Sep-21-2011

What is chocolate?

Chocolate is a confectionery product based on cocoa butter, which is a product of processing cocoa beans - the seeds of the chocolate tree, rich in theobromine and caffeine.

Chocolate, like the cocoa tree, is native to Central and South America. For many centuries, the Mayans and then the Aztecs mixed ground and roasted cocoa beans with water, and then added hot peppers to this mixture. The result was a bitter, spicy, foamy drink with high fat content, which was drunk cold.

Questions about what chocolate is, the benefits and harms of chocolate for human health, and whether it has any medicinal properties are of great interest to those who care about their health and are interested in traditional methods treatment. And this interest is understandable. Maybe this article, to some extent, will answer these questions.

Cocoa is a tree up to 12 m high that blooms and bears fruit. all year round. Accordingly, the harvest on plantations is harvested manually, choosing ripe fruits. True, now there are also machines for harvesting cocoa, but manual collection is still considered the best.

Ripe fruits are the most different color: burgundy, orange, dark green, depending on the variety, reach 30 cm in length and weigh up to 500 grams. There are up to 50 beans inside the fruit. To get 1 kg of chocolate, you need approximately 900 beans, and for 1 kg of cocoa liquor - approximately 1200 cocoa beans.

The best varieties of cocoa are obtained by removing the fruits by hand, leaving them to ferment, and drying them in the sun.

The fruits are kept in air for 2 days to a week (primary fermentation), crushed, then placed under a press and cocoa butter is squeezed out of them. It is an important ingredient for making chocolate, as well as for perfumery as a base for cosmetic ointments and for pharmacology. The dry residue after pressing is ground and used in the form of cocoa powder to prepare cocoa drink, as well as in food production. The bean husks are crushed and used as livestock feed (called cocoa shells).

Until the 19th century, cocoa beans were used only to make a drink, grinding them and brewing them. And only in 1828, the Dutchman Conrad van Heuten invented the technology for extracting cocoa butter and cocoa powder from cocoa beans. After this, it became possible to make solid chocolate. And the drink made from cocoa powder was cheaper than the previous one made from cocoa beans, and from that time on, cocoa began to spread throughout all segments of the population.

It is believed that the first bar of solid chocolate was produced in 1847 by the English confectionery factory J. S. Fry & Sons. In 1875, Daniel Peter from Vevey added powdered milk to the chocolate ingredients, and thus milk chocolate was born.

Nowadays, food chocolate is usually divided into white, milk and bitter. White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar, film powder and vanillin without adding cocoa powder, so it is creamy in color (white) and does not contain theobromine. Milk chocolate is made from cocoa mass, cocoa butter, powdered sugar and milk powder. Black (bitter) chocolate is made from cocoa mass, powdered sugar and cocoa butter. By changing the ratio between powdered sugar and grated cocoa, you can change the taste characteristics of the resulting chocolate - from bitter to sweet. The more grated cocoa in chocolate, the more bitter the taste and the brighter the aroma of the chocolate.

What are the benefits of chocolate?

Chocolate is made from cocoa butter and cocoa powder, so its composition is very close to that of cocoa. Among the various useful elements, calcium and phosphorus salts, glycerides, and theobromine can be noted. It is an alkaloid that, like caffeine, has a stimulating effect on the cardiovascular and nervous system person. Chocolate typically contains about 0.4% theobromine, which is enough to give a chocolate bar or hot chocolate drink its energizing properties that can improve performance and relieve fatigue. In addition to theobromine, cocoa beans contain 0.05-0.1% caffeine, which also tones the body. IN early XIX centuries, hot chocolate was sold in pharmacies as a means to give strength and vigor.

Chocolate with a high cocoa content increases the production of serotonin (“the joy hormone”), and dark chocolate contains the most cocoa. The higher the percentage of cocoa content, the stronger action. At the same time, chocolate containing at least 74% cocoa can well be considered a dietary product. There is relatively little sugar in it, and due to its rather bitter taste you cannot eat much of it.

When asked what the benefits of chocolate are, many will answer - that it is delicious! And they will be right. However, chocolate is not the only good thing. Researchers from the USA, in a series of experiments, have proven that eating chocolate significantly reduces the likelihood of developing cardiovascular pathologies, such as heart attack and stroke.

When consumed regularly, chocolate promotes the normal functioning of platelets.

The substances this product contains prevent the development of blood clots in the vessels of the heart and brain.

Everyone probably knows the myth that eating chocolate supposedly causes increased blood pressure. This can rather be attributed to coffee - caffeine really has this property. But chocolate contains little caffeine. Even people suffering from high blood pressure (hypertension) will not be harmed by a small piece of this delicacy per day.

Chocolate contains substances such as phenols. Their effect on our body can be compared to the effect of good red wine - they strengthen the walls of blood vessels and protect. The darker the chocolate, the higher the phenol content in it.

If you refuse chocolate, believing that it increases the level of bad cholesterol in the body, you are mistaken. The main component of chocolate is cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is a plant product and does not contain “bad” cholesterol. On the other hand, chocolate is rich in stearic acid, which has the ability to “clean” our blood vessels.

Chocolate contains phosphorus, which is necessary for our brain and for thinking processes. Magnesium stimulates cellular metabolism. Calcium is responsible for the strength of the skeleton. Chocolate is rich in theanines - substances that prevent the formation of plaque and have an antibacterial effect. Fluoride and phosphates are needed for dental health.

Even the most inveterate skeptics among doctors are now inclined to trust chocolate, recommending it as a means of preventing spring vitamin deficiency and colds. If you feel signs of a cold - sore throat, cough - you can slowly suck on a small bar of chocolate - piece by piece. This will bring some relief.

Women experiencing premenstrual syndrome and period pain can try this folk remedy like chocolate. For some people it helps more than any medicine.

