Chocolate

Chocolate... the healthy sweet! Chocolate comes from the cacao bean, which grows on trees in the tropical regions of Mexico and Central and South America. Have you ever been to Hershey Park, Pennsylvania to see the chocolate tour? It is so interesting and fun I recommend it. After the cacao beans are harvested, they are fermented, roasted, and shelled to remove a nib. (You can purchase cacao nibs- they have a very bitter taste almost comparable to strong wine). So then the nibs are ground to powder, mixed with liquid to form liquor, and then either created into cocoa solids or cocoa butter.

Unsweetened chocolate is chocolate liquor and fat.

Cocoa Powder is pulverized chocolate liquor with the cocoa butter removed.

Dark Chocolate is cocoa solids, cocoa butter, fat, and sugar.

Milk Chocolate is dark chocolate plus milk.

White Chocolate is cocoa butter, sugar, and milk.

Semisweet Chocolate is dark chocolate with less sugar.

Bittersweet Chocolate is cocoa solids, cocoa butter, a small amount of sugar, vanilla, and lecithin.

Compound Chocolate is cocoa, vegetable fat, and sweetener. Since it doesn't contain cocoa butter it technically isn't chocolate. This confection is cheaper than chocolate, and may contain hydrogenated oil (trans fat). Candy made with compound chocolate include Girl Scout cookies (Thin Mints, Tagalongs, Samoas, All Abouts), Butterfinger, and Baby Ruth candy bars.

Health Benefits

Chocolate, or more specifically- cocoa contains theobromine and phenethylamine. Both of these compounds have been linked to increasing serotonin levels in the brain. Dark chocolate is linked to lowered blood pressure. It is rich in antioxidants- in fact minimally processed dark chocolate contains more antioxidants than blueberries, green tea, or red wine. Chocolate alsocontains a flavonoid called epicatechin. This compound inhibits platelet aggregation and causes blood vessels to dilate (reducing risk of blood clots). You may reduce your risk of heart attack by eating a small amount of dark chocolate regularly. However be careful what type of chocolate you consume- flavonoids are removed from commercial chocolate because they have a bitter taste. Also, milk deactivates the antioxidants and flavonoids in chocolate, so eating milk chocolate, or drinking milk with dark chocolate will result in less absorption of these compounds.

Other suggested benefits of chocolate include

• Anticancer
• Brain stimulator
• Cough preventor
• Antidiarrhoeal
• Aphrodisiac
• Muscle recovery after workouts
• Nootropic= memory enhancing, delays brain function decline during aging
• Help in treating diabetes (low glycemic index)
• Help in treating dementia

Theobromine

This compound is what gives chocolate a stimulant effect. Theobromine is more potent in animals- its use in horse racing is prohibited, and it is toxic to cats and dogs (the reason you shouldn't feed chocolate to them). White chocolate, which doesn't contain cocoa solids, only has minimal amounts of theobromine and caffeine, and therefore does not provide a stimulant effect. Chocolate also contains caffeine, but you would need to eat more than a dozen chocolate bars to get the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee.

Minerals

Chocolate is rich in minerals including magnesium, copper, potassium, and iron. Unsweetened chocolate and dark chocolate are highest in these minerals. One average dark chocolate bar contains about 12% of the DV for magnesium.

Chocolate Recipes

Spiced Hot Dark Chocolate

Banana Split Oatmeal Replace quick oats with steel cut oats, semi-sweet chocolate chips with dark chocolate, and peanuts with walnuts

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Oats

Oats are a species of grain which are usually either rolled into oatmeal or ground into flour. Oats are also used for livestock feed, brewing beer, and in skin products. Oats are grown around the world in temperate zones, including North American, Europe, and Russia. Oat florets:

Health Benefits

Oat bran, which is the outer husk of the grain, is rich in fiber and minerals. Some oat products such as rolled oats and steel cut oats include the bran. You can also find oat bran cereal, which is just the bran and excludes the other parts of the oat. The soluble fiber in the bran is linked to lowering LDL levels and reducing the risk of heart disease. Once eaten, soluble fiber absorbs water and forms a gel, which slows digestion, lowers cholesterol, and promotes colon health.

Oat is the only grain containing avenalin as the major protein. Oat protein is similar to soy protein in quality.

Types of Oats

Steel cut, also called Irish or Scotch oats, are cut up whole grain oats. They are not processed or cooked prior to packaging. They take a while to cook (about 30 minutes) and have a hearty, chewy texture.

Old fashioned rolled oats are steamed and rolled prior to packaging. They are quicker to cook than steel cut and have a softer, creamier texture.

Quick oats, also called instant oatmeal, are precooked, dried, and rolled. They cook very quickly, usually by just adding hot water or microwaving for a minute or so. The texture is very soft and creamy. This type of oatmeal is usually sold with added flavoring and sweetener.

The longer a food is precooked and processed, the less fiber and nutrients it will contain. So steel cut oats contain the most nutrients, followed by old fashioned oats, and instant oatmeal contains the least. A 1/4 of a cup serving of steel cut oats (measured prior to cooking) contains 8 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein, and 0 grams of sugar. One packet of instant oatmeal contains 3 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, 0 grams of sugar for plain, and 13 grams of sugar for the flavored varieties. However even the sugarless instant oatmeal will convert to sugar in your body faster than the steel cut oat because of the degree of processing and the fiber content. Therefore steel cut oats will keep you satisfied longer, and won't disrupt the body's blood sugar levels as drastically.

Oat Recipes

Muesli with Apples and Almonds

Flaxseed Granola

Pumpkin Oat Bran Muffins

Oatmeal Salmon Patties

Skin Care Oatmeal Recipes