 great foods which contain high amounts of Magnesium, that you can eat instead of chocolate and still fill your body with what it needs.
Chocolate hunger fighter foods:
Pumpkin seeds: 535 mg magnesium pr. 100 grams.
Pumpkin seeds is an excellent source of magnesium. It is loaded with all kinds of good minerals, and contains alot of vitamin E, which is a powerfull antioxidant, that helps your cells and body from catching illnesses.
Brazil nuts: 357 mg. per 100 grams
70 grams of Brazil nuts, will cover your daily intake of magnesium. Brazil nuts is also known for its high amount of selenium, which stenthens your imunesystem, and contains of the natural healthy oils that your body needs. They taste excellent in salads or as a midday snack.
Oats: 200 mg. per 100 grams.
Oats also has a lot of fibers in it, so it will keep you full for a long time. Good as breakfast.
Dried white beans: 184 mg. per 100 grams
This is an excellent food, especially for vegetarians. White beans contains just as much protein as meat, and is also high on both fibers and carbs.
Brown rice: 119 mg. per 100 grams
They keep you full for longer than white rice, and stimulates your blood-sugar.
Excellent for chocolate cravers.
Magnesium, Calcium and vitamin D are really good friends. This mean, that they will help eachother to be optained in the body. So take these three together. either as suplements or in your food. Start off your day with oatmeal (magensium), a big glass of milk (calcium) and an egg (vitamin D).
If you do decide to give yourself chocolate, make sure to eat dark chocolate, as this has 3 times more magnesium as milkchocolate. Dark chocolate is very rich in its taste too, so your body will be satisfied with much less chocolate. Dark chocolate in small a mounts, is actually good for you. A win, win situation for dark chocolate:-)
Written by kalkar
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Categories: chocolate articles Tags: Body, CHOCOLATE, Craving, Magnesium., Needs
Chocolate Wonderland!
Chocolate: Food of the Gods
Chocolate angels sweet and lovely:
A chocolate kiss in the park
The story of chocolate, as far back as we know it, begins more than 2000 years ago in equatorial Central America where the Mayan Indians held cocoa beans in high regard. Images of cocoa pods were carved into the walls of their elaborate stone temples, and Mayan writings refer to cacao as “food of the gods.” It was the Mayans who first created a beverage from crushed cocoa beans which was enjoyed by royalty and shared at sacred ceremonies.
Chocolate’s importance in the Aztec Empire also is clearly recorded. The Aztecs called the prized drink they made from cocoa beans “chocolatl,” which means “warm liquid.” Like the earlier Mayans, the Aztecs drank the unsweetened beverage during special ceremonies. Montezuma II, a royal monarch of the Aztecs, maintained great storehouses filled with cocoa beans and reportedly consumed 50 or more portions of chocolatl daily from a golden goblet. Cocoa beans, however, weren’t only consumed. They also were used as a form of currency. According to records of the time, a rabbit could be purchased for four cocoa beans.
Europe was first introduced to the principal ingredient of chocolate when Christopher Columbus brought a handful of the dark, almond-shaped beans back to Spain from his last voyage to the Caribbean islands in 1502. He presented many strange and wonderful objects from the lands he explored to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Included among them were cocoa beans, placed before royalty as little more than a curiosity. They appeared most unpromising. The King and Queen of Spain never dreamed how important cocoa beans would become. It remained for Hernando Cortes, the Spanish explorer, to grasp the commercial possibilities of cocoa beans.
Chocolate Travels to Spain
Chocolate heart sculpture:
When Cortes arrived in what is now known as Mexico in 1519, the Aztecs mistakenly believed that he was the reincarnation of a former god-king who had been exiled from the land. They did not realize that Cortes was seeking Aztec gold which was rumored to exist. Montezuma greeted the Spanish explorers with a large banquet which included cups of a bitter chocolate drink. By the time the Aztecs realized their mistake, the Spanish had begun to overpower them. Within three years, Cortes and his followers brought about the fall of the Aztec empire.
During this time, Cortes realized the economic potential for cocoa beans. He experimented with chocolatl, adding cane sugar to make it more agreeable to Spanish tastes. He also established additional cacao plantings in the Caribbean region before returning to Spain .
