Chocolate is good for you!

Well, I remember doing the research on chocolates for my website and found out quite a lot about its pros which more than outweigh its cons but the latest news about it really takes the cake!

Another study has confirmed that dark chocolate bars reduce cholesterol levels and improve blood pressure! This is thanks to the plant sterols and cocoa flavanols that dark chocolate bars contained.

The study was conducted by researchers from University of Illinois and Mars they have found that the daily consumption of dark chocolate bars improves blood pressure and regulates cholesterol levels. It seemed that the study was conducted on around 50 men and women with high cholesterol levels.

They get to eat flavanol-rich dark chocolate bars every day for a week, combined with a balanced, low fat diet…yummy…I don’t mind becoming one of them though! It seems that a healthy chocolate diet do help after all!

Anyway the result of this experiment showed that their bad cholesterol has decreased by 5.3% while their total cholesterol went down by 2%. Additionally, their blood pressure reduced by 5% after two months.

So, all those diet freaks intent on telling us chocolate lovers to stay away from chocolates, chew on this instead! Eating dark chocolates everyday  is actually good for you! Well, according to the study,anyway.

Is chocolate healthy?

According to countless research, the ultimate decision is still a ‘Yes, but…’ and there is a string of conditions attached to discuss the health benefits of chocolate which remained quite unconfirmed.

Sure, there has been loads of research, studies and tests which revealed that dark chocolate may be beneficial to health and could possibly lower cholesterol level, has antioxidant capacities, reduces blood pressure and boosts brain function. So, are these claims true? Just like any chocoholic, I sure wish they are!

Wishful wishing aside, I did some research and here are what the various research, studies and tests claimed that dark chocolate does to the average human.

1. Dark chocolate contains lost of flavonoids which are known as flavonols. These can be found in cacao seeds (the raw form of chocolate before all that processing…). It is not any man-made chemical but is a natural compound that works as an antioxidant which prevent damage to the body’s cells and tissues. Do note that only dark chocolate seemed to have more of this compound as the process of making milk chocolate may have removed most of the flavonols.

2. Dark chocolate has cholesterol…but before you drop that chocolate bar in horror, it contains good cholesterol- inducing compounds. To put it simply, it contain a few other compounds which fights off bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise good cholesterol levels (HDL). The chocolate and cocoa butter contain palmitic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid. Stearic acid is a neutral fat and oleic acid is a mono-unsaturated fat which can also be found in olive oil. Remember the craze of consuming olive oil for health? Well, replace it with chocolate. If olive oil can lower cholesterol, so can cocoa and dark chocolate!

3. The next time you feel your pressure going up, reach for that bar of dark chocolate and it may just help you lower your pressure. And I meant that literally. The miraculous flavonols I mentioned above do help in regulating blood flow and blood pressure so eating chocolate not only relaxes you but literally lower your blood pressure.

4. After lowering your pressure, the hard-working flavonols also worked to prevent blood clots and acts like a low-dose aspirin to help your blood flow. This will reduce heart attack and stroke risks.

5. So, what is it that you are eating when you bite into that bar of chocolate? Plenty of nutrients, that’s what! Milk chocolate contains the recommended daily values of protein, riboflavin, calcium and iron. If it is a chocolate bar with almonds, peanuts or any other nut, there will be more nutrients.

 

6. Is chocolate an aphrodisiac? Scientifically, it may be true because chocolate contains serotonin, especially phenethylamine, which can act as a mild sexual stimulant. However, no studies or tests can conclusively prove that. But we all know chocolates as gifts (especially on first dates and birthdays) do work sometimes, especially if the girl absolutely loves chocolate!

7. Oh happy days are here when you have a cupboard full of chocolates. This is more true than you know it because the carbohydrates (quick, those who have sworn off carbohydrates, close your eyes, you didn’t read this sentence!) in chocolate raise serotonin levels in the brain which releases a chemical called endorphins which gives you that dizzy happy feeling. I can personally attest to how happy chocolate has made me!

So, there you are, seven health benefits of chocolate. Of course, there are also research, studies and tests stating that chocolate could also be bad for health but I will not dwell on that for now. It is not something a chocoholic, who eats chocolate everyday, would want to know!

The only bad thing I would admit about chocolate is that over-consumption will lead to extra pounds, extra inches and eventually obesity.This is due to the high sugar content (albeit carbohydrates) in most chocolates so unless you exercise self-control and portion-control or negate the effects by exercising more, please do not over-consume chocolates! There is such a thing as too much of a good thing!

Chocolate diet

This is a continuance of my previous post on chocolate and losing weight. I decided to write further on the chocolate diet since there are so many chocolate lovers out there who just could not do without chocolate so a diet is often very torturous with visions of mouth watering sweet scrumptious chocolates playing before your eyes…

Okay, so I am not going to present the chocolate diet per se but it is my very own formulated meal plan which incorporated chocolate with a sensible eating plan. Beware, I am not a qualified nutritionist nor am I a diet specialist. I am only one of those who have tried every fad diet there is out there and suddenly wake up one day to realize that fad diets just make me fat! Ever since then fad diets are avoided like a box of moldy, tasteless chocolate and I am now adhering to my very own diet plan which worked very well…till recently, that is. My fall from the sensible dieting plan is due to over indulgence but I digress. Let’s get to the chocolate diet.