According to research results, the most useful varieties are black, dark chocolate. Perhaps, if you prefer sweet milk or white chocolate filled with nuts and raisins, the taste of black may at first seem too strong and not particularly pleasant to you. But one should not draw hasty conclusions. Carry out a simple experiment - put a small piece of dark chocolate in your mouth, but do not rush to chew it - let it melt slowly. It may be a little bitter at first - this distinguishes dark chocolate from milk chocolate. Try not to be distracted by anything, focus on the taste sensations and you will very soon feel the whole bouquet of shades of taste that dark chocolate gives. . .

If you want to please yourself with a bar of real chocolate, and not spend money on a cheap fake, carefully read the composition of the product - it should be written on the packaging. Real chocolate consists of four main components: cocoa butter, cocoa powder, lecithin, and powdered sugar.

Harm of chocolate:

Does this product really have no harm at all? Fair question. In fact, chocolate has two negative properties at once. The first is a high-calorie product (500 kcal per 100 grams, which is a lot). Secondly, as they say, it’s hard to tear yourself away from him. But the last property of chocolate will not harm you, you just need to follow a reasonable measure.

Chocolate tends to quickly increase blood sugar. Although this circumstance makes chocolate an undesirable product for people suffering from diabetes, patients can afford special diet bars.

Don't abuse it! The harm of chocolate may be due to its ability to cause addiction. Abuse of treats can lead to constipation due to flavonoids that remove fluid from the body.

It is believed that chocolate can have a negative effect on the skin. This is mainly due to its excessive consumption - then a person may experience itching and hives. If you have such a reaction to the product, it is better to temporarily abandon it.

The harm of chocolate may also be due to its fillers. Fillings can be nuts, jams, raisins, and other products. Allergic reactions to these additives are possible.

From all of the above, it is clear that the benefits and harms of chocolate are determined mainly by the amount of the product that you consume. Four candies eaten per day will not harm you, but you will get pleasure. Doctors say that even the very aroma of this delicacy can benefit us, as it has a beneficial effect on our mental state.

In this article, I intend to cover the topic “dark chocolate: benefit or harm?” in as much detail and impartially as possible...

Let's start with the benefits of dark chocolate. More precisely, why it is considered to be such. If you believe numerous articles on the Internet, he:

• Strengthens the walls of blood vessels
• Stimulates blood flow to the brain
• Reduces cholesterol levels
• Normalizes blood pressure
• Stimulates endorphin production
• Slows down the aging process
• Has an invigorating effect, improves performance
• Reduces hunger and helps with weight loss

Now let's think - what exactly allows us to conclude that dark chocolate has these properties? After all, it does not grow in the fields. This is a man-made product and is a collection of ingredients. So what ingredients make dark chocolate healthy?

Answer - cocoa beans. This is the only healthy ingredient in a chocolate bar. Indeed, it is the percentage of cocoa beans in the composition that determines the degree of usefulness different types chocolate. The higher the amount of cocoa in chocolate, the better!

• White chocolate does not contain cocoa beans, it is considered the most harmful and is essentially a mixture of fats and sugar.
• In milk, the proportion of cocoa beans is usually 25-30%, which is also not good for the body.
• In bitter - the proportion of cocoa beans is 55% or higher. And it is this chocolate that is considered the only healthy one.

By the way, what is the difference between dark chocolate and bitter chocolate? By by and large- not much. But to be extremely precise, the content in dark chocolate is above 40%, and in bitter chocolate - 55-60%.

It turns out that the benefits of dark chocolate are based only on the beneficial properties of cocoa beans- just one of the ingredients!

Now let's look at the full composition of chocolate (what else does it contain, besides cocoa beans?) and decide whether it is healthy...

Harm of dark chocolate

The composition of dark chocolate varies greatly depending on the specific manufacturer.

There are two main segments, each of which occupies its own niche in the market:

• Mass production. Each of the famous brands has dark chocolate in their line. Sold in supermarkets.
• Dark chocolate self made. Produced individually by small workshops or private chocolatiers. Sold in eco-shops, as well as through social media and websites.

I suggest starting with studying mass-produced chocolate, since this is what you can find on the shelves of every supermarket.

What's in a mass market chocolate bar?

Composition of dark chocolate: cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin (emulsifier) .

This is the composition of good chocolate, high quality. But you need to try very hard to find it, because... Most popular brands of dark chocolate contain, in addition to these ingredients:

• ethyl alcohol (yes, don’t be surprised, many chocolates contain it!)
• milk fat (concentrated milk fat, added to reduce cocoa butter consumption)
• vegetable cocoa butter equivalents, RECM (palm, soybean, rapeseed, cottonseed oils, which through hydrogenation acquire a consistency similar to cocoa butter, but at the same time become toxic trans fats)
• flavors identical to natural(chemicals synthesized in laboratories with the smells of vanilla, rum, cream, etc.)
• tea (and usually the cheapest and poorest quality)

Of course, each of these nasty ingredients is harmful on its own. In fact, these are poisons for our body. Therefore, there is no need to talk about the benefits of chocolate with such ingredients. So my advice to you is - read the chocolate ingredients carefully. The inscriptions “bitter”, “elite”, “dark” on the packaging do not guarantee that you are holding a quality product in your hands. Here are some illustrative examples that may shock you, as they once shocked me:

* “flavouring i.n.” means identical to natural

I do not recommend you eat a chocolate bar with such ingredients. Is not full list, so be more careful about the composition. It’s good if you only see one bad ingredient in the composition. What if there are several? And don’t let the inscription “identical to natural” reassure you. This is just a marketing trap, there is nothing natural there. This is a substance synthesized in laboratories, chemistry! It is not needed to make chocolate sweets. There are wonderful natural additives that are used by chocolatiers who know their business!