Back in Spain , the new version of chocolatl found favor with the wealthy, and continued to undergo flavor refinements. Newly imported spices, such as cinnamon and vanilla, were added to the drink. Ultimately, someone decided the drink would taste better if served steaming hot, creating the first hot chocolate, which quickly won followers among the Spanish aristocracy. Spain proceeded to plant more cacao trees in its overseas colonies in Ecuador , Venezuela , Peru and Jamaica to ensure an ample supply of cocoa beans. Remarkably, the Spanish were able to keep their ventures in cocoa cultivation and their creation of early cocoa drinks a secret from the rest of Europe for nearly one hundred years.
Chocolate Spreads Across Europe
Chocolate rose beautiful and Delicious!
Spanish monks were assigned the task of processing the cocoa beans. It may have been these monks who let out the secret by discussing cocoa with their French counterparts. Then, in 1580, the first cocoa processing plant was established in Spain . It did not take long before chocolate was acclaimed throughout Europe as a delicious, health-giving drink. For a while it reigned as the chosen beverage at the fashionable Court of France. Chocolate drinking spread across the English Channel to Great Britain , and in 1657 the first of many famous English Chocolate Houses appeared.
Mass production of cocoa became possible with the introduction of a perfected steam engine, which mechanized the cocoa grinding process. By 1730, cocoa had dropped in price from three dollars or more per pound to within financial reach of all.
The invention of the cocoa press in 1828 was another major breakthrough in cocoa production. This not only helped reduce prices even further, but more importantly, improved the quality of the beverage by squeezing out about half of the cocoa butter (the fat that occurs naturally in cocoa beans) from the ground-up beans, leaving behind a cake-like residue that could be further processed into a fine powder. From then on, chocolate drinks had more of the smooth consistency and the recognizable flavorof those enjoyed today.
The 19th Century witnessed two more revolutionary developments in the history of chocolate. In 1847, an English company introduced the first solid eating chocolate made by combining melted cocoa butter with sugar and cocoa powder. This chocolate had a smooth, velvety texture and quickly replaced the old coarse-grained chocolate which formerly dominated the world market. The second development occurred in 1876 in Vevey , Switzerland , when Daniel Peter devised a way of adding milk to chocolate, creating the product we enjoy today known as milk chocolate.
Chocolate Comes to America
In the United States of America , the production of chocolate proceeded at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world. It was in pre-revolutionary New England – 1765, to be exact – that the first chocolate factory was established in this country. During World War II, the U.S. government recognized chocolate’s role in the nourishment and group spirit of the Allied Armed Forces, so much so that it allocated valuable shipping space for the importation of cocoa beans. Many soldie
rs were thankful for the chocolate bars, which gave them the energy to carry on until more food rations could be obtained. Today, the U.S. Army’s Meals Ready to Eat contain chocolate bars and chocolate candies, and chocolate has been taken into space as part of the diet of U.S. astronauts.
Chocolate angel with strawberry:
Chocolate fairy:The queen of the fairytale world made with Delicious chocolate:
Chocolate crying angel:
Chocolate rose with milk:
You would probably feel so guilty to eat one of the previous ones but for this it would be a Crime
(The detail is amazing,true art):Thumb chocolate babies:
Real size Chocolate woman:
This a photo collection of the most beautiful and detailed statues I liked, I hope you enjoyed this article about art chocolate!
Written by marina23
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: CHOCOLATE, Wonderland
Homemade Chocolates
Homemade chocolate could be an impressive gift idea for your loved ones on any occasion. I can assure you, that the efforts you put in to make a homemade chocolate recipe are not going to be worthless. You can ensure this in the eyes of the person at the moment you present this homemade chocolate.
This is true that making of Homemade chocolate involves a long process and a lot of patience. However, you will be more than happy when you see the results.
There are two recipes to make homemade chocolates. The easiest way is to buy cooking chocolate from market and then start the procedure. These cooking chocolates are often sold in blocks and if you have not as much of time to convert these from cocoa beans then this is the right one for you.
The other method and slightly difficult one for homemade chocolate recipe is to start by roasting cocoa beans to convert them into cocoa beans. First I will explain this method following by the first easy method to make homemade chocolate.
