Let’s face it. We’re all going to eat chocolate. But you don’t have to feel
guilty! Chocolate is actually good for you…it’s all the things added to it
that are the problem. Here’s how you can choose delicious healthy
chocolates to enjoy anytime.

Health Benefits

The gift of chocolate to a beloved as a token of love is more than just
tradition. Naturally-occurring compounds in chocolate produce that mild
euphoria of being in love and contribute to enjoyable interpersonal
relations by elevating mood and enhancing sensory perception.

Beyond good feelings, chocolate benefits the body in many ways. In
moderation, chocolate can contribute to heart health, help you live
longer, suppress a chronic cough, and add needed magnesium to your
diet. Chocolate even contains a high level of chromium, which can help
control blood sugar.

Health Problems

While chocolate itself is fine to eat, there are some substances present
in chocolate products that you should watch out for.

Most chocolate products contain tremendous amounts of refined white
sugar, which is harmful to health in many ways.

Chocolate may also contain pesticides. The EPA allows various levels of
pesticide residue to be present in cocoa powder, and the FDA Total Diet
Study found them in many chocolate products.

Many chocolates also contain the toxic metals cadminum and lead.
“Significant levels” of these metals were found in 68% of the common
chocolate products tested. There is no safe level for lead, and it is
particularly harmful to children.

Healthy Chocolate Choices

Here are some guidelines for choosing the healthiest chocolates.

1. Choose chocolates with the least amount of refined white sugar or
other sweetener. Dark “bittersweet” chocolates with a high percentage
of cocoa solids (usually the label will state the exact percentage) have
less sugar than semisweet or milk chocolate and also have the greatest
health benefits. Keep in mind that flavor additions, such as dried fruits
and candied ginger may also add sugar to the chocolate.

2. Choose chocolates sweetened with evaporated cane juice or barley
malt. If the evaporated cane juice used is the unprocessed whole juice
of the cane, it acts in the body like a whole food and doesn’t give a
sugar rush. Barley malt is also a slow-release sweetener, noted on the
label as “grain-sweetened.”

3. Choose organic chocolates. Certified organic chocolate ensures there
are no harmful pesticide residues.

4. Make your own chocolates. It’s easy to make many chocolate delights
yourself, with the exact ingredients you want. Start with unsweetened
cocoa powder or baking chocolate and be creative!

5. Choose quality over quantity. If you are going to eat chocolate, eat
really good chocolate. Then, for maximum enjoyment, give the taste of
the chocolate your full attention, eat it at a time when you are not
famished or overly full, and allow the chocolate to melt in your mouth to
make the experience last.

So go ahead and enjoy chocolate, in moderation, as part of an
otherwise healthy diet,

Learn more about healthy chocolate at
http://www.debraslist.com/food/aboutchocolate.html

By: Debra Lynn Dadd

About the Author:

healthy chocolate

Their culinary use is renowned but in addition growing Italian herbs will make a fantastic contribution to the delight of your landscape design. These herbs can be displayed both for color and for aroma and by planting the strongly scented Italian herbs amongst other plants, you will be graced with the sweet scents that would give the illusion of being in Italy, while you admire the lovely flowers.

Growing Italian herbs is a fascinating specialisation on herb gardening and gives many variations in growing culinary herbs. It is no surprise that some of the best cuisine comes from Italy, undoubtedly because the most famous and tastiest herbs in the world all seem to come from or have been adopted by Italy.

Although there are so many to choose from when starting to grow Italian herbs you really need to consider which herbs you will use. Also it is necessary to think about the growing conditions each plant needs and work out if you can or can’t provide them.

Basil is a well know Italian herb used in many Italian recipes as is parsley which is a relatively hard herb plant to propagate, but it is so useful as a garnish on a variety of meals, and of course eating fresh raw parsley after a meal eradicates the offensive breath left after eating any type of spicy food, as well as garlic.

Oregano when it is fully mature it will sprout pretty little purple flowers. It is best not harvested until it has flowered because then the plant will have developed most flavor, unlike many culinary herbs grown for their leaves, such as fennel, which loose their flavor as they mature.

Rosemary, just like basil, offers very beneficial help to the garden by attracting bees. It grows into a large tough evergreen perennial shrub that sprouts pretty little blue flowers. Rosemary must be harvested regularly to provide the needed young tender shoots.

No Italian herb garden should be without probably the most used herb in Italian cuisine. That is garlic, which will thrive in just about any garden with very little attention so is an ideal choice for the novice gardener.

New shoots of the sage plant contain the most flavor so new shoots should be encouraged to grow by continual harvesting. Sage is used in a variety of Italian dishes from meats to salads.

The variety of dishes that can be created using Italian herbs is almost limitless and the continual harvesting of these plants will give you an endless supply of fresh herbs with which to enhance all your cooking

By: John Beaver

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Healthy chocolate? How can that be? After all, we’ve been trained to think of chocolate as a guilty indulgence at best, and as a health disaster at worst. Yet there is a large body of scientific evidence that supports the notion that chocolate is not only harmless, but that it can actually contribute to health and longevity.

There’s Chocolate and Then There’s Chocolate

That’s not to say that all chocolate is created equal. If you think that those sugary confections you find in candy stores and on grocery store shelves are nothing but empty calories, you’re not far off the mark. Chocolate candies are often full of the refined sugars, milk fats, and hydrogenated oils that are important to avoid.

But those unhealthy ingredients are masking a dark healthy chocolate that is filled with antioxidants, flavonoids, and amino acids that can contribute to health and well being. Unprocessed cocoa has antioxidants that can slow the aging process and cellular decay, as well as flavonoids that have been shown to be beneficial to cardiovascular health. These cardiovascular benefits include improving blood flow, lowering LDL cholesterol, and reducing blood pressure. Dark chocolate also has essential amino acids like tryptophan, as well as alkaloids like theobromine and phenethylamine, all of which can help elevate and regulate moods.

Latest Trends in Healthy Chocolate

As the concept of healthy chocolate gains momentum, products are being brought to market that combine the best qualities of chocolate with those of other ingredients. The mixture produces a high-powered blast of benefits with all of the intrinsic satisfaction that eating chocolate brings.

What makes healthy chocolate different from the kind you find within candy bar wrappers? First, there are no sugars, milk fats, or hydrogenated oils. Second, it has not been subjected to what is called the Dutch process, whereby an alkali is introduced that all but destroys the antioxidants. Rather, it is cold pressed to preserve the antioxidants and nutrients. Third, it is often combined with Acai berries and blueberries to further boost its antioxidant properties – so much so that some products give you the equivalent of a half-pound of spinach or three-quarters of a pound of broccoli in one small nugget. Fourth, the dark chocolate has no trans fat, no wax, and no fillers.

Healthy Chocolate as a Weight Loss Tool

Unarguably, it’s counterintuitive to think of chocolate as being a central component of a weight loss plan. But healthy chocolate – without the additives, sugar, and milk fat – can, indeed, help you lose weight. Eating a nugget with a glass of water about a half our before a meal can quell hunger and satisfy chocolate cravings. You’ll eat less at meals and get a boost of nutrients in the process. Similarly, eating a nugget as a snack is a healthy alternative to more calorie-laden fare.

The bottom line is that you can incorporate healthy chocolate into your diet without even a twinge of guilt. What a relief and a blessing!

By: Chris Robertson

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