The equivalent of cocoa butter is absolutely terrible! These are oils that are so heavily processed that appearance and the structure does not even remotely resemble liquid vegetable oils. These are trans fats that are not absorbed by the body. And with recently GOST allows adding them to chocolate in a volume of no more than 5%. These are the GOST standards: 5% poison will not harm people, and if it does, no one will notice!

It's clear with harmful ingredients. Now let's consider compound quality dark chocolate, bought in a store. Is it beneficial or harmful?

Cocoa butter

Cocoa butter is 60% saturated fat

Cocoa butter is 60% saturated fatty acids. I wrote what this means in a separate article. I will repeat it briefly here. Fats are called saturated because... they are saturated with hydrogen and consist of very stable molecules. When they enter the body, they remain almost unchanged, since their structure is very stable. That is, the body cannot effectively process these fats. They fall like dead weight inside our body.

A sign of fat saturation is the pour point. At room temperature they freeze. This is exactly what happens with cocoa and coconut butter. Therefore, I don’t recommend getting carried away with them, but there is still a lot of cocoa butter in chocolates ( 40-50% of the weight of the bar, including 24-30% - saturated fat, which is 120-150% of the daily value). So, without knowing it, we are eating an extra portion of difficult-to-digest saturated fat, which will take several hours to digest. In fact, frozen butter with additives is dark chocolate, the calorie content of which is quite high! So to the question “Is it possible to eat dark chocolate when you are losing weight?”, my answer is no, dark chocolate is not very good for your figure.

To be fair, it should be noted that saturated fats also come in different varieties. Cocoa butter contains a lot of stearic acid, which is somewhat milder in its effect on the body than other types of saturated fats. But I still don’t recommend abusing it.

Sugar

sugar - white death

White sugar is empty calories that do nothing but harm the body. We can talk for hours about the dangers of sugar. In short, sugar leads to an increase in the acidity of the orgasm, that is, it increases the Ph of the fluids inside the body. And this has a very negative impact on health. All bacteria and viruses develop in an acidic environment, from colds to cancer! In addition, the body fights excess acidity and in this fight removes calcium from the bones (calcium neutralizes acid). At the same time, a lot of calcium is released into the blood, part of which is lost in the urine, and the other part is deposited in the kidneys and gallbladder in the form of stones.

An acidic environment also leads to red blood cells and platelets sticking together, which is bad for our blood vessels.What else acidifies the body, besides sugar, you can read in the article .

Further. The absorption of sugar requires not only a huge amount of calcium, but also B vitamins, which the body takes from the muscles, kidneys, liver, and blood. And of course, sugar disrupts digestion and weakens the immune system (immune cells are damaged)! But that's not all. Sugar has a bad effect on the skin: collagen and elastin fibers become brittle and dry, which leads to loss of skin tone and elasticity.

It would seem - not a large number of It won't kill sugar! But are you sure it's small? Studies show that most of the sugar people consume uncontrollably is not from the sugar bowl, but from chocolates, muesli, cookies, breakfast cereals, soda ... That is, they eat gigantic amounts of sugar from hidden sources. A dark chocolate bar contains 25-40% sugar, and that’s a lot! 2.5 -4 tablespoons!

And the most important. Sugar combined with fats is an explosive mixture that interferes with normal metabolism! From the point of view, sugar and fats should be eaten separately. Together they take a long time and are not effectively absorbed. Therefore, fatty and sweet desserts are bad. Sweet and low-fat ones are better.

By the way, sometimes regular white salt is also added to chocolates. Which is also bad. You can read about the effect of salt on the body in the article.

Soy lecithin

soy lecithin: there is no need to talk about naturalness

Actually, this is of course not a necessary ingredient in a chocolate bar. And you will never see this ingredient in real handmade chocolate. It is used to reduce the cost of the product. Thanks to lecithin, the ingredients are better mixed into a homogeneous mass. It usually contains no more than 0.5%.

If the manufacturer is conscientious, then lecithin is produced from high-quality soybean oil by low-temperature processing. You can’t call this ingredient useful, but the degree of harmfulness is not as high as that of sugar ... Be careful, lecithin can be vegetable (soy) and animal (egg). Undoubtedly soy is preferable! Not only for humanitarian reasons, but also for health! According to some reports, animal lecithin disrupts digestion, can lead to an increase in the size of the liver and malfunction of the kidneys. Also, it has a bad effect on metabolism.

The composition should say "emulsifier E322" or "soy lecithin," and even better "genetically modified soy lecithin." If you see “emulsifier E476”, then this is animal lecithin!

Cocoa beans

roasted cocoa beans... is there any benefit left?

Fresh raw (not roasted) cocoa beans do have health benefits. They contain flavonoids - natural antioxidants that activate the action of enzymes in the body, speed up metabolism, and protect cells from the action of free radicals. Flavonoids also strengthen blood vessels, reduce bad cholesterol, improve blood circulation... It is thanks to these miraculous properties that dark chocolate is considered healthy. But there are three buts!

Without fermentation, cocoa beans are not eaten, as they have a bitter-tart taste and are pale in color. In general, they are very far from the aromatic cocoa beans we are used to.

Firstly, in the production of mass-produced chocolates (that is, in large volumes) the pristine properties of cocoa are largely lost. The fact is that before being included in a chocolate bar, cocoa beans are first subjected to fermentation, then drying and finally roasting and conching (intensive kneading at high temperatures). In private workshops where handmade chocolate is prepared, the quality of cocoa beans is monitored and only raw materials are used. That is, unroasted beans that have been fermented at a temperature no higher than 40 degrees and then dried in the sun. But large factories don’t do this. They use roasted beans that have gone through several stages of high-temperature processing. The bottom line is that refried beans are cheaper, store better, and are more predictable in terms of flavor. But, alas, valuable flavonoids are destroyed. Even intuitively, a product that is fried to an almost charred state is not associated with health. The photo above is of refried beans. Raw fermented beans are a soft brown color...

