Chocolate comes from the cacao bean. This bean contains antibacterial agents that fight against tooth decay and help boost your immune system. These agents are diminished once sugar and milk are added to the chocolate to create milk chocolate. Cocao also contains phenyl ethylamine which enhances endorphins and gives you that happy feeling. Researchers have found that the mere smell of chocolate increases theta brain waves inducing relaxation. People who eat dark chocolate are also said to live a year longer -perhaps because of the antioxidant effects or maybe just because they are happier!

Smoothies are a great way to sneak in protein and extra vitamins and minerals into your kid’s breakfast or snack. Great additions for smoothies are protein powder, bee pollen, lecithin granules and brewers yeast. Go easy on the brewer’s yeast because it has a bitter taste the kids will taste!

Rae Haining writes about the benefits of dark chocolate and healthy smoothie recipes at her website FillingLowCalorieFoods.com.

Why is chocolate good for our health?
The last couple of years have seen a whole host of studies conducted to determine the potential health benefits of chocolate. In addition to identifying the beneficial vitamins and minerals found in chocolate, including potassium, copper, magnesium, and phosphorus, we also know that chocolate can act as an antioxidant and can stimulate the production of endorphins and other feel-good chemicals in our bodies. Here’s what they’ve found so far.

Disease-fighting antioxidant flavonoids
Dark chocolate that’s milk-free and eaten without milk is very high in antioxidants according to a study done by Italy’s National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research in Rome (milk seems to interfere with the absorption of antioxidants from chocolate). The antioxidant flavonoids specific to chocolate are called flavanols (procyanidins, catechins, and epicatechins).

Why are antioxidants important for a healthy body? Well, they eat up free radicals which are destructive molecules that have been connected to ailments such as cancer (lung cancer, prostate cancer), asthma, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. In particular, these antioxidants have several health effects on the heart:

• Lowers cholesterol: Dark chocolate high in flavonoids will reduce LDL (“bad” cholesterol) oxidation and boost HDL (“good” cholesterol) concentrations in the blood. The higher the level of antioxidants in the blood, the lower your LDL oxidation will be.
• Decreases blood pressure: Procyanidins trigger the production of nitric oxide which keeps arteries flexible and increases bloodflow. Additionally, these antioxidants may keep blood platelets from clumping together. Together these factors lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

To obtain these chocolate benefits, you’ll need to consume dark chocolate which has a higher concentration of antioxidants. A chocolate made with 70 percent or more cocoa is ideal.

Feel-good endorphins and anti-depressants
Eating chocolate also has the benefit of stimulating the release of endorphins, those “feel good” chemicals that naturally occur in your body. These can help to lift the spirit, even with just a little bite.

Plus, chocolate is a known antidepressant and aphrodisiac. A chemical called phenylethylamine are responsible for these positive emotions. They may even be responsible for making you feel that you’re in love. No wonder chocolate is such a romantic food!

Beneficial stimulants
Chocolate also contains stimulants such as caffeine (although in small quantities), giving it another way to boost spirits and increase feelings of happiness and energy. Plus, if you eat chocolate that’s made with 70 percent cocoa or higher, you’ll be consuming a food that’s low on the glycemic index. This means that it will prevent wild fluctuations in your blood glucose and insulin levels. Compared to other high-sugar foods, dark chocolate is quite a bit healthier.

Milk versus dark chocolate
Unlike dark chocolate, milk chocolate cannot really make any health claims. Given milk chocolate’s low levels of cocoa, it lacks the antioxidants found in dark chocolate.

Likewise, with white chocolate. Although white chocolate contains cocoa butter (which is sometimes replaced by other vegetable oils instead), it does not contain any cocoa solids. As a result, white chocolate contains no flavonoids, making it devoid of the antioxidant health benefits of dark chocolate.

To even be considered “dark” chocolate, a product must contain at least 65 percent cocoa. By comparison, the European Union requires that milk chocolate have 25 percent cocoa solids (there is no such regulation for milk chocolate in the US). According to a US Department of Agriculture study, “cocoa powders have the highest flavonoid content, followed by baking chocolate and dark eating chocolates.”

