BS: Chocolate...

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: Pauline L
Date: 28 Dec 05 - 04:25 AM

Here is yet another report on the beneficial effects of dark chocolate on platelet activity and flexibility of blood vessels in smokers. Dark chocolate helps; white chocolate does not. I wonder whether dark chocolate also has beneficial effects on blood vessels of nonsmokers. I'd like to volunteer to be a subject for such an experiment. Note that the researchers are Swiss.

Here is the full text of the NYT article.

Dark chocolate, but not white chocolate, may improve the ability of smokers' blood vessels to expand and contract in response to the body's needs, Swiss researchers have found.

The scientists divided 25 smokers into two groups. One group ate about two ounces of dark chocolate containing 74 percent cocoa, and the other consumed two ounces of white chocolate, which contains no cocoa.

The investigators calculated platelet activity and the flexibility of the blood vessels, two measures of healthy function, in an artery in the upper arm of each subject. In those who ate dark chocolate, both measures were considerably improved, and the effect lasted about eight hours.

White chocolate had no effect on the blood vessels. Total antioxidant status also significantly increased two hours after eating dark chocolate, but not after eating white chocolate. The report appears in the Dec. 19 issue of Heart.

The scientists believe the effect is caused by a large class of substances in chocolate called polyphenols, a group that includes flavonols, which are potent antioxidants. Dark chocolate, the authors write, has a higher polyphenol concentration than other antioxidant-rich foods like wine, tea or berries.

Dr. Roberto Corti, a cardiologist at University Hospital in Zurich and the lead author of the study, stressed that eating chocolate will not counter the ill effects of smoking. "We 'used' smokers as a model for decreased vascular function," he wrote in an e-mail message. "We believe that the beneficial effect can probably be seen in all patients who have a high oxidative stress. This highlights the potential of substances such as flavonols in cardiovascular health."

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: Pauline L
Date: 28 Dec 05 - 04:35 AM

A preliminary study has been done on healthy subjects eating dark chocolate. I believe that this should be further tested in more nonsmokers.

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 28 Dec 05 - 04:42 PM

If chocolate is made from beans, why doesn't it count towards my 5 portions of fruit/veg per day?

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: Bert
Date: 28 Dec 05 - 09:17 PM

The white pith inside of orange peel is also rich in flavonoids. But I'll stick with the dark chocolate and Guinness.

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: GUEST, Topsie
Date: 29 Dec 05 - 06:21 AM

If chocolate [beans] counts as a portion of fruit & veg. then wine and cider should count as well.

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: gnu
Date: 29 Dec 05 - 06:44 AM

Don't forget your grain, of which, barley is one. Uisce beatha?

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: Cats
Date: 30 Dec 05 - 05:57 AM

I had to see my Doctor this week as my Cholesterol is sky high (It's familial so low fat diet won't work) and she said I can eat dark chocolate. She even said that 2 squares a day is good for you. Anyone know where I can get 6 foot square, squares of dark chocolate?

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: Pauline L
Date: 31 May 06 - 03:20 AM

Chocolate makes you smart, too.

Chocolate may boost brain power

May 24, 2006 12:02:46 PM PST (http://health.yahoo.com/news/162487)

Chocolate lovers rejoice. A new study hints that eating milk chocolate may boost brain function.

"Chocolate contains many substances that act as stimulants, such as theobromine, phenethylamine, and caffeine," Dr. Bryan Raudenbush from Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia noted in comments to Reuters Health.

"These substances by themselves have previously been found to increase alertness and attention and what we have found is that by consuming chocolate you can get the stimulating effects, which then lead to increased mental performance."

To study the effects of various chocolate types on brain power, Raudenbush and colleagues had a group of volunteers consume, on four separate occasions, 85 grams of milk chocolate; 85 grams of dark chocolate; 85 grams of carob; and nothing (the control condition).

After a 15-minute digestive period, participants completed a variety of computer-based neuropsychological tests designed to assess cognitive performance including memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem solving.