I wonder what flavonoids are found only in plant foods! Animals get them exclusively from plants. It is believed that these substances are essential for humans and other mammals.

Secondly, in addition to flavonoids Cocoa contains caffeine and theobromine. Caffeine increases performance and gives a boost of energy, which is why coffee lovers value it. But at the same time, it has a very specific negative impact on the body. Read more about this in the article. Let me remind you briefly. Caffeine increases, slows down blood flow in the stomach and intestines, loads the cardiovascular system, increases blood pressure, interferes with the absorption of iron and B vitamins, promotes the leaching of calcium, increases blood sugar levels and therefore loads the endocrine system. For me personally, this is a rather high price for a boost of energy... For me, it is also indicative of the fact that caffeine is prohibited for pregnant women, lactating women and children under 3 years of age.

There are also complaints about theobromine) Its effect on health is similar to caffeine, but with less influence on the central nervous system. It also wears out the body on all fronts... In very large quantities it is poisonous.

Thirdly, good chocolate contains only organic grated cocoa beans. But in practice, cheap cocoa powder and the so-called cocoa-vellu, simply - cocoa bean husks, a by-product of the industry.

cocoa wella is the husk of cocoa beans

How is cocoa powder different from grated cocoa beans? The cocoa beans are ground to add the resulting mass to the chocolate bar. Or they are pressed to obtain cocoa butter. Cocoa powder is the cake left over after these procedures!

If you see “75% cocoa” on the package, then know that we are talking about all products: cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cocoa powder and cocoa vella. It is impossible to determine by appearance how many cheap cocoa products were put into the bar. Even in the laboratory this is not easy to find out. But the most important thing is that the quality of cocoa affects not only the taste of chocolate, but primarily its safety. During cultivation and immediately after harvest, cocoa beans are often treated with chemicals to ensure safety and protect them from pests. Some of the chemicals are retained in the finished product, since the shell of the cocoa bean absorbs substances very well.

An examination of chocolate carried out by the Roskontrol OZPP showed that many samples contained heavy metals: lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury. These toxic metals are known to accumulate in the human body (especially in the brain), causing Negative influence on the nervous system, cells, internal organs. Lead and cadmium were especially high - up to 50% of the maximum permissible daily allowance. Although I would not focus on the daily norm here, given how difficult it is for them to be eliminated from the body.

Experts have calculated that if you eat 50 g of chocolate every day, 9 mg of lead will accumulate in your body over the course of a year. It's a lot! Compare for yourself - from a polluted atmosphere (during the processing of lead ores, etc.) a person receives 20 mg of lead per year. The most lead was found in Korkunov, Lindt and Rieter Sport chocolates. All three are not from the cheap segment! Draw your own conclusions...

Here's my advice to you. Considering our ecology and the sometimes terrible quality of food, remember that berries, greens, sprouted seeds can gradually remove toxic metals...

But that's not all about the quality of cocoa. The fact is that cocoa beans contain chitin. This is nothing more than the remains of cockroaches, as well as other insects. How does he get there? Colonies of tropical cockroaches often settle in cocoa beans; this is a well-known fact and we can say that it is the norm. When beans are harvested in large quantities, insects get into the crop. Surprisingly, even international standards stipulate the percentage of chitin in chocolate! Office of Sanitary Supervision of Quality food products and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows the presence of natural contaminants on chocolate bars in the form of “insects, rodents and other natural contaminants.” Sometimes the chitin content reaches 5%, that is, 5 grams per 100-gram tile. High-quality chocolate contains less...

By the way, why is chocolate bitter? It all depends on the taste and quality of the raw material - poop beans. The taste should be slightly bitter, with a pronounced chocolate tint. If there is almost no chocolate taste, but only bitterness, then this is a sign of a large amount of cocoa powder in the chocolate bar, which is not very good.

Why am I doing all this?

Lovers of chocolate sweets, don't throw stones at me, but P The benefits of dark chocolate for the body are questionable. The only healthy ingredient in it is cocoa beans. In general, dark chocolate cannot be called healthy, because... it is very fatty and it combines fats with the most common harmful sugar. That's if you're lucky. In the worst case, we are dealing with synthetic flavors, hydrogenated fats, alcohol and other nasty things in the composition of chocolates, and quite decent brands.

I understand that the topic of sweets is very sensitive! People often react very emotionally when asked to give up sugar. After all, all the most delicious desserts and the most favorite sweets consist essentially of a mixture of fat and sugar. “To give them up means to give up the pleasures in life. This is fanaticism! This is too much!” - I often hear such emotional arguments... And they can be understood. I thought the same thing myself.

Here everyone decides for himself. Take into account the information I give in this article or not. It's important for me to keep a level head. Therefore, no matter how sad it sounds - no, chocolate is not healthy. Cocoa beans - maybe depends on the quality.

I am not calling you to give up sugar and chocolates forever. I know the main thing is to come from awareness. Give up something because you no longer see the point, and not because you create another ban. And at first, don’t refuse at all, but gradually reduce consumption and choose only the highest quality chocolate!

I myself go this route because I love dark chocolate. Sometimes I eat it, but only the best and little by little! In my opinion, the game is definitely worth the candle! After all, this is precious health. All our taste habits are just habits. If there is motivation, then it is not so difficult to change them. Previously, I could not imagine life without Milka milk chocolates and various cakes. Now I haven’t eaten all this for a very long time! And I don’t suffer at all) I’m not even talking about the fact that it turned my life around for the better!