You will need four ingredients to make homemade chocolate, which are cocoa beans, cocoa butter, sugar, milk. Here is the procedure of making homemade chocolate:
Roast the cocoa beans: First of all you need to roast the cocoa beans in the oven at a temperature between 250 and 325 degrees F. Start at the hottest temperature and then gradually reduce the heat until the beans begin to crack. Roasting is complete when there is a cracking sound.
Remove the outer shell: Outer shell which is also called husk has to be removed from the actual bean. If the cocoa beans are roasted properly then it will not take much time.Grind the shelled beans: Next step is to grind the shelled beans to make a fine chocolate liqueur. The process can be done either by juicer or by hand. The process can spoil your efforts to make a homemade chocolate and it can be rather untidy or messy if proper care is not taken.Add other three ingredients: Now you need to add cocoa butter, sugar and milk. Begin by adding very little milk and cocoa butter and Add sugar by taste.Conching: The finish of your homemade chocolate depends on this process of folding the chocolate continuously upon itself. Cooling:After a long folding, cool the chocolate to about 90 degrees F. Pour the mixture in the mold to make the desired shape of homemade chocolate.
For the second method to make homemade chocolate you need to buy cooking chocolate which comes in different flavors like white, dark, milk and caramel. The process is explained below:
Chop up or break the chocolate in small pieces. Melt it in a microwave safe bowl for two minute. Continue the process until chocolate has all melted. Keep in mind that different kinds of chocolate melt at different rates. Another method is to put the broken up pieces of chocolate into a glass bowl, and place it over a container of boiling water. Here we use the steam to melt the chocolate.Pour the melted chocolate in a mold and leave it to get harden. You can make your own molds with the help of aluminium foil or you can use ice trays. Copper releases a poisonous residue, so never use it as a mold.When the chocolate get completely set and hardened then cautiously pop it out of the mold. You can make in use of a butter knife to trim off any surplus chocolate around the edges.
Here are some Tips regarding homemade chocolates recipe. Homemade Chocolates could be great fun, if you follow these tips properly:
If the chocolate is too thin after melting, add glycerine, as this help in thickening its consistency and if the melted chocolateis too thick, you can put in small amount of Crisco.
You can modify the color of your homemade chocolate by adding paste food colors and keep in mind that do not add liquid colors in your chocolate.
If you wish to flavor your homemade chocolate, you can add oil flavoring to melted chocolate like for French mints, add peppermint oil to white chocolate.
Chocolate molds should not be washed with soapy water. It will get difficult to get the chocolate off, if the molds are washed in soapy water. Wash them in hot water.
Dry your chocolate molds carefully after washing as water spots can also cause spots in the chocolate and moreover chocolate won’t release easily from the mold.
Chocolates Molds can be coated with a thin layer of vegetable oil, if they are sticky.Chocolate should be wrapped in aluminium foil and placed in an air tight container. Avoid them from direct sunlight.Always use unsalted butter as the ingredient, when to make homemade chocolate.
Many people think when we can get a delicious chocolate from market then why homemade chocolates recipe? Believe me, to make homemade chocolates is really a fun and at the same time it will give you immense satisfaction too.
Interested in reading History of Chococlates, you can read here:
Interesting History of Chocolates
Written by NehaSadana
Freelance writer, blogger
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: Chocolates, Homemade
Melted Belgian Chocolate: The Best Way to Eat Belgian Chocolates
Melted Belgian Chocolate: The Best Way to Eat Belgian Chocolates
It is a fact that Belgian chocolates are widely loved by everyone around the world. From Asia to America to Europe, chocolates are definitely the world’s favorite candy. In fact diet fanatics from all over the world regard chocolates as their number one enemy because they can never resist eating one from time to time. Your dieting sister may even have a secret stash of chocolates in her bedroom or they sneak into the kitchen in the middle of the night just to get eat a piece of chocolate.
Children and adults alike enjoy eating chocolates. However, you have to consider the fact that there are different kinds of chocolates available in the market today. Different countries have different recipes for chocolates and you have to consider that only a handful of countries perfect the manufacturing of premium chocolates that taste great and offers a taste that you will never grow tired off.
Unlike cheap chocolates, fine chocolates are very different in texture and in taste. You have to consider that a chocolate should not be too sweet and should also be smooth when it is melting in your mouth. One of the best chocolate manufacturing countries in the world is Belgium. Belgium is well-known for producing the finest chocolates in the world where their chocolates are considered to be perfect.
