Organic Chocolates
Organic chocolate was deemed unsuitable before, but it doesn’t hold true any longer. More and more people involved in the chocolate-making industry are getting their growers in tropical climes to grow organic cacao. They are derived from the tropical cacao tree, no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers are used in growing them.
Fair trade practices aids in making sure that the workers are paid a living wage, work in safer conditions, and can access health care, education and other important opportunities even though they aren’t necessarily eco-friendly.
The taste of organic dark chocolate is described by chocolovers as a near-transcendent experience. Anyone who has a take on it?
You can go for organic chocolate when you want to give something to a chocoholic friend, while at it, you get to help Mother Earth, as well.
Chocolate has been a star in the human palate and heart ever since it was discovered. It started from being one of the most cherished foods on the planet, now it takes the limelight of being the most studied. Scientists claim that there are several health benefits of chocolates. The chocolates also contain many chemicals that act in a pleasant way on the moods of those who get to eat it.
But of course, there are several negative impacts that come with chocolates. Surprise, surprise. Chocolate is packed with sugar, especially when you don’t opt for the dark type. To make it yummy and low in carbs, it takes some ingenuity but it can be surely done.
Studies of today also display how good chocolate is for the heart. Studies indicate that chocolate can improve blood vessel responsiveness blood pressure, and cholesterol. For improving glucose tolerance other studies have shown it has potential, which is significant to people who are using low-carb diets to lessen blood glucose spikes.
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: Chocolates, dark chocolate, friend, making, Organic, organic chocolate, people, takes
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
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
Bittersweet And Semisweet Chocolate
Bittersweet chocolates are usually a sweetened form of dark chocolate that doesn’t have any type of milk whether in its liquid or powdered form. It is fundamentally a combination of chocolate liquor, sugar, butter that is made out of cocoa and for the most part – vanilla. Typically, a substance known as lecithin is added which acts as an emulsifier. Cocoa produced through grinding its beans into a liquid form is usually called chocolate liquor, which ironically has no alcohol and what not. Unsweetened baking chocolate is the outcome of cocoa liquor that has been solidified.
In the North America, a standard is being set by the FDA or Food and Drug Administration that such bittersweet chocolates must be required to contain at least 35% of chocolate liquor. Whereas in the United Kingdom, the figure can be as high as 43%. It is readily understandable that the more chocolate liquor the chocolate has, the more intense the flavor can be. Even some high quality chocolates have chocolate liquor as high as 65 to 70%.
Terms like bittersweet and semisweet are oftentimes mistaken for each other in conversations and printed materials, but there are specific traits that separate and define the two. Bittersweet chocolate consists of more chocolate liquor and less amount of sugar as compared to the semisweet one. On the other hand, semisweet chocolates only have 35% of liquor, making the two types of chocolates pretty similar to each other. This is the main reason why the terms semisweet and bittersweet are always used interchangeably in cooking and baking processes which typically produce good results.
Recent studies in the previous years have shown that the regular consumption and intake of minor quantities of bittersweet chocolates have specific health benefits. These health benefits lessen heart diseases caused by the high flavonoid contents of this dark chocolates. Flavonoids such as epicathecin and gallic acid are actually abundant in these types of dark chocolates. Blood pressure lowering is also an attribute which are linked to these bittersweet chocolates. These chocolates are available in different forms like chips and bars that definitely cater to a vast market.
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: bittersweet chocolate, cocoa, dark chocolate, health benefits, semisweet, semisweet chocolate, usually
What’s a good icing for a dark chocolate bunt cake?
Question by LawComm: What’s a good icing for a dark chocolate bunt cake?
I’m making a “dark chocolate” cake mix in a bunt style pan. What should I ice it with? I’d prefer something easy. I’ve seen a “drizzle” type of icing in pictures for that kind of cake. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Best answer:
Answer by Some_Guy_in_Ithaca_NY
A pound of Sour cream heated up in the microwave with a bag of choc chips melted in it. Add some triple sec if you like. It’s very glossy and it sets to a nice shiny finish. It takes about an hour to set.
Give your answer to this question below!
Categories: chocolate questions, chocolate recipes Tags: cake recipe, dark chocolate, icing
Diabetes and Chocolate
There are a lot of people suffering from Diabetes. The ones that suffer the most are those that have a sweet tooth. It has long been an issue if diabetics should ditch chocolates altogether or if minimal amount of dark chocolate is beneficial.
Chocolate, specifically the dark variants that are not loaded with sugar, is known to have an array of health advantages and benefits. One of which is for those who have heart conditions. Recent studies have shown that chocolate contains a certain substance called ‘flavonoids’ that can affect the vascular health in a good way. It supposedly lowers the blood pressure and improves blood flow to the brain and heart, making blood platelets less viscous. That being said, one can keep cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels. It also has the ability to slow down the immune responses that lead to clogged arteries.
However, it is an obvious fact that excessive consumption of chocolate is not at all advantageous, but rather threatening to the health. Again, diabetics are suggested to consume chocolates in minimal portions. They can do so while having a meal or right after a meal. The reason behind this is that since the stomach has food in it, the absorption of chocolate will be impeded. Thus, you can prevent your blood glucose from spiking.
And since diet is a very crucial factor in the health of diabetic patients, health experts such as physicians or nutritionists should be inquired first, just to be on the safe side. Every diabetic patient has a unique requirement with regard to diet, and to maintain a healthy one, an open and honest communication with the doctor is best.
Just because you have a health condition doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the joys of eating. It may not be just like how you enjoyed food back when your health is at its peak, but you can always look for alternatives that offer the same pleasure but without the need to sacrifice your health.
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Categories: chocolate articles Tags: CHOCOLATE, dark chocolate, Diabetic, Health
Chocolate Equals Exercise?
A recent study shows that moderate amounts of high quality dark chocolate can be as good as working out.
Cocoa was found to have a particular compound called epithacin and this supposedly improved muscle like exercise does.
Researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, performed a test on three sets of 12-month-old mice, the counterpart of middle aged humans: one was given epithacin twice a day for 15 days, the second one was also given epithacin and spent 30 minutes on a treadmill, while the third exercised without receiving the extract.
Scientists have seen an increase in the number of energy-producing mitochondria, the ‘powerhouses’ of cells, in the mice that only took epithacin and they had considerably better muscle performance and took a longer time to get tired compared to those that only exercised. It was strange as these mitochondria are normally a byproduct of getting aerobic exercise such as running on the treadmill.
More mitochondria mean more energy, thus, allowing you to perform longer. The research team is hopeful that their experiments could eventually help in working against the dreaded age-related muscle wasting.
According to research leader Dr Moh Malek: “Those getting only epicatechin had a significantly better muscle performance and took longer to tire than those that only exercised. The group doing both showed even greater improvement, so it appears epicatechin combined with exercise may be a viable means to offset muscle ageing.” They were enthralled to learn how natural products can copy and improve the effects of exercise.
Unfortunately though, they are too early in their studies for them to come up with any conclusions about humans getting the same benefits as those of the mice’s.
Dr Malek also added: ”At the moment it would be a leap of faith to say the same effects would be seen in humans. But it is something we hope to identify in future studies.”
Categories: chocolate articles Tags: dark chocolate, research, Science, Studies