Disclaimer: This diet should only be tried at your own risk and this blog author shall not be responsible for any chocolate addiction or additional pounds or ineffectiveness of the diet in losing weight or failure in the maintenance of current weight. Readers shall read this with a pinch of cocoa powder and not take it too seriously. However, they are most welcomed to try it out!

Breakfast

A glass of thick healthy chocolate shake

Recipe for healthy chocolate shake:

8oz sugar-free soya milk

2tbsp dark cocoa powder

2tbsp chocolate sauce (Hershey’s should be great!)

3tbsp oat bran

Half a medium size banana (optional)

Ice

Blend the ingredients and you will get a thick healthy shake which is nutritious, chocolatey and not too sweet. If you can’t stand soya milk, you can replace it with non-fat milk but it won’t be as healthy.

A glass of water

Morning break:

Fruits with chocolate sauce dip (however, do not overdo the chocolate sauce. Use only a little for taste, don’t smother the fruits with it!)

A glass of water

Lunch:

Grilled Chicken Sandwich (grilled chicken breast on wholemeal bread)

Mixed salad

A glass of water

Tea break:

5 almonds / groundnuts

5 chocolate covered nuts / raisins

A glass of water

Dinner:

A glass of water

Mixed salad

Baked cod / salmon steak in lemon sauce

Recipe for baked fish: Marinate the fish with some salt, pepper, garlic and mixed fresh herbs. Cook lemon juice with fish stock, a little honey and cornstarch for thickening. Wrap the fish in foil and bake for about 20 minutes or till cook through. Pour the sauce over fish and serve. Add ground black pepper if needed.

Dessert: A bar of 50g dark chocolate

Just remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day.

You can alternate the chicken sandwich for smoked turkey sandwich, tuna sandwich or turkey ham sandwich while dinner could be grilled chicken breast, baked dory or even tofu (if you even like that stuff). No red meat and no white bread or potatoes. Stick to green vegetables, white meat, wholegrain and legumes. This way it will give you the leeway to indulge in chocolate three times a day!

Again, no guarantee that you will lose weight or even maintain your weight with this plan.

Chocolate shopping

I have been such a die-hard chocoholic for so many years, my husband has gotten used to my frequent trips to the mall for my chocolate fix, that is, until recently. I love chocolates and I do chocolate reviews but I am by no means a chocolate snob, as in, I do not turn my nose up over cheap chocolates or standard supermarket quality chocolate.

However, recently, just for the sake of my chocolate website, I started bypassing the waxy, sweet, cheap chocolates and went for imported, Swiss and Belgium chocolates. My hubby of course was taken aback. My chocolate stock is now with percentages and of ‘fine’ quality and not in the least cheap!

So, how do I search out these chocolates? Other than dropping by the chocolate-specialty shops (which is very rare where I come from), I get it from large grocery stores. Often these stores are well stocked and they have a section especially for imported, expensive and fine chocolates (at least at where I come from, which is a tiny Asian country out of nowhere). Then I look through the selection. I look out for ‘Made in Sweden’ or ‘Manufactured in Belgium’ which is often printed in small tiny prints before buying.

The types that I buy often are dark chocolate, white chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate and chocolate covered nuts and raisins. The chocolates are in a variety of forms from bars to truffles to even wafers. Now, I have loads of chocolates to taste and review and though I constantly snack on chocolates, I am deferring the expensive ones. Just tearing the wrappers makes me cringe. I just do not want to eat it and then, that’s it. I won’t have it anymore. You know, the classic ‘you can’t have your cake and eat it too’ dilemma.

I will be working up my courage to really bite into one of it soon as I really need to add new pages to my website real soon. To those who have been visiting the site or have visited the site or are planning to visit the site, please be patient. I am working on the chocolate recipes now and hopefully I can put it in within the next few days.

See you then.

Chocolate Percentage

There is nothing I love more than shopping for chocolates whenever we go to the grocery store. It is like being transported into pure chocolate heaven, especially if it is a particularly well-stocked grocery store with an aisle of wonderfully heavenly scrumptious, saliva-inducing chocolates. You know what I mean…row after row of absolutely delicious chocolates of all brands, types and percentage.

Yep, you read right. Percentage. It seems like it is a new fad or something that chocolates now comes with numbers proudly emblazoned over its front. You will see 75% or 90% or 99%. So, what are these percentages for? Well, there is no great mystery to it. The reason for it is to clearly state out the percentage of cocoa contained in the bar of chocolate.

