Chocolate is a food item made from the fruit of a cacao tree. Unprocessed chocolate tastes bitter and dry, but chocolate that is fermented, dried, and roasted and had a bit of sugar and cream tastes divine.
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As the day of love arrives, people around the world enjoy the decadent chocolate flavor. It is found that chocolate helps people keep their brains healthy and their thinking sharp. Two cups of cocoa daily for 30 days daily showed an 8.3 percent increase in blood flow to the brain.
Let us have a look at a few reasons why it is smart to keep chocolate in the diet:
- Heart healthy- consuming chocolate daily may reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in high-risk patients.
- Potentially slimming- people who eat chocolate regularly are more likely to be thinner than those who don’t. Studies have shown that people who admitted to eating chocolates had a lower BMI than those who ate chocolate less frequently.
- Appetite control- chocolate contains filling fiber that is a natural appetite suppressant. This will help you end up eating fewer calories than if you tried to avoid chocolate.
Though there are many reasons to enjoy chocolate and it is also important to be quick and smart about consumption. Below are some of the tips which we must keep in mind for choosing high-quality chocolate and retaining its nutritional value:
- The darker the chocolate, the better for your health: pure chocolate is quite better and this is the reason why it is combined with other ingredients. The chocolate part of the bar is that one contains good stuff i.e. fiber, magnesium, and antioxidants.
- Make your own hot cocoa: hot cocoa is very convenient and it is better for your health. To boost the nutritional value of hot cocoa, you must buy unsweetened powdered chocolate and add your own sweetener.
- Get creative with cocoa: drinking cocoa regularly and consuming dark chocolate is not an ideal idea for everyone so try sprinkling powdered cocoa in your oatmeal or cold cereal.
Chocolate is rich in carbohydrates and is an excellent source of quick energy. It contains minute amounts of chemicals such as stimulating alkaloids known as theobromine and caffeine. White chocolate is also known for its rich texture and delicate flavor. It is made from cocoa butter with added milk products, sugar, and flavoring such as vanilla.
Chocolate has an antibacterial effect on the mouth as consuming pure cocoa prevents tooth decay. The mere smell of chocolate also increases theta brain waves which trigger relaxation. Tooth decay appears when your mouth plays home to bacteria that turn sugar into acids, further eating away the tooth’s surface and causing cavities. The antibacterial agents in cocoa beans tend to inhibit the growth of these bacteria and prevent tooth decay.
Chocolates and cocoa products may be dangerous for pets as they contain some toxic components known as theobromine. Humans can easily metabolize the component and it takes some time for the pets to process and this builds toxicity.
Fun facts about chocolate:
- It takes 400 cocoa beans to make one pound of chocolate
- Each cacao tree produces 2500 beans
- The average serving of milk chocolate has about the same amount of caffeine as one cup of decaf coffee.
- Chocolate comes from a fruit tree which is made from a seed.
Conclusion:
Milk chocolate has relatively low amounts of cocoa compared to dark chocolate, dark chocolate is significantly higher in bioactive compounds and micronutrients. Milk chocolate is a processed type of chocolate as it contains a higher content of other high-calorie and high-fat ingredients such as milk and sugar products. Chocolate, even dark varieties, should be eaten in moderation.
This valentine, gift your loved ones a sweet flavor of chocolate and its nutritional value.