In general, if you really want dark chocolate, then continue to eat it, but in moderation and only high-quality chocolate without additives that pollute the body.

How much dark chocolate can you eat a day?

Dark chocolate: which is the best?

From the mass production segment these are:

All these brands are in approximately the same price range - 100-150 rubles/100 g. I've highlighted in red the ingredients that I don't really like. For example, cocoa mass sounds very blurry. There is a possibility that this name actually hides a mixture of grated cocoa, cocoa powder and cocoa well. In addition, as we know, Lindt chocolate was listed as one of the chocolates containing toxic metals... Roasted almonds in chocolate A priori, I didn’t like it simply because it was fried. Nuts contain a lot of oil, and any oil, when heated strongly, changes its structure and releases carcinogens. So I don’t eat roasted nuts and I don’t advise you to either.

I've tried all these chocolates and they're all good. But for me the best dark chocolate is Spartak. It used to be like this for me - “dark chocolate = the taste of tart, bitter cocoa.” But Spartak has a very delicate taste, not typical for dark chocolate. I want to savor it! I also love Apriori because they have a wide range of dark chocolate with fillings.

chocolates Spartak (left) and Sobranie (right)

There is also one brand that deserves attention, but it is not in the table, because... this is a more expensive segment - Pacari, Ecuador. It still contains the same composition: cocoa beans, cane sugar(considering that this is Ecuadorian cane sugar, it is better than our white one), cocoa butter, vegetable lecithin. The beauty is that this chocolate bar is from Ecuador, the birthplace of cocoa. It's raw and organic. And he has a huge assortment - with maca, with spirulina, with blueberries, with figs. They even have 100% dark chocolate! The price is steep - 480 rubles/100 g.

There are also chocolates Eco Botany(Rot Front line), the composition of which I don’t like, although the manufacturer claims to be an eco-brand. The composition of Eco Botanica chocolate consists of dozens of ingredients, including isomalt sweetener, palm oil, wheat fiber, concentrated juice (nothing is written about freshly squeezed juice, which means it’s just a concentrate like in bags) and, in addition, synthetic vitamins. I already wrote...

Now you know, how to choose dark chocolate: You need to look carefully at the composition. You also know what the composition should be. It remains to remember the recommendations given in this article.

But the best thing, of course, is natural artisan chocolate. If you have the opportunity, buy it! It's better than any store bought one. And now I will briefly tell you what...

Handmade chocolate

There is a real boom in handmade chocolate right now! Overall theme healthy eating is very relevant and is gaining momentum every year. Every self-respecting eco-products store must have a good selection of natural chocolate made from real cocoa beans and without harmful additives. Almost every day a new chocolate workshop appears!

Why is this chocolate better than store-bought quality chocolate? For example, those brands that are listed just above in the table?

• First of all, it has no sugar. Instead, there are natural sweeteners. Such as: honey, carob, dates, coconut sugar, agave syrup or Jerusalem artichoke….
• Secondly, this is chocolate made from cocoa beans and cocoa butter of excellent quality, because... Reputation is very important to artisans. Especially in the current situation, when competition is growing every day.
• Thirdly, cocoa beans are not subjected to harsh heat treatment. But this does not apply to every chocolate factory.
• Fourthly, since this is a priori a niche product, manufacturers try to pamper the client with a variety of additives, such as goji berries, organic dried fruits, unroasted nuts, chia seeds, etc.
• Fifthly, it does not contain lecithin. Small artisans prepare chocolate in small batches, so they knead and pour it by hand, which allows them to control the homogeneity of the chocolate mass and even distribution among the molds.

Ingredients of natural chocolate: cocoa beans, natural sweetener, cocoa butter, vanilla, various natural additives (nuts, raisins, spices, etc.)

Handmade chocolate tastes wonderful. The only problem is that it is almost impossible to find in stores. It must be ordered on artisan websites or purchased in eco-goods stores. Therefore, there is a risk that at the moment when you dream of a piece of high-quality dark chocolate, it will not be at hand. In this case, there is only one piece of advice - buy mass-produced chocolate in the store, but with a more or less good composition.

“Dobro” is a chocolate workshop made with honey. Price 210 rub./90 g.

"Britarev" - with cane sugar. It raises questions about what kind of sugar it is. Stores often sell regular white sugar, colored to look like cane sugar. I hope Britarev has control over raw materials! Price 350 rub/90 g.

As you can see, the price of handmade chocolate is quite high - on average 300-350 rubles/100 g, which is 3 times more expensive than high-quality store-bought chocolate. This is actually the only negative. This disadvantage can be mitigated by making homemade chocolate. Plus, it's not at all troublesome!

How to make homemade chocolate from cocoa?

Making homemade chocolate from cocoa is extremely simple and quick!

We will need:

• cocoa beans -100 gr
• cocoa butter - 60-100 g (depending on)
• honey - 3 tbsp. Or another sweetener (agave syrup, Jerusalem artichoke, coconut sugar, etc.)
• Additives to taste - vanilla, raisins, nuts, mint, cayenne pepper... Lots of options!

How to cook:

1. Grind the cocoa beans in a coffee grinder as finely as possible
2. Melt cocoa butter in a water bath
3. Mix cocoa beans into cocoa butter, add additives and sweetener if it is not honey. If honey, then wait until the mass cools down and add honey.
4. Place the finished chocolate mixture into a nice mold and put it in the cold.

That's the whole simple recipe for homemade cocoa chocolate! Dark chocolate with fillings is especially delicious. I like it with mint, orange zest, and raisins. And if you put the dessert in small molds, you get natural dark chocolate candies.