"Composite scores for verbal and visual memory were significantly higher for milk chocolate than the other conditions," Raudenbush told Reuters Health. And consumption of milk and dark chocolate was associated with improved impulse control and reaction time.

Previous research has shown that some nutrients in food aid in glucose release and increased blood flow, which may augment cognitive performance. The current findings, said Raudenbush, "provide support for nutrient release via chocolate consumption to enhance cognitive performance."

-----------------------------

Yet another good reason to indulge in chocolate

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 31 May 06 - 07:47 AM

Lindt! Yum! New thick bars with creamy fillings in Aus!
Caramel, Bruele, Dark and orange...
Yum! Yum! Yum!

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: Kaleea
Date: 31 May 06 - 02:13 PM

My first taste of real, serious European chocolate when I was 16. I dated a boy from Finland (named, what else-Olaf!) who got some dark, dark chocolate from his family at Christmastime. omygoshgollygeewhizo! yummy

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: Alice
Date: 01 Jun 06 - 11:29 AM

European Chocolate http://www.chatelainechocolate.com/
owned by a Parisian I know who moved to Montana.

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: freda underhill
Date: 01 Jun 06 - 11:43 AM

take some slivered almonds, mix with some chopped nuts, and melt some dark chocolate. [add shredded coconut if desired]. Mix the chopped nuts [& shredded coconut] through the chocolate, and put two dozen spoonfuls in blobs on greaseproof paper to set. then eat.

freda

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 01 Jun 06 - 07:55 PM

Freda!!!
Adding ANYTHING to good high quality real Dark Chocolate is an abomination under the sun!

That would probably be ok with compounded dark chocolate though...

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: GUEST,Q as guest
Date: 01 Jun 06 - 10:01 PM

Starbucks, Timothys, Second Cup, Bean Scene etc. all will grate chocolate into your preferred coffee drink, and they usually have chocolate brownies to go along with the drink. Lovely!

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: GUEST, Topsie
Date: 02 Jun 06 - 03:13 AM

Says something about the taste of their coffee if they encourage you to put chocolate in it - to 'take the taste away'?

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 02 Jun 06 - 08:11 AM

Interestingly, I detest the practice of sprinkling powdered cocoa on top of cappuccino, I prefer nutmeg/cinnamon.

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: freda underhill
Date: 02 Jun 06 - 09:12 AM

Ft - I ate something like this (the recipe above) in my last night in Vienna (two nights ago). it was so delicious I determined to try for myself!

freda

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 02 Jun 06 - 12:49 PM

I've been eating Italian chocolate for the last couple of days... their chocolate ice-cream is incredible!!!

They seem to prefer their dark chocolate on the sweet side, rather than the bitter dark chocolate the Belgians produce. I like Italy a lot....

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: robomatic
Date: 02 Jun 06 - 07:12 PM

It's time to ressurect the Marlboro Man, get some hunky guy with spurs on up on a horse surveying Monument Valley and then he reaches down to his belt and unholsters - "The Belgian" unwraps it with his teeth, peels it with his Bowie and says: "I'm in Flavonoid Country!"

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: bobad
Date: 02 Jun 06 - 09:34 PM

If you're ever in the vicinity of Montreal check out Marlain Chocolatier .

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: JennyO
Date: 02 Jun 06 - 11:43 PM

The best chocolate I've had lately came in the form of a hot drink - the Italian Chocolate at the National Folk Festival. El Greko and Vanessa can attest to it's extreme yumminess. Mmmmmmm!!

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: Pauline L
Date: 07 Jun 06 - 08:22 PM

A good thing is now even better, thanks to clever people in the food industry, who are selling chocolate bars fortified with nutrients. We can now buy cardio chocolate bars fortified with omega 3 fatty acids, calcium chocolate bars fortified with calcium, and -- my personal favorite -- memory bars fortified with omega 3 fatty acids and choline. The memory bar will be especially loved by us aging baby boomers -- if we remember to buy it.

Here's the article from the Chicago Sun-Times, June 7, 2006 (http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-candy07.html).