Due to recent research over how healthy chocolate could be especially the ones with higher cocoa content,  I guess many manufacturers are finding it more profitable to tell consumers how much cocoa is contained within their products. I can’t conclusively say that the ones with 99% cocoa are healthier or better (since I am not a scientist or doctor) but I sure can comment on the taste!

The ones with about 90% cocoa content are often more bitter (and we all know how I can’t stand bitter stuff) and richer in the sense that you get a thicker cocoa taste which leaves a sort of buttery after taste on your tongue after consumption. I sometimes eat these together with hot cocoa and marshmallows…to take away the after-taste and also the bitterness.

Those in the 60% and 90% range are pretty much like regular dark chocolate except that for 60% it is sweeter and as the percentage increases, the sweetness reduces and bitterness increases. If you are a dark chocolate type of person (like me!), you will have no qualms picking these up but do try the range of different percentages until you get the ones that you really like.

Happy shopping and let’s go lose ourselves in the wonderful aisle full of chocolates….

Can chocolate keep you awake?

I don’t know about you but it sure do keep me awake!

Unlike the general population who depended on coffee to keep their eyes cracked open, I don’t like coffee. Well, I don’t see the point of drinking a bitter brew just to keep awake. I remember trying to down a cup of coffee with loads of sugar and milk and still it tasted horrid to me. Before coffee lovers start throwing coffee beans at me, let me say in my defense that I have a very low ‘bitter threshold’. As in, I can’t take anything too bitter (well, except for bitter chocolate which I absolutely love but that is another story…). Anyway to cut a long story short, I don’t drink coffee in the mornings. Nor in the afternoons or evenings. I don’t drink coffee, period. The only time I bring myself to drink coffee is when it is a frappucino from Starbucks (even then, I prefer the chocolate one rather than the coffee ones).

So this brings me to the subject matter. Why do I say chocolate keeps me awake? Simple, it was tried and tested to be true…for me. Recently, I have a load of work which includes building up my chocolate website so I had to work real late into the night. In the first few weeks, I snacked on chocolate often (after everyone else has gone to bed…heh heh…) when I worked late till about 3am on a daily basis. I was not sleepy and raring to go all the time…well, except in the daytime when I am without my chocolate fix.

Then about a week ago, I decided to cut down. It is not helping my waistline to be consuming every single bar of chocolate in my fridge and cupboard. I was even gorging on my expensive imported gourmet chocolates which I was keeping to slowly savor in a chocolate tasting session. So, I stopped eating chocolates. Entirely. The end result, I was sleepy and falling asleep in front of my computer. I was nodding off by midnight and calling it a night by 1am. This is not good for my freelance work, not to say my cocoa-chocolate.com website which is still in the midst of construction.

So, last night I started snacking on chocolates again. Wonders of wonders, I stayed up till 4am without a single yawn!

 

Now, I know, scientifically, chocolate do contain caffeine but not as much as coffee. The amount of caffeine found in a 30g chocolate bar is about 6mg per ounce of chocolate. So, it is not really a substitute for coffee but hey, it worked for me and it is darn good too!

So, do please excuse me while I go stock up on my chocolate supplies…

Chocolate Fantasies

I have been in love with chocolate since I could remember so I often have this weird out fantasies about chocolate. No, there is nothing sexual about it if that is what you are thinking!

It is more like finding the most perfect chocolate ever created by mankind. Thus, I started a journey long time ago to taste every single chocolate I came across and this includes dark, milk, white and what-have-yous. As a real chocolate junkie, I do not really care what chocolate it is, whether it is the cheap, mass-produced, ultra-sweet waxy kind or the expensive, imported, branded and gourmet kind. As long as it is chocolate, I’ll try it.

So, over the years, I have gobbled, swallowed, licked, savored, tasted, chewed and munched on the likes of M&Ms, Hersheys, Mars and Snickers to the likes of handmade, custom-made one-of-a-kind chocolate truffles. Trust me, my waistline is enough to attest to all those years of binging on all variations of the creamy concoction. Fortunately, no diabetes to tell me to stop. (I have since taken up a healthier diet with ample exercise to keep my body healthy enough to binge some more on chocolates)

In my long years of journey in a chocolate-lined path, I found that I actually loved dark chocolate (or bitter chocolate) more than milk or white chocolate. Of course, I also hanker for the more expensive kinds too but hey, sometimes I just can’t afford it so I had to settle with the store-bought kinds (not that those aren’t good at all!)

Which gets me to the whole point of this brand new blog. I intend to write about my chocolate adventures and reviews here for the enjoyment of other chocoholics and to start off on the right foot, may I say again that I do not by any means look down at the generic chocolates out there. I eat all types of chocolate (even imitation chocolate!) and I will do my best to describe my experiences with this wonderful dessert or sweet snack or whateveryouwannacallit in full colorful detail here.

Towards our chocolate journey together! (*A toast with a chocolate milk shake in one hand and a bar of half-eaten Snickers on another*)