With February here and Valentine's Day approaching, it's time to do something special for your sweetheart. In my house, chocolate always means special. But what is it about chocolate, that makes it such a sweet heart?
Chocolate, once called "theobroma," Greek for "food of the gods" has been a part of many cultures over the years. Cacao plants first cultivated by ancient Mayans were made into an unsweetened cocoa-like beverage. The popular drink was presented as a gift to royalty in Spain and Portugal. Later, Spaniards added sugar and vanilla to the beverage. The notion that chocolate has medicinal and aphrodesiac qualities surfaced as early as 1570 and still appears in contemporary myths. By the mid-1600s, chocolate, as well as tobacco and coffee, were sold in London stores. Then the French developed a special mill to crush and grind up cocoa beans easing the process of extracting the unique flavor. Introduction of chocolate to the US occurred by the mid-1700s and there's been no going back!
Cocoa beans are the star ingredient in chocolate. The beans which contain antioxidants, grow inside cocoa pods on cacao trees that thrive in warm and wet climates, including South and Central America, Africa, and parts of Asia. After harvesting, the beans are cleaned, roasted, crushed and liquefied before chocolate, as we know it, can be made. For more details read about chocolate on our site.
Preliminary research suggests that cocoa bean antioxidants called flavanols may offer potentially good news for your heart. A recent study at Penn State University found that people consuming a diet rich in cocoa powder and dark chocolate had lower oxidation levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and higher total levels of HDL (good ) cholesterol. That's heartfelt news but since chocolate packs a big calorie and fat punch, balancing consumption with that of lean meats, fat-free dairy products, and eliminating other high-fat foods is necessary to help stay within daily calorie limits. It's too early to recommend consuming chocolate or cocoa for medicinal purposes. Instead, share the enjoyment of eating chocolate and watch your serving size.
Small serving sizes taste yummy in our Healthified Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes and our luscious Healthified Chocolate Almond Pudding Cake. Not a morsel of these special desserts was left on tasters' plates when we worked up the recipe in our EatBetterAmerica kitchens. I'm making the Chocolate Almond Pudding Cake next week for a special celebration. I'll fill you in next time!
