CHOCOLATE:
Are All Types of Chocolate Healthy for You?

Well, the quick answer is no. Not all chocolate is good for you, and dark chocolate is exceptionally healthy for you. Here the options:

• Milk Chocolate, contains 10 to 50% cocoasolids, cocoa butter, milk in some form, and sugar. milk chocolate adds in a lot of milk and sugar to sweeten it up. This type of milk chocolate are sweet snacks and are simply vehicles for empty calories and can make you gain weight.
• White Chocolate, does not contain any cocoasolids and is made simply of cocoa butter, sugar, and milk. White Chocolate are sweet snacks and are simply also vehicles for empty calories.
• Dark Chocolate. The percentage of cocoacontents are of 70 to 80 percent, but many have to 100! cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and sugar. dark chocolate varieties contain super-high medicinal content, more info about that shortly. they contain powerful flavanols. But the more cocoa the chocolate have, the more bitter your chocolate will be, dark chocolate actually has prodigious nutritional value and it is linked to aphrodisiac qualities. It’s loaded with beneficial vitamins and minerals, including high concentrations of potassium, copper, magnesium, and iron.
• Dark Herbal Chocolate contains 70-90% cocoasolids, cocoa butter, sugar and herbs.

Herbs that Mate Well with Chocolate

Angelica, Anise, Basil-Anise, Cinnamon, Bay, Chiles, Damiana, Lavender flowers, Orange mint, peppermint, and spearmint, Rose, Rosemary, coconut, mint, nutmeg, Tarragon, Tea

Spices that mate well with chocolate: Anise, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove, Coffee, Ginger, Nutmeg, Star anise

Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate and the important qualities chocolate can play in promoting good health:

Brain Booster. Dark chocolate increases blood flow to the brain, which improves cognitive function. The copper in chocolate can also reduce the risk of stroke.

Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants, which fight damaging free radicals in the body. Free radicals cause oxidation in cells, which is implicated in both aging and cancer.

Heart Assistant. The magnesium in chocolate helps to prevent high blood pressure and heart disease. Eating dark chocolate also improves blood flow and can help prevent the formation of blood clots, as well as arteriosclerosis, (hardening of the arteries).

Mood Leader. Dark chocolate contains many chemical compounds that improve your mood. The main one is phenylethylamine, causes your brain to release endorphins that make us happy. Phenylethylamine is the same chemical our brains produce when we’re falling in love. This is why eating chocolate feels so good!

Energy Producer. Dark chocolate contains at least several stimulants, caffeine and theobromine, which will help us feel awake and alert. Chocolate contains less caffeine than a cup of coffee, it more tolerated by those who are sensitive to caffeine.

Sugar Stabilizer, dark chocolate has a low glycemic index, so it won’t cause dangerous blood sugar spikes. The flavonoids found in chocolate help reduce insulin resistance, by encouraging your body to use insulin efficiently. Chocolate promotes healthy circulation; it can also protect against damage caused by type 2 diabetes.

Strong stimulant, theobromine also hardens tooth enamel, far from causing cavities, eating dark chocolate can actually prevent them!

Chocolate suppress a cough better than cough medicine. Scientists believe the properties of cocoa help relieve irritation and inflammation, enjoy some dark or herbal chocolate when you feel that throat tickle!

A bit of history… Where does chocolate come from?

The answer is Mesoamerica. It is a historical and cultural region of central Mexico and north of central America. These are the people that invented Chocolate and manufactured rubber balls around 1900 BC. Almost 4000 years ago. All of the areas that were conquered by the Aztecs that grew cacao beans were ordered to pay them as a tax, The cacao bean became a form of currency.

Valentine’s Day. Mexico celebrates not only that day but also the entire month of February is the month to celebrate love and friendship. For the lucky visitors to the Cuale Friday market downtown on February 12, we had a chocolate celebration where we sold Dark chocolate, Herbal chocolate and dark chocolate with food grade 24 carats real gold. Needless to say we sold out before 11am, I think we will make this Dark Chocolate extravaganza an annual event because there are not many foods that people feel so passionate about as chocolate.