So, if you are looking for that chocolate that you can definitely love, you have to try Belgian chocolates as it can make you want to eat more. For centuries, Belgian chocolates have been highly regarded even by aristocrats all over the world. They consider Belgian chocolates as the world’s finest and nothing comes close to the taste, smoothness and creaminess it offers.
In the past, the best way to eat a chocolate was by drinking it. Today, chocolates are widely available in bars and in morsels. However, you have to consider the fact that melting it and drinking it is still the best way to consume chocolate. Most people find it more satisfying to drink chocolate instead of consuming it in its solid form. In the winter, many Belgians melt their chocolates and drink it in order to get themselves warm.
Aside from getting warm, melted chocolates can also give you more satisfaction as it passes inside your mouth. It can release its full flavor and it can also be smoother and creamier in texture. So, if you want to eat chocolate, especially in the winter months, you should try melting it, put it in your favorite cup and slowly sip it. With every sip, you will want to keep it in your mouth as long as possible and never swallow it at all. This is how delicious Belgian chocolates are. If you are still skeptical about it and you have never tasted Belgian chocolates before, you should try and purchase one.
Since Belgian chocolates are considered to be the finest in the world, you have to expect it to be on the expensive side. There are quite a lot of Belgian chocolate brands available in the market today. And, naming two of the finest Belgian chocolate brands are Godiva and Callabaut.
So, if you want a Belgian chocolate that can be more satisfying to eat, you should melt it and drink it. A Belgian chocolate in a cup is better than a Belgian chocolate in a box.
Written by bigdeal
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: Belgian, best, CHOCOLATE, Chocolates, melted
Indulge In All Your Chocolate Wishes
There are so many kinds of chocolates out there that it’s easy to miss some of the best chocolate creations that exist. That is less likely to happen if you join a chocolate of the month club where you will have an opportunity to get great deals on chocolates plus you’ll easily be able to try a variety of different chocolate treats that will enrich your palette to add even more flavors to your long list of chocolate favorites. Here are some tips to getting you started in your own chocolate of the month club.
Tip 1: Well Known Chocolate Makers
Your best option for trying a chocolate of the month club is to get started with a well known chocolate maker. This will ensure you have a great experience plus give you a chance to try some different chocolate treats that you’ve never tried before. Some of the more well known chocolate of the month clubs are Cadbury, Lindt, Russel Stover, Green Mountain, Fritz Knipschildt, the Flying Noodle, Grand Cru, etc. A few of these are more popular than others but each of these brands has proven their chocolate making abilities.
Tip 2: Shorter Trial Periods
Because some chocolates require acquiring a taste you’re going to want to find a chocolate of the month club which doesn’t bind you to a year-long contract. Instead, look for a chocolate of the month club with short trial periods so you’ll have enough time to decide if you really like their chocolate but also short enough that if you find you don’t particularly like their chocolate you don’t have to suffer for a year of bad chocolates.
Tip 3: Look for Better (Healthier) Chocolates
If you love chocolates yet you worry about the extra calories then find a chocolate of the month club which fits your needs. There are many chocolate makers that use specific ingredients in order to make their chocolate healthier. Don’t be afraid to try one of these options. While it’s good to be healthy it’s also good to indulge your chocolate needs.
Making a Gift of a Chocolate of the Month Club
If you have friends or loved ones that love chocolate as much as you do then why not buy them a membership for a chocolate of the month club, too? This is a great way to indulge your loved ones and also gives you something to talk about. You might learn a great deal about the palette of your loved ones and what they like (at least chocolate-wise).
There are many chocolate of the month clubs of which you could participate in trying a multitude of chocolate flavors. You may have the opportunity to try unique flavors that aren’t on the shelves at stores. You may find yourself helping a company decide what flavor should next be set out for purchase. You may even just find yourself enjoying rich chocolate each month when you join a chocolate of the month club.
For more useful information, please visit our website: THE KNOWLEDGE BASE, and look for the FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS section.
Written by ja_schmidt
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Categories: chocolate articles Tags: CHOCOLATE, Indulge, Wishes
Achieving The Ultimate Chocolate Experience
It is a rare person indeed who does not succumb to the allure of chocolate’s melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Somewhere out there is probably an entire course involving many sciences attempting to dissect the magical chocolate experience. The mystique will be linked to words like ecstasy and euphoria and be almost, but not quite explained in terms of biology, chemistry, etc. It will likely mention stuff like serotonin and endorphins, as well as go through the virtues of caffeine. There’s also a good chance that Harry Potter books will be referenced.
