I read some similar reports not long ago, and the dark chocolate that is highest in beneficial compounds also tastes pretty nasty.
Indications are that unless the chocolate is at least 70% cacao, it's not that helpful.
Tried some of that, and it's just nasty bitter.
Sure did work well, however, in a recipe for a dark chocolate and cherry savory sauce I made last week. That stuff was delectable.
The drawback of the "Eat more chocolate" movement encouraged by these articles is as was pointed out in one: You're likely to be ingesting a good deal of fattening stuff because adding milk and sugar makes it more palatable.
We buy a type of 250g net chocolate block here called Whittaker's, and the Ghana Peppermint black is 72% cocoa, whilst the plain dark block is 50% cocoa. Whittaker's proudly advertise that they've been around since 1896, producing chocolate 'from freshly batch roasted cocoa beans.'
As printed on the wrapper: 'To make great chocolate you need great ingredients. After that you need people who work with those ingredients like artisans - controlling all processes from beans to bar. We source these cocoa beans fresh from Ghana. We than batch roast them here in New Zealand. This dedication creates chocolate with a taste and texture that has made Whittaker's famous for quality since 1896.'
The ingredients in the Ghana peppermint bar include: dark chocolate, cocoa mass and cocoa butter, sugar, emulsifier (soya lecithin), vanilla flavour, peppermint fondant 36%, water, glucose and peppermint oil.
We buy a type of 250g net chocolate block here called Whittaker's, and the Ghana Peppermint black is 72% cocoa, whilst the plain dark block is 50% cocoa. Whittaker's proudly advertise that they've been around since 1896, producing chocolate 'from freshly batch roasted cocoa beans.'...
The ingredients in the Ghana peppermint bar include: dark chocolate, cocoa mass and cocoa butter, sugar, emulsifier (soya lecithin), vanilla flavour, peppermint fondant 36%, water, glucose and peppermint oil.
And it tastes great.
Oh, I'm sure that bar does, Solf. The reason why is that it contains a LOT of sugar.
That peppermint fondant is largely sugar, the main ingredient in fondant--and then the bar contains sugar and glucose besides.
Is there a nutritional info panel on the wrapper that tells you the total amount of sugar per serving?
The 70% Ghirardelli bar I tried contained only 5g sugar per 1.5 oz. That's not much sugar at all to offset the extreme bitterness of plain chocolate.
Actually, I decided as a teenager that chocolate was a vegetable--after all, it comes from a bean. Beans are vegetables. Great justification for the many food groups represented iin a chocolate chip cookie--grain, protein, etc. Most people liked the theory.
I was pleased when my theory about chocolate was confirmed by Conpton's Children's Encyclopedia back in the mid 90's. My son knew how it worked when he was 3...he wanted to go to the park; I said maybe later. He brought me half a bag of M&Ms and said "Here, Mommy--you need these more than I do." then he waited 20 minutes for the mood shift and asked about the park again. It was win/win for him; either the chocolate would work on the PMS or the guilt would. Either way he was going to the park.
Did you know that nuns were forbidden from making chocolate at one point? Apparently there was a problem with them spending all the hours they were supposed to be praying and used it to make and consume chocolate instead, and that's why nuns in North America were forbidden to make it any longer.
I know that the darker the chocolate the great the benefits although I've never really acquired the taste for dark chocolate. Even milk chocolate will increase serotonin levels.
"You are letting your opinion be colored by facts again." 'When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you." these are both from my father.
Actually, I decided as a teenager that chocolate was a vegetable--after all, it comes from a bean. Beans are vegetables. Great justification for the many food groups represented iin a chocolate chip cookie--grain, protein, etc. Most people liked the theory.
I was pleased when my theory about chocolate was confirmed by Conpton's Children's Encyclopedia back in the mid 90's. My son knew how it worked when he was 3...he wanted to go to the park; I said maybe later. He brought me half a bag of M&Ms and said "Here, Mommy--you need these more than I do." then he waited 20 minutes for the mood shift and asked about the park again. It was win/win for him; either the chocolate would work on the PMS or the guilt would. Either way he was going to the park.
Did you know that nuns were forbidden from making chocolate at one point? Apparently there was a problem with them spending all the hours they were supposed to be praying and used it to make and consume chocolate instead, and that's why nuns in North America were forbidden to make it any longer.
I know that the darker the chocolate the great the benefits although I've never really acquired the taste for dark chocolate. Even milk chocolate will increase serotonin levels.
>>>>>>>> Your son is smart!!
My family members are choco addicts. I am trying to get used to darker chocolate and making slow progress. ;-)