How much is too much chocolate?
So we know that chocolate can have some wonderfully positive benefits on our human bodies, but how much is enough chocolate? And more importantly, how much is too much?

Recommended daily intake
Let’s be totally clear: although chocolate does benefit the body by adding antioxidants and improving mood, it is no superfood. Pound for pound, dark chocolate can still be a high-calorie, high-fat food. It should therefore never be substituted for healthy, antioxidant-rich foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables.

Nevertheless, when eaten in moderation, chocolate can be a great addition to an already healthy diet. Various experts tout different numbers when talking about the ideal amount of dark chocolate in the healthy diet. While some contend that 100 calories is enough to receive the benefits without adding too many calories, other argue that you can eat up to 100 grams (about 500 calories) of dark chocolate daily (this would be the maximum amount).

The key to knowing how much dark chocolate you can eat on a daily basis is how you balance the calories. Knowing how many calories you should aim to eat in a day is the first step. If you can have 1,800 calories daily, and you eat 100 calories worth of chocolate, then you know you can only eat 1,700 calories from other foods the rest of the day. Keep to that formula and you can’t go wrong.

Remember, too, that you need to eat your dark chocolate milk-free. That means avoiding dairy products while eating your chocolate indulgence in order to get the full benefit of the antioxidants you’re taking in.

And here’s another tip for truly enjoying the health benefits of chocolate: eat it slowly! Chocolate contains over 300 compounds that each affects your body in different ways. Savor each bit of chocolate so that you eat in moderation and can sincerely appreciate all the good you’re doing for yourself.

Consequences of over-indulgence
Without a doubt, dark chocolate has some wonderful health benefits. We can all enjoy a healthier existence with controlled consumption of chocolate. But we also know that too much chocolate can lead to weight gain, which would totally cancel any of the health benefits gained by eating this food. So be careful how much you consume on a daily basis. Too much of a good thing can turn into a health hazard.

I’m an organic chocolate addict who loves to enjoy only the finest organic ingredients in my chocolates. I believe that fine, handcrafted artisan chocolates can be a divine experience. I most enjoy handmade organic chocolate confections that are as exceptional in taste as well as design. I love to experiment with new and exotic flavors, but will always have a place in my heart for classic chocolate flavors.

I am a big supporter of fair trade chocolate – chocolate that is slavery free and produced by workers who receive fair, living wages. Eating organic, fair trade chocolate one of the healthiest and most enjoyable things we can do for ourselves and the planet.

Many food companies declare their products as guilt less pleasure for the users. This can be well seen especially in case of fresh drinks like pure juices and pulpy munchies. Guilt- free pleasure basically refers to a state when a person eats something without any guilt afterward. For example, if you eat some deep fried snack, you may feel guilt of adding fats and calorie content. So, this is not guilt-free pleasure.

There are many foods and drinks present around us that are extensively used by many people like cold drinks, junk food, chocolates and deep fried snacks. People not only like to eat all this but some are so mad about these. Here I want to mention some tips for chocolate lovers. Many food researches have concluded that cocoa beans could prove to be a better supplement than coffee. Basically, cocoa beans are composed of natural compounds known as flavanols.

According to many scientific researches and studies, Flavanols are good for blood vessels. Dark stuff of the cocoa beans is also considered good for health. That is the reason making it guilt free pleasure. So, for chocolate lovers it is often advisable that use chocolates having Flavanols. However, nowadays flavanols are usually missing by the manufacturers from chocolates. You may find it difficult to get a bar of chocolate having flavanols. Actually, flavanols make cocoa and chocolate taste bitter. Many chocolate and cocoa producing companies tried their best to remove this pungent and bitter taste that causes due to the addition of flavanols. Still, no advancement has been done in this regard. This is the reason why many companies produce chocolate and cocoa without flavanols.