Just like the next person, I love me some chocolates. I may not be as addicted as some true-blue chocoholics are, but you’ll have to catch me ignoring a chocolate treat present in my home. As for my dream chocolate experience, it is sipping hot chocolate at the Café Schober (now Café Felix) in Zurich. It is a wonderful mug of piping hot Swiss chocolate and fresh local milk topped with a thick foam of cream. I’d probably sprinkle it with shavings of more Swiss chocolate, but that’s just because I obviously need a lesson in moderation.
However, there are chocolate lovers and there are true fanatics. I don’t think I’ll qualify to be numbered among the latter, but I’m curious to find out what it’s like to feel such passion for the world’s number 1 craving. If I were truly ardent, I’d constantly be in search of the ultimate chocolate experience. I’ve done some research and I’m pretty certain that any chocoholic worth his or her sugar will find the following appealing:
Chocalate Festivals. There are several in the world and each one is something for a chocolate lover to be excited about. If you want your senses assaulted by all things chocolate – exhibits, TASTINGS, and other chocolate-themed attractions – a chocolate festival is in order. Some of these famous festivals are Ghirardelli’s in San Francisco every September, Ganong’s in New Brunswick every August and the Choco-Laté one in Burges every April. The biggest one, the Festival Eurochocolate, is held every October in Perugia, Italy.
Chocolate Tours. You have factories, museums, entire towns… For instance, there’s Cadbury in Birmingham, England. The official tour takes about three hours and offers activities such as writing names in chocolate and making customized chocolate treats. A deluge of sample goodies also showers those partaking in the tour. Another popular chocolate tour is the one given by the city of Melbourne in Australia. It is actually a selection of walking tours that involve delightful tasting sessions of the city’s excellent chocolate offerings.
Chocolate Cruises. If you’re truly serious about chocolates and plan on turning the obsession into something potentially lucrative, Chocolatier Magazine hosts an annual cruise every October and you can learn the tricks of the trade in a gorgeous setting. There are, in fact, other chocolate-themed cruises. Windstar, Regent Seven Seas and MSC are just some of the lines that offer chocolate cruises. It’s simply a matter of choosing which one caters to your tastes and needs the most.
Chocolate-Themed Parks. Many think that Hershey Park is one, but it’s more of a general amusement park than an actual theme park. Adjacent to it though is the actual chocolate-themed park, Hershey’s Chocolate World, which offers rides and other attractions inspired by Hershey’s products. It is one of the parks in a large entertainment complex holding other Hershey landmarks. For those in Asia, China has also recently opened to the public the World Chocolate Dream Park, which boasts of the chocolate versions of the Great Wall and the terra cotta soldiers among its attractions.
Chocolate Lodgings. Something that’s reminiscent of the palace Willy Wonka made for Prince Pondicherry was the Godiva Suite at the Bryant Park Hotel in Manhattan. It was a promotional Valentine’s Day gimmick back in 2008, but was revived the following year. There might be more encores so it wouldn’t hurt to be on the lookout for this every February. A completely chocolate-themed hotel, however, is found in Dorset, England. The Chocolate Boutique Hotel offers Chocolate Weekends that will have your mouth watering and your insulin level going berserk – chocolate fountains, chocolate portraits, chocolate cocktails… truly a chocoholic’s idea of paradise.
Chocolate Spa. How about chocolate spa treatments? The Chocolate Spa at the Hotel Hershey and Geneva’s After the Rain Spa are just a couple of places that feature services such as chocolate body wrap, chocolate bath, cocoa massage, etc. It certainly brings chocolate indulgence to whole new levels.
I hope reading this didn’t give you a toothache. On the other hand, if you’re serious about being a chocoholic, I guess it’s never too early to start making plans. There are so many ways to sate the chocolate obsession and businesses will continue to come up with novel ways to cater to the chocolate-loving public. Under the circumstances, chocoholism is guaranteed to flourish.
Written by wahmivy
freelance writer and translator
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Categories: chocolate articles Tags: Achieving, CHOCOLATE, Experience, Ultimate