Show Offers Healthy Items for Your Sweet Tooth

The candy aisle is starting to look a lot like the health food aisle.
From Vitamin C chewing gum to chocolate bars with calcium and omega-3 fatty acids, candymakers are pumping nutrients into sweets to show consumers that they can have their candy and be healthy, too.
At the candy industry's annual trade show, which opened Tuesday at McCormick Place, so-called functional sweets were among the hundreds of new products on display that experts say reflect consumers' growing desire to indulge but somehow still do their body good.
While still a small slice of the $27 billion candy industry, fortified candy "is definitely the one to watch right now," said Susan Fussell, spokeswoman for the National Confectioners Association, which sponsors the All Candy Expo.
Since 2003, 102 new chocolate and candy products claiming to be vitamin- and mineral-fortified or have added calcium have come on the market, according to the research firm Mintel Group.
Coming this August: chocolate bars fortified with omega-3 fatty acids -- compounds found in fish, walnuts and some oils that may reduce the risk of heart disease and even improve mental health.
Botticelli's Choco-Omeg line, which is in stores in Canada, consists of three "formulas," said Sam MacDonald, the company's vice president of sales and marketing -- a "cardio" bar with 400 milligrams of omega-3s; a "calcium" bar with calcium and omega-3s; and a "memory" bar with choline and omega-3s.
The chocolate will retail for $1.99 per bar.
MacDonald said while omega-3s are in demand as a stand-alone dietary supplement, "when you take one, it tastes really bad." He said people could just as well eat a piece of fish to get omega-3s, "but they don't. And this tastes good."

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: EBarnacle
Date: 08 Jun 06 - 12:07 AM

There was an article in the New York Times Sunday magazine suggesting that this enhancement is an industry wide trend. Of course, they will find ways to do this to cheap milk chocolate, jack up the prices and tell you that it's good. Give me my good old 70% dark chocolate every time.

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: Pauline L
Date: 08 Jun 06 - 02:57 AM

EBarnacle, you're right. Have you noticed that Power Bars, energy bars, sports bars, etc. cost more than regular candy bars? That's because they are "not candy."

I used to work for the FDA, and I've dealt with a lot of "functional foods," as they're called. One of my favorite true stories is about the time that Lipton wanted to promote their chicken noodle soup as a treatment for Alzheimer's. Chicken noodle soup contains noodles, which contain eggs, which contain lecithin, which contains choline. We told Lipton that they did not have scientific evidence sufficient to support their claims, so they should stop making these claims. A few months later, I was reading the NYT, and I found a full page ad for Lipton's chicken noodle soup with the claim that it was a good treatment for Alzheimer's.

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 08 Jun 06 - 07:27 PM

"Give me my good old 70% dark chocolate every time. "

Lindt 85%.... mmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: Pauline L
Date: 24 Jul 06 - 11:55 PM

The latest, if not the most reliable, update on chocolate candies which are good for your health comes from the All Candy Expo, as reported in Sacbee.com.

Here is a list of some of these goodies. My favorite on this list is Women's Wonder Bar, which eases symptoms of both PMS and menopause. Women ar never too old to benefit from this stuff.

This update is brought to you as a public service from Pauline the Chocoholic.

CHOCOLATE CANDY SUPPLEMENTS
• Adora Milk Chocolate Calcium Supplements: Each chocolate disk has 500 mg of calcium, plus vitamins D2 for absorption and K1 for "utilization." Also available in dark chocolate. Sixty pieces, $14.98 online from www.adoracalcium.com. Some Whole Foods and Target stores also carry the chocolates.

• Women's Wonder Bar: Dark chocolate for easing symptoms of PMS and menopause. Contains soy, cranberry seed oil, flax, chaste tree berry and rose oil. E.B. Botanicals. $3.69 online at www.eccobella.com.

• Botticelli Choco-Omeg Bar: Chocolate infused with 400 milligrams of omega-3, an antioxidant fish oil. Sold in Canada, targeted for the U.S. market next month for $1.99.

• Strong Chick: Portion control and calcium are the health benefits for this calcium-fortified milk chocolate candy. A 1-ounce piece provides 470 mg of calcium. Three 1-ounce pieces per box. Six boxes cost $16.49 from www.seattlechocolatesonline.com.