Another option, my favorite, is to cook dessert made from cocoa beans, without butter. Maybe someone will like it) My friend Slava told me this super recipe:

• We take high-quality cocoa powder. Or cocoa beans ground in a coffee grinder.
• Dissolve cocoa in water and heat. The consistency should be like thick sour cream. No need to boil.
• We take it off the stove. When the mass begins to cool slightly, add dried fruits, nuts, seeds, and spices. Whatever your heart desires!
• When it is still cool, add honey. Remember, honey cannot withstand high temperatures and becomes carcinogenic!
• Place into molds and put in the refrigerator to harden! You can even put it in the freezer.

Note that there is no cocoa butter in this recipe at all, which is great!

conclusions

So, the moral of the article is:

• The beneficial properties attributed to dark chocolate actually only come from the cocoa bean - just one ingredient.
• Fresh cocoa beans can indeed be considered healthy. The benefits of heavily roasted beans from which chocolate is made are questionable.
• Taking into account all the ingredients, dark chocolate cannot be called healthy. It is a mixture of fats (mostly saturated) and sugar.
• Many well-known brands of dark chocolate contain harmful components: alcohol, cocoa butter equivalent, artificial flavors, milk fat.
• If you are a chocolate lover, then eat it in moderation and choose good quality, without harmful additives.
• The best chocolate is artisanal. It is made by hand from the best raw materials, and natural sweeteners are used instead of sugar. But it costs more.

I hope that the article was useful to you in some way!

Chocolate - benefits and harms, beneficial features- benefit for women's health, heart, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, immune, nervous system, calorie content, contraindications

Chocolate is one of the favorite treats of incorrigible sweet tooths, and it is also a very healthy product and a wonderful medicine. True, this statement is only true for high-quality dark chocolate; other types - milky, white, with various additives, are inferior to it in many respects.

Who benefits from chocolate? Chocolate is useful for children and the elderly, men and women, athletes and people engaged in intellectual work. True, there is one “but”: according to scientists, 25 g of this delicacy per day is good for us, but everything else is no longer good.

Calorie content of chocolate— chocolate is a high-calorie product. One bar weighing 100 grams contains about 500 calories, their main sources are milk and glucose. The calorie content of chocolate is increased by nuts, candied fruits, raisins, cream and other additives.

The benefits of chocolate - beneficial properties

1. Chocolate is an excellent antidepressant

It “erases” sadness, drives away melancholy, and counteracts depression. It also improves mood and energizes you. This is perhaps the most pleasant property of sweet aromatic bars.

As Marina Tsvetaeva wrote: “To be like a stem and to be like steel in life, where we can do so little... Treat sadness with chocolate, and laugh in the face of passers-by!”

2. Chocolate saves us from heart attacks, strokes and atherosclerosis

Miraculous essential oils, which are contained in this noble product, prevent the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels. Chocolate, like wine and grapes, is rich in flavonoids, which prevent platelets from sticking together. Half a bar of dark chocolate contains the same amount as 5 cups of green tea and 6 apples.

3. Chocolate is good for the heart and blood vessels

Polyphenols contained in cocoa beans improve blood flow, and this, in turn, has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart muscle. Half a bar contains as many polyphenols as a glass of red wine.

Chocolate strengthens blood vessels, improves blood circulation and blood composition, normalizes blood pressure and increases insulin sensitivity. The latter means that by choosing chocolate over other treats, we reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes.

4. Chocolate protects us from cancer and peptic ulcers

Chocolate is a powerful antioxidant. It, like green tea, contains catechin, which reduces the amount of harmful free radicals in the blood. Japanese scientists have proven that if you eat up to 40 g of this tasty delicacy every day, the risk of developing cancer is significantly reduced. But the Japanese are one of the longest-living and rarely ill nations in the world, and understanding the benefits of chocolate plays an important role in this achievement.

5. Chocolate is good for the brain and nervous system

The trace elements that this noble product is rich in, in particular magnesium and potassium, ensure normal functioning of the nervous system, and caffeine and theobromine have a slight tonic effect. Chocolate improves memory, increases attention, and stimulates brain activity. It is also very useful for older people, as it helps prevent senile dementia.

6. Chocolate eases PMS

Fatigue, irritation, apathy, which many women feel every month on certain days, is explained by a decrease in the level of hormones that are responsible for good mood. Magnesium and fatty acids, which dark chocolate is rich in, help relieve these unpleasant symptoms.

7. Chocolate is a great way to prevent colds

Cocoa contains theobromine, a substance that treats coughs. Therefore, chocolate helps with a severe cough better than any pill. This fact was confirmed by London scientists. And dark chocolate also stops inflammation and eases sore throats - Italian researchers came to this conclusion.

8. Chocolate improves digestion

Good quality chocolate stimulates contraction of the intestinal muscles, which has a beneficial effect on its functioning, and also improves the body's absorption of sugar found in food products. The tannin contained in chocolate has a mild laxative effect and helps remove toxins from the body.

The harm of chocolate - what is harmful about chocolate?

However, the exquisite delicacy also has avid opponents who claim: “Chocolate does more harm than good.” Is it really?

Firstly, as already mentioned, chocolate of high quality varieties and in reasonable quantities can only bring benefits. It’s another matter when a person buys a cheap product and does not know how to limit himself in its consumption.

Debunking myths about the dangers of chocolate

1. Chocolate provokes acne, inflammation and pimples.

If a person eats nothing but chocolate, this statement may be true. In all other cases, such accusations are unfair. Problematic skin is a consequence of poor nutrition, which leads to disruptions in the hormonal system, and chocolate can only be an “accomplice” harmful products, if you eat it in large quantities with them.

2. Chocolate harms gums, destroys tooth enamel and promotes the development of tooth decay.

In fact, everything is just the opposite: a piece of dark chocolate is the best prevention of caries. Canadian dentists have proven this. Cocoa butter protects teeth from destruction by enveloping them with a protective film, and chocolate itself contains antibacterial components.

