Can I Believe that Chocolate is Good for Me?

March 16, 2010

 

By 3 p.m. I need a pick me up – I’m an early morning person after all.  I find that a cup of coffee and a piece of  chocolate work wonders for me.  And now,  I’m all excited because of  all the recent good press chocolate is getting – but is it true?  Can I really indulge and get benefits? Or is it just wishful thinking?

All women know that chocolate makes you feel better – and once again we are right! (Didn’t you see Chocolat – the movie – WOW  here’s a great movie.)

History of Chocolate

How did we get so consumed with chocolate?  It was originally a bitter beverage, brewed and consumed by the Incas and Mayas and brought to Spain as a new delicacy in the 1500’s.  Now hot chocolate with spices are the in trend again – 600 years late!For a while, cocoa beans were even used as Spanish currency. 

Chocolate became the food of love in 1645 when it was part of the dowry of Spanish princess Maria Theresa when she married Louis XIV.  He then got the idea to manufacture and sell it.  If you study art and literature of the time, it focuses on chocolate and it’s symbolism, and shal we say “intimate relations”.  Casnova was supposed to have conquered many a lass with chocolate and champagne! Hence our Valentine’s Day passion with chocolate.

Chocolate is good for you!

Now we have a new reason to celebrate chocolate.  Recent research is actually supporting the positive health benefits of chocolate (dark chocolate that is of about 65% or more cocoa content).

A recent study in the Netherlands showed that eating the equivalent of ½ of a chocolate bar every day could lower blood pressure and also reduce the risk of death. It can also lower your cholesterol (now I’m for that one).

There are at least three other reasons chocolate can help elevate your mood:

-It can give you a feeling of pleasure because it stimulates endorphins

-It  can act as an anti-depressant because it contains seratonin

- It has other stimulants similar to caffeine which causes relaxation but increases your brain activity.

We all know that antioxidants are good for us, right?  Well dark chocolate contains eight times the amount of antioxidants as strawberries – superfruit! Unfortunately, we all know that choclate contains fat – but the good news is that most of it doesn’t affect your cholesterol.

As to the calories – you’re on your own.  Moderation in all things!

What’s in your chocolate Future?

 

So all this good news has food manufacturers thinking about chocolate.  Chocolate is now being elevated to the level of interest of wine, cheese and coffee.  It can be a great small indulgence.

Hot trends:

-         Chocolate and cocoa will be ingredients in main dishes (think a warm addition to steak sauce)

-         Flavors that include chocolate and spices are hot

-         Sweet and savory combinations like chocolate and cheese  (there’s even a chocolate/bacon combo for the men)

 So the third week of March is American Chocolate Week and I for one am going to indulge!  I’ll stick to my afternoon coffee and a fabulous truffle.

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Filed under: Easy Entertaining, Healthy Living

Tags: : chocolate, benefits health, chocolate truffle, chocolates, dark chocolate, great hot chocolate, how to make truffles