However, whatever the case may be whether you are using flavanol rich chocolate or those missing this compound, always remember the fact that chocolate is just a treat and delight. Its consumption must be carefully maintained. You should be cautious and wise while consuming this junk food because it is fat rich in all cases. It adds extra calories to the user. That means you should limit the intake.

As far as flavanol is concerned, it is present in many other foods like red wine, apples, green tea and grapes. All these are particularly rich sources of this compound. Intake of flavanol helps to lower and maintain cholesterol levels.

History of chocolate

Thousands of years ago, inhabitants of what is now Brazil discovered cacao trees in the forests of the Amazon. The cacao trees are native to Mexico, Central, and South America (although they are now cultivated around the world).The earliest recorded enjoyment of a chocolate morsel was before the Olmec, which dates back between 1200 BCE and 400 BCE. Just recently, archaeologists found evidence that there may have been cultivation of the cacao tree as far back as 1100 BC.

We know for sure that the Mayans grew cacao trees and used the seeds for making bitter beverages such as xocoatl which was believed to fight fatigue. It was used in ceremonial services as well as an ancient currency.

It wasn’t until the 16th century that chocolate was introduced to Europeans when the Spanish began to import it after their conquest of the Aztecs. At first, only royalty and the well-connected were able to afford this expensive luxury, but eventually cacao was planted on plantations in Africa and other parts of the world which allowed them to lower the price over time.

Since then, the popularity of chocolate has increased. And with the Industrial Revolution, making chocolate became much more economical. Today, chocolate is an accessible food for most people in the world since it is widely available and relatively inexpensive.

What is chocolate?

The makings of chocolate have remained relatively unchanged over the history of this food. The main ingredients include cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. The lower the cocoa solid content the lower the quality of chocolate. Likewise, if other vegetable fats are substituted for cocoa fat, the quality of the finished product degrades. But where do cocoa solids and cocoa butter come from?

Growing and harvesting cacao beans

As we mentioned, cacao trees are grown in South and Central America as well as Mexico and Africa-anywhere that’s 20 degrees on either side of the equator where temperatures and rainfall are in the right proportions. Cacao trees require temperatures between 69 degrees F and 90 degrees F and an annual rainfall around 80 inches of rain. Today, most of the world’s cacao comes from Western Africa.

Cacao trees are relatively small and grow in nature in the understory of forests (although they can be grown in plantations, which is much less environmentally-friendly). Cacao trees produce a melon-like fruit called a cacao pod. Each of these pods contains between 20-40 seeds or cocoa beans. There are generally three types of cacao plants most commonly cultivated: forastero (the most popular), trinitario, and criollo (which is the most rare and expensive).

Processing cacao pods

When it comes time to harvest the cacao pods, farmers will first check to ensure the pods are ripe. This ensures the highest cocoa butter content and sufficient natural sugars for fermentation. When ready, farmers will knock pods down using a stick or cut the pods from the tree using a machete. From there, the pods are processed by separating the pulp from the beans.

Once the beans have been isolated, they are put into bins or piles where they are left to ferment for about one week in order achieve that familiar chocolate flavor. During this time, the beans will darken in color and become richer in flavor. Finally, the beans are dried by laying them in the sun (weather permitting) for 5 to 7 days. The finished cocoa nibs are transported to a manufacturing facility where they are turned into familiar chocolate products.

How is chocolate made?

We’ve now walked through how cacao is grown and processed, but we’re still far from achieving a finished chocolate product. Discovering how chocolate is made is the next step in this delicious journey.

Chocolate liquor

Once cleaned of twigs and stones, the beans are roasted at temperatures around 300 degrees F, then graded, and finally put through a winnower to shell the beans and expose the cacao nib. These nibs are then ground up and liquefied, producing chocolate liquor (which is a misnomer since there is no alcohol in chocolate liquor). From there, the liquor can be separated into cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

Blending

From here on in, the process for creating chocolate will differ some from chocolatier to chocolatier. The main things that change will be the proportions of cocoa butter and chocolate liquor blended together. Here are the general proportions of the most common types of chocolate:

• White chocolate contains milk or milk powder, sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla, but no cocoa solids.
• Milk chocolate will contain milk or milk powder, sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and vanilla.
• Dark chocolate is the purest chocolate and will contain only sugar (or some other sweetener), cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and sometimes vanilla.