3. Chocolate makes you feel better quickly

Absolutely true for those who eat 2-3 bars a day. But if you consume this sweet delicacy in reasonable quantities, your figure will not suffer. Moreover, chocolate can be part of the diet, but only bitter: firstly, it burns fat, and secondly, it is an excellent source of energy, which, due to the cocoa butter content in chocolate, is consumed for a long time. Nutritionists even recommend treating yourself to a few pieces of this delicacy before training.

4. Chocolate causes allergies

This sweetness can indeed intensify an allergic reaction, but it cannot become its independent cause. People who are allergic to the proteins contained in cocoa should buy dietary products without these proteins. If chocolate is sold in a bakery, it can come into contact with confectionery products and cause illness in a person who is allergic to gluten.

5. Chocolate contains a lot of caffeine

Yes, it is not recommended to eat chocolate for dinner, as it has a slight stimulating effect. But this product can be an excellent substitute for coffee, especially for hypotensive people, because chocolate is healthier and safer than a drink made from coffee beans. One bar of the popular delicacy contains only 30 g of caffeine. This is about 5 times less than a cup of coffee.

6. Chocolate is addictive

This noble product actually contains substances that resemble marijuana in their action, but in order to feel the narcotic effect, you need to eat at least 50 bars at once. Of course, if a person eats 300-400 grams of chocolate daily for a long time, dependence on this confectionery product may arise.

Contraindications for eating chocolate

Young parents should know that dark chocolate should not be given to children. And they are unlikely to like the taste of it.

People who suffer from liver disease, metabolic disorders or are overweight should limit their chocolate consumption. Patients with diabetes are also forced to exclude chocolate from their diet. But they can buy a product in which sugar is replaced with maltitol.

Always buy only high-quality chocolate, enjoy it yourself, treat your friends, give it to your loved ones and be happy!

Chocolate is a storehouse of nutrients. But this product must be consumed correctly. Excessive consumption of chocolate leads to excess weight and other problems.

Chocolate is not only tasty, but also a healthy product. But, like other products, its benefits can be felt if you do not abuse it. After all, this product has a high calorie content. But, with regular consumption of a small amount of chocolate, even such opponents of everything “tasty” as nutritionists agree with its benefits.

The benefits of chocolate depend on its type. The most popular types of chocolate are:
Bitter
Lactic
White

Chocolate composition

The main ingredients of chocolate are cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar. The higher the percentage of cocoa in chocolate, and thus the less sugar it contains, the healthier it is. The largest amount of cocoa is in dark chocolate. Milk chocolate has more sugar, while white chocolate has a minimal percentage of cocoa. That is why we will talk about dark chocolate next.

The Olmec Indians learned to use cocoa beans to stimulate physical and mental activity.

Moreover, they consumed them raw or prepared a tonic drink from cocoa beans. After the colonization of Mexico by the Spanish conquistadors, cocoa beans came to Europe, where they were invented to make chocolate.

The benefits of chocolate for the body

Rich and vitamin composition chocolate. Most of all this product contains:
Vitamin PP (10.5% of daily allowance per 100 g of product);
Vitamin E (5.3% of the daily value per 100 g of product);
Vitamin B2 (3.9% of the daily value per 100 g of product);
Vitamin B1 (2% of the waste value per 100 g of product).
Micro- and macroelements included in chocolate:
Dietary fiber (37% of the waste value per 100 g of product);
Magnesium (33.3% of the waste value per 100 g of product);
Iron (31.1% of the waste value per 100 g of product);
Phosphorus (21.3% of the waste norm per 100 g of product);
Potassium (14.5% of the waste value per 100 g of product);
Calcium (4.5% of the waste value per 100 g of product).

The composition of chocolate is extremely rich in beneficial substances. But, you need to remember about the sugar content in this product. It not only negatively affects teeth, but can also worsen tooth enamel. True, according to Canadian dentists, dark chocolate can strengthen gums and... The beneficial substances contained in this product neutralize the effects of sugar. But, after eating chocolate, it is better to brush your teeth with sugar-free chewing gum.

IMPORTANT: Not long ago, the myth that frequent consumption of chocolate can lead to addiction was destroyed. No substances were found in this product that cause such a reaction in the body. It's more about personal attachment to this delicious delicacy. But it is better to avoid excessive consumption of chocolate.

Does chocolate make you fat?

Chocolate: benefits for men and women

The benefits of chocolate for male sexual performance have not been proven. Although in some pseudoscientific publications you can find such a myth that chocolate is a natural “” for men. This is more a myth than truth. Although attempts are already being made to launch rich chocolate bars on the market phenyl ethylamine. This substance is produced in the body during sexual intercourse.

The benefits of chocolate for men are different. The most common modern diseases of the stronger sex are cardiovascular diseases. But chocolate can help with this. Therefore, its benefits for the male body are obvious.

As for women, the benefits of dark chocolate for beautiful creatures have long been proven. Due to the ability of this product to increase, girls and women are recommended to eat it to prevent

IMPORTANT: Chocolate, along with raspberries, strawberries and champagne, is considered for women. The journal Sexual Medicine published evidence of the relationship between chocolate consumption and female sexual activity.

Chocolate and hormones of joy

Everyone knows the fact that chocolate can help the body produce endorphins. That is, the hormone that is responsible for pleasure. The greater the production of endorphins, the happier a person feels. But that's not all. The thing is, chocolate contains theobromine and. These natural psychostimulants will help increase performance, mood and...

Chocolate in cosmetology

Cocoa butter, thanks to the antioxidants it contains, neutralizes free radicals. This property of cocoa butter can be used to improve the composition of skin and hair. Today chocolate massages based on this product are very popular. Many beauty treatments using cocoa butter or chocolate can be done at home.

