Secrets Unraveled
Author: pheni
Whole Cake
Chocolate in its natural form is among the healthiest foods you can eat!
Chocolate and weight loss: How does it work?
When most people think of chocolate, they think of candy. Chocolate is very different from its processed counterpart. Its source, the cacao bean, is actually very high in many weight loss compounds. These components include neurotransmitter, phenylethylamine (PEA), anandamide, Theobromine, fiber and flavonoids, antioxidants, and vitamins. It can help control appetite, maintain blood sugar, boost your metabolism and give you energy to exercise. Talk about a mouth full!
In addition, natural chocolate helps improve your mood, improve heart health and helps with digestion.
Then why is chocolate bad on a daily basis. Chocolate in the form of candy that we regularly eat is bad since it contains ingredients like fat, sugar, etc. All varieties like milk chocolate, sweet chocolate, white chocolate contain the same ingredients making them unfit for daily consumption.
How can chocolate be made healthy?
The healthy variety is sold around us. It is commonly known as dark chocolate, chocolate cigar, or sometimes natural chocolate – although the terms are increasingly disappointing. In moderation chocolate has positive effects on your health.
Organic Chocolate
As we learn about the effects of chemicals in food has on our bodies, more and more people are turning to organic foods. Organic chocolate is grown free of pesticides. So you can try organic chocolate to escape the harmful effects of pesticides.
Why organic chocolate? If the regular chocolate is so good for you, why go organic? For many of the same reasons that buying organic is better in the first place. You can support fair trade practices in the forests of South America, where cocoa beans are grown. Shade grown beans promote biodiversity, and to avoid toxic chemicals. Pesticides are not a major reason to buy chocolate. Why not have reasons to feel good when you bite into that chocolate bar? Women around the world have always known the benefits of chocolate. Now the world knows about their health benefits, and – not to mention the fact that organic chocolate helps our environment. An organic chocolate bar contains as much antioxidant power as a glass of red wine. Antioxidants are useful to protect your cells against the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules produced when the body breaks down food, or by environmental exposures such as smoke snuff and radiation. Free radicals can damage cells and may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases. Just think that the next bite of chocolate is the fight against environmental free radicals.
Did you know?
- The cocoa tree grows 10 to 30 feet high and flowers throughout the year and produces fruits all year round
- After the pollination of each flower becomes a fruit pod
- TAKS fruit about 6 months to mature and be ready for the process
- Pod-fruit contains about 30-60 seeds, or what we call cocoa beans
All through the ages, people have known that chocolate can soothe the soul. With the help of modern science, we now know that chocolate increases organic brain chemicals serotonin and endorphin. These substances produce a feeling of euphoria. Anandamide is a lipid that binds to cannabinoid receptors and mimics the effects of psychoactive drugs marijuana, only difference is that chocolate is not harmful.
Homemade Chocolate
It is no secret that eating chocolate was associated with a feeling of guilt – guilt of blowing a weight loss diet or eating unhealthy foods. The main ingredients of pure chocolate, cocoa, actually contain a lot of vitamins and minerals.
- Other vitamins and minerals, cocoa contain B vitamins, vitamin E and magnesium.
- An investigation in the United States showed that cocoa contains more antioxidants, green tea and red wine!
- Cocoa contains L – tryptophan that improves mood, and therefore can help to combat cravings for unhealthy foods.
- Cocoa butter is widely used as a basis for natural cosmetics
To see the weight loss benefits of chocolate that you need to eat a small piece of black chocolate every day, no more than 200 g per week.
Unfortunately, many lists of products are very low in chocolate cocoa, so it really does not offer any of the above mentioned benefits. They also contain lots of sugar and should be avoided if you are worried about weight. You have to choose chocolates containing more than 65% cocoa in order to get the health benefits of cocoa.
Why make your own chocolate desserts at home?
As already mentioned, the recipes of chocolate give you flexibility to choose your own ingredients and replace some of the not so healthy ingredients with healthier alternatives. You can make your favorite dessert without preservatives, colors and other elements.