Conching

The next step in making chocolate is conching. A machine containing many small metal balls will be loaded with the blended chocolate and turned on. Then, over time, the ingredients will be kept in a liquid state as they are ground by the beads. The longer the ingredients are in the machine, the smoother the chocolate that is produced, with the highest quality chocolate staying in the conch for 72 hours or more.

Tempering

Finally, the chocolate is tempered to prevent the forming of crystals in the finished product (which will cause the surface of the chocolate to appear matte or dull). Temperatures are increased to about 115 degrees F, then the mixture is allowed to cool to about 80 degrees F. The heat is increased once more to about 88 degrees F. This whole process may be repeated several times to produce a supremely smooth texture. And that’s how chocolate is made!

I’m an organic chocolate addict who loves to enjoy only the finest organic ingredients in my chocolates. I believe that fine, handcrafted artisan chocolates can be a divine experience. I most enjoy handmade organic chocolate confections that are as exceptional in taste as well as design. I love to experiment with new and exotic flavors, but will always have a place in my heart for classic chocolate flavors. I am a big supporter of fair trade chocolate – chocolate that is slavery free and produced by workers who receive fair, living wages. Eating organic, fair trade chocolate one of the healthiest and most enjoyable things we can do for ourselves and the planet.

Presence Across All Cultures

For centuries, man has attributed the consumption of chocolates with strength, health and passion – an almost magical attribute that continues to persist till the modern day albeit in quite different forms. Nowadays, we see chocolate as an aphrodisiac in the sense that it can lure our lady loves into romance. And this transition from lore to lure can be found in many instances of culture across many generations.

In ancient pagan religions, chocolates and cacao had strong symbolic value as the drink of the almighty gods. Hence, not only was it valuable in religious rites, it was valuable as a commodity among the elites of society.

Nowadays, said values are continued especially in Jewish and Christian traditions. On one hand, the Jewish exchange coins made of various types of chocolates during Hanukkah. On the other hand, Christians exchange chocolates on many occasions particularly on Easter in the form of eggs and bunnies as well as hearts on Valentines Day and just about any shape on Christmas Day.

Chocolate has also played a significant role in many historical events. To name a few, there are the Boston epidemic of 1764, the early American east coast trade and the conflicts in the southwest and southeast borderlands of North America.

If these examples are not reason enough to believe in the power of chocolates to incite men and women into taking passionate and potent actions, then nothing else will.

Symbolism Through Time

As previously mentioned, chocolates have taken on almost magical symbolism for many cultures across the centuries. This symbolism can be divided into three – devotion, power and love – all of which are still very much true today.

During the time of the Aztecs, chocolate was offered to the deities as offerings in the belief that it represented faith and devotion. Although we will not offer chocolates as offerings of religious faith to our beloved, these sweet treats are still considered as signs of faith, commitment and devotion.

Again for the Aztecs, chocolates were symbols of power precisely because only the elite of the society were allowed to drink them. Even when the Spaniards brought it to Europe, the tradition of elitism continued as it was seen as a very expensive export. Although chocolates can be had for dollars nowadays, the sweet confectionery still represents luxury especially when these have been handcrafted by master chocolatiers.

Last but not least, chocolate was regarded by the Aztecs as a powerful aphrodisiac guaranteed to arouse the passions of men and women. Today, we hang on to vestiges of such a thought when we give chocolates to our lady loves.

When you want passion, power and potency in your life, look no farther than the nearest specialty shop selling only the most premium chocolates in town.

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Ryan Wilson

If you would like to see our chocolate selection, visit our website http://www.indulgeinchocolate.com/valentinechocolategifts.html