• Beautiful Bones Bar: Osteoporosis-fighting chocolate bar with calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K "blend with K2," and a hint of orange. E.B. Botanicals, LLC. $3.69 online at www.eccobella.com.

• CocoaVia Chocolate Snack Bars: Marketed as "heart-healthy" snacks with cocoa flavanols to promote healthy circulation, plus natural plant extracts, vitamins and calcium. Bars sold five to a box for $4.99. Buy online at www.cocoavia.com.

• Instant Bliss Beauty Bar: Said by the maker to assist in making skin soft and smooth. Blueberry, vanilla, cranberry seed oil and raw sugar cane are a few of the ingredients. E.B. Botanicals. $3.69 online at www.eccobella.com.

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: open mike
Date: 25 Jul 06 - 12:45 AM

one of my favorite candy bars used to be gypsy boots
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3844721
the guy who made them is no longer with us.

he shuffled off this mortal coil ... in his gypsy boots

Subject: RE: BS: Chocolate...
From: Pauline L
Date: 05 Nov 06 - 01:56 PM

Once again, scientists and manufacturers of fine food have joined forces to substantiate my deeply rooted conviction that chocolate is good for you.

Dark chocolate is rich in flavanols, a class of antioxidants, which, we all know, prevent all kinds of horrible things from happening to our bodies. Mars (the company, not the ex-planet) has developed a method of processing cocoa beans which preserves the flavanols. This cocoa is bitter tasting, so Mars sweetens it (never mind the calories). Products produced this way bear the trademark "Cocoapro."   Snack bars made by this process are now on the market under the name Cocoavia.   

Here is the article.

An Affair of the Heart

Nothing beats a good piece of chocolate. It’s rich, smooth, creamy and makes us feel good, until the guilt sets in. Chocolate’s mood-enhancing qualities are an obvious reason why it is so strongly associated with Valentine’s Day, as a gift for lovers and loved ones.

Chocolate's Dark Secret

There’s no getting around the fact that chocolate is a high fat food. But there is growing evidence that, in small quantities, some kinds of chocolate may actually be good for you. Dark chocolate is naturally rich in flavonoids (or more specifically, flavanols, a sub-class of these antioxidants). These compounds are thought to lower blood pressure and help protect against heart diseaseâ€"among other things. Recent studies conducted both in the U.S. and Europe seem to support chocolate’s beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, encouraging at least one chocolate manufacturerâ€"Marsâ€"to develop a proprietary method of processing cocoa beans, aimed specifically at preserving flavonoid content.

Traditional roasting and fermentation methods are thought to destroy up to three-quarters of these compounds. Mars now puts its Cocoapro trademark on some of its products, indicating the use of this method.
What about the Fat?
It’s still hard to think of chocolate as a health food. Part of the allure is the guilty pleasure of eating it. But before we raid the candy store, it’s worth remembering that chocolate is not a low calorie food. A serving size of Dove dark chocolate (40 grams) contains 210 calories and 13 grams of fat, 8 of which are saturated, although some of this saturated fat is in the form of stearic acid, which is converted by the liver into a “healthierâ€쳌 monounsaturated fat.

Cocoa Powder

Cocoa powder, which is low fat, would surely be a healthier way to get both our chocolate fix and our dose of flavanols. Alkalizing cocoa (or Dutch processing) produces a milder flavor and darker color but destroys most of the flavonoids. Since flavanol-rich cocoa is naturally bitter, Mars has worked hard to make it palatable. It sells a flavanol-rich series of snack bars and small chocolate bars. CocoaVia snack bars are available online and also in stores such as Target, Walgreens, and Fred Meyer. With all the work that Mars seems to be doing, we will likely see a drinkable high-flavanol cocoa powder at some point, which would offer chocoholics a healthy, low fat alternative to high fat chocolate bars.
In the meantime, we should probably allow ourselves an occasional ounce of dark chocolate, and savor it. Our hearts might thank us.