Chocolates And Health

Love is in the air, what better thing to blog about than The tempting, The delicious, The mouth watering & Our very own CHOCOLATES!!!  The word itself is synonymous to Love and Happiness and brings forth good memories. One bite makes you forget the world around you.

This is one such food item with which our obsession goes time immemorial. Can you believe history of Chocolates is as much as 3000 years old….!!! I am yet to come across a person who doesn’t like them. Young, & not so Young, all are hooked to them alike. 

So much has been talked about them, so many research papers published, some favor them and some not so much, but still as the famous saying goes, “A Little of what you fancy does you good”, Our Dear Chocolate is also no exception to this, and truth is that a little part of this delicious thing can really cure. The fact is that in moderation, these are known to benefit in various ailments and improve overall health and mind condition. If medication is so tempting, who would mind getting a bit sick… :)

Having said that, to derive the maximum benefits you need to know your Bar of desire rather deeply. I did a little research and found some astounding facts which are if taken into consideration while deciding what and how much, can really prove to be a boon on health. Let me bring forth them one by one.

Know Thy Bar

Chocolate is a range of products derived from cocoa (cacao tree) , mixed with fat (i.e. cocoa butter and/or plant oils) and finely powdered sugar to produce a solid confection. There are several types of chocolate according to the proportion of cocoa used in a particular formulation.

Three major Chocolate components

  chocolate liquor is the ground or melted state of the nib of the cacao bean

  cocoa butter is the fat component

  cocoa powder is the nonfat part of the cacao bean which is ground into a powder

Technically speaking different types of chocolates include unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. Broadly these are grouped according to the different percentage constitution of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, milk solids and powdered sugar in them. 

Have a look at the table below for better understanding ( Source Wikipedia )

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the naming and ingredients of cacao products:
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Product	Chocolate Liquor	Milk Solids	Sugar
Milk Chocolate	≥ 10%	≥ 30%
Sweet Chocolate	≥ 15%	< 12%
Semisweet or Bittersweet (Dark) Chocolate	≥ 35%	< 12%
White Chocolate	≥ 20%	≥ 14%	≤ 55%

So the chocolate that is actually “good” for you is Semisweet or Bittersweet (Dark) Chocolate. Chocolates with approx 35% - 90% cocoa content fall in this category although sweetener standards are not regulated, as you can make out from the blank sugar column above. 

Also you might not enjoy them in first go (because of bitterness) but taste does get developed with time and one actually start liking them. Moving on slowly you can replace your bar with higher cocoa content bar.

Dark Chocolate Health Benefits 

1. Studies have shown that dark chocolate consumption lower the blood pressure
2. Also (LDL) bad cholesterol have shown to get lowered by their consumption.
3. Contains serotonin. It is a natural mood-boosting anti-depressant
4. Stimulates pleasure-inducing endorphin production
5. Flavonols and antioxidant content of dark chocolates fights aging

Now, even though there are several advantages of dark chocolates, as with anything else, moderation is the key. Make sure that your chocolaty delights fit well with your daily caloric needs, and try to work your way up to the highest percentage dark chocolate you can enjoy. I allow myself upto 2 squares a day, that’s about 80 cal (40 cal per square) and it has worked fine for me so far. 

So all you Chocoholics out there, now you can make most of it without feeling guilty, just need to set a limit and follow it religiously.

Happy Eating :)