Dark Secrets
6 delicious reasons why you should nurture a chocolate habit (within reason)
Think wine, and can chocolate be gar behind? Together they can light up even the dullest of days. In fact, forget the vino; it takes just one small, dark, handsome square to lift your mood, feel loves, or get that million dollar worth glow on the face. (Now you know why chocolate massage is getting so popular in spas!)
Health wise too, this once taboo food (it was banned by the Vatican back in the 16th century for being an aphrodisiac), is proving to be a winner. “A recent spate of studies indicate that moderate intake of dark chocolate offers a number of benefits,” agrees H&N panel nutritionist, Niti Desai. Cocoa or cacao the foundation for chocolate is rich in antioxidants especially flavonoids.
Two tablespoons of natural cocoa offers more antioxidants than four cups of green tea, 1 cup of blueberries and one and half glasses of red wine. And that’s only the start. Look further and the news only gets sweeter. Here are 6 delicious reasons why you should nature a chocolate habit (within reason) and taste tested advice from Brainard Colaco, Corporate Exec Chef Mocha Coffees and Conversation, on what to try. Merry munching!
A happier heart
Scientists at the Harvard University School of public Health recently examined 136 studies on cocoa, and found it does boost heart health, according to an article in the European journal Nutrition and Metabolism.
- Cocoa’s flavonoids seem to prevent both cell damage and inflammation, offering heart benefits that range form increased blood flow, less platelet stickiness and clotting to reduced bad cholesterol.
- Better blood pressure
If yours is high, chocolate may help Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University, recently found that hypertensive people who ate 100 gm of dark chocolate par day for 2 weeks saw their blood pressure drop significantly, according to an article in the journal Hypertension. Their bad cholesterol dropped, too. People who ate the same amount of white chocolate? Nothing.(It doesn’t have any coca or flavonoids.)
Word to the wise: 100 gms of dark chocolate roughly equals had to cut that much out of their daily diets to make room. But you probably don’t have to go to those lengths. Just a bite may do you good, Blumberg says. - Muscle magic
Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout. In a small study at Indiana University, elite cyclists who drank chocolate milk between workouts scored better on fatigue and endurance tests than those who had some sports drinks. Yoo-hoo! - TLC for your skin
German researchers gave 24 women a half-cup of special extra-flavonoid-enriched cocoa every day. After 3 months, the women’s skin was moister, smoother, and less scaly and red when exposed to ultraviolet light. The researchers think the flavonoids, which absorb UV light, help protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance. - Brain gains
It sounds almost too good to be true, but preliminary research at West Virginia’s Wheeling Jesuit University suggests chocolate may boost your memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving skills by increasing blood flow to the brain. Chocolate companies found comparable gains in similar research on healthy young women and on elderly people. - Good loving (maybe)
Italian researchers wanted to know whether chocolate truly is an aphrodisiac. In a survey of 143 women published in the journal of Sexual Medicine, those who ate chocolate every day seemed to have more sex drive, better lubrication, and an easier time reaching orgasm. Pass the Pure Sin, right? Not so fast. The women who ate chocolate wee all younger than the ones who didn’t; it was age and not chocolate that made the difference. Still, if a double chocolate truffle puts you in the mood, why let science get n the way.
Choice chocolate
Ready to indulge? Dark chocolate has more antioxidants and less sugar and fat than other varieties. But the flavor gets less creamy and increasingly bitter the darker you go. Experts say any treat with 60 plus percent cocoa packs a healthy punch. Below, the whole line up, form least healthy to the most deserving.
Milk That’s you Nestle, Amul and Cadbury’s Plain; 5-Star bar; Fruit And Nut, Éclair, Perk to name a few. The cocoa content s a mere 20 to 30 per cent the rest is all saturated fat and sugar.
White isn’t eve chocolate, and is devoid of flavonoids. All this imposter boasts of is cocoa butte, cream, milk and sugar.
Semi- sweetened Into this category falls Cadbury’s Bournville, Mars bars, Amul Bitter, Booza, Ritter Brown, Toblerone, Bounty. These have 45 to 58 per cent cocoa content.
Cocoa It’s 50 per cent dry powdered coca seeds and cocoa butter with a little sugar and milk solids.
Dark, Bitter You have Lindt, Morde, Ritter Sport, Selbourn, Cuban Chocolate, Hershey’s, Calibon. (Mumbai’s Crawford Market or anu big food mall.) They’re used extensively in desserts, savories or to manufacture designer chocolate like Fantasie. The cocoa content her is 70 per cent and above, making them truly antioxidant rich.
Get Your Daily Dose
At 35 calories apiece, says Niti, an inch square or two of Lindt, Morde and Bournville is a perfect way to end dinner .
Don’t care for the bitter taste? Have a chocolate foundue Melt Modrde in a double boiler and dip diced mango, melon, strawberries or nuts (almond, peanuts, but not cachew) for a sumptuous dessert.
Start or end you day with a tall glass of hot cocoa/chocolate shake using skim milk and substitute. Or simply spike your morning coffee with cocoa.
Eat at your own risk: chocolate momos. Ugh! Both semisweet and bittersweet varieties are ideal for baking and desserts, says Chef Colaco. Milk chocolate is the most common chocolates, for eating but is less preferred in cooking.
Per tempered chocolate, with 56 to 60 per cent coca solids, is easier to handle in cooking, doesn’t burn, melts easily and stays so longer. Also no addition of sugar required.
A Perfect Pair
Couple lighter chocolates with lighter wines; darker chocolates with full-bodied wines. For example:
White Chocolate: Goes well with white or dry Merlot, Riesling. Sauvignon Blanc, Sula Seco, Joie.
Dark, semisweet; Pair with reds and full-bodied wine (Port Wine). You can choose from Zinfandel, Demi-sec, Rose, Vin, Cognac.