Chocolate face masks

Face masks are made from chocolate powder with the addition of other skin-beneficial ingredients. Fruits, clay and other substances can be used as such ingredients.

For normal skin. Grate the apple on a fine grater and add one tablespoon of the resulting mass to the chocolate, previously dissolved in a water bath.

For oily skin. Add 1 tablespoon to cocoa powder and dilute the resulting mass with kefir.

For dry skin. Add the yolk and a tablespoon of sour cream to the chocolate dissolved in a water bath.

To make face masks, use 50-60 grams of chocolate. The face must first be treated. Apply the mask carefully, avoiding the eye and mouth area. You need to keep this mask on your face for at least 25 minutes.

Chocolate based wraps

Before wrapping with chocolate, you must thoroughly cleanse your body. For this purpose, you can use your own preparation. To do this, take medium-ground coffee and add it to the shower gel. After treating the skin with this product, it becomes available for wrapping.

by the most simple recipe is a mixture of a slab of this product dissolved in a water bath and a tablespoon. When applying such a mixture, you need to make sure that it is at a comfortable temperature for the body. After this procedure, you need to cover the area where the chocolate mass is applied with film and cover yourself with a warm blanket.

Most of humanity loves chocolate. The health benefits and harms of consuming it are topics of ongoing debate in the health food arena.

Some believe that it only makes you fat and your teeth become covered with caries. Others vying with each other about useful ingredients: a cure for bad mood, bonuses for mental work, etc.

Let's figure out what is bad and what is good about chocolate and in what quantities it is safe to consume it.

Chocolate - health benefits and harm (table)

BENEFITS OF CHOCOLATE	HARM OF CHOCOLATE
1. Contains antioxidants that help slow down the aging process in the body	1. High in calories, in large quantities leads to obesity, diabetes mellitus
2. Contains a large amount of joy hormones – fights stress and bad mood	2. Contains 40 g fat per 100 g weight
3. Increases mental and physical performance	3. May be an allergen
4. In moderation, it is useful for hematopoiesis	4. Negatively affects metabolic rate
5. Contains iron, potassium and magnesium, necessary for normal functioning of the cardiovascular system	5. Contains large amounts of caffeine
6. Helps strengthen bone tissue	6. Can cause heartburn, gastrointestinal diseases, nausea and prostate enlargement in men

From the table above we can draw the first and main conclusion: chocolate, be it black, milk or even white, is equally harmful and healthy. Depends on how much of the treat you consume.

Calorie content of chocolate, amount of fat

These indicators are the main ones when talking about the healthfulness of chocolate.

Let's consider three main types based on 1 slice (about 7 g):

1. Black– 30 kcal, 59 mg per 100 g caffeine, 0 cholesterol
2. Lactic– 35 kcal, large amount of calcium due to milk in the composition
3. White– 38 kcal, minimum cocoa, maximum fat – 33.2 g per 100 g, made from cocoa butter, often contains unhealthy unsaturated fatty acids

And if you look at these indicators, it immediately becomes clear that when choosing a bar on store shelves, you should give preference to dark chocolate, since it contains a minimum of calories, does not contain cholesterol and has all the same properties as other types. Of course, except for taste.

Black, white and milk chocolate

The composition of chocolate and its effect on our health

All types of chocolate contain vitamins A, B, D, E, F, PP, magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc help us to be healthy.

Sweetness lifts your mood - promotes the production of endorphins, helps you resist depression and fatigue, calms and stabilizes the functioning of the nervous system.

If you want to have healthy skin, hair and nails, then you should not only feast on chocolate, but also do nourishing massages. Today, these procedures are quite popular in beauty salons, but you can even do this at home.

By eating a piece of chocolate every day, you can significantly reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke, varicose veins, hypertension, diabetes, and preserve your eyesight.

Essential oils prevent the formation of cholesterol plaques, which means you will be protected from atherosclerosis.

However, in large quantities chocolate can be harmful to health:

1. Since this product is quite fatty and sweet, there is a risk of developing diabetes and gaining extra pounds.
2. Dark chocolate may contain a lot of cadmium, which is toxic and can cause poisoning.
3. High oxalate content puts us at risk of developing kidney stones, so those at risk should avoid indulging in sugary bars
4. Pregnant women should not indulge in chocolate too much, especially in the second half of their pregnancy.

As a rule, all these harmful consequences are possible if you have or cannot stop at two or three pieces, but eat a bar at once and do this every day.

If you have no contraindications, then eating 20 g of chocolate a day will only help you become happier and healthier.

Chocolate - benefits and harms for children's health

Not all mothers know what babies care about three years It is better not to give this delicacy, because this can disrupt the metabolism in the developing child’s body.

But after waiting a little, you can gradually accustom your children to chocolate. It has a good effect on the cardiovascular and nervous systems, improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and improves mood.

But it is worth remembering that it is better to give sweets in the morning or afternoon, as some substances that increase activity may interfere with the child. Monitor your baby's reaction, as no one is immune from allergies.

Remember that uncontrolled consumption of white and milk chocolate can spoil your child. It is a large amount of sugar that contributes to the development of caries, but real dark chocolate contains little of it.

And the tannin contained in cocoa protects tooth enamel, preventing plaque from forming.

Chocolate and age: when and how much to eat

Because human body tends to age; after 50 years, the health benefits and harms of chocolate become more important.

For example, with age, cholesterol levels often increase, and hot chocolate helps normalize fat metabolism and strengthens blood vessels.

Antioxidants, which are more abundant in hot chocolate than in solid chocolate, slow down aging and prevent many diseases, including cancer.

Flavonoids prevent the formation of blood clots and thin the blood. stimulates brain function, increases blood circulation - improves concentration and memory.

Advice: people with an allergy to cocoa should not use the product, and people with diabetes are better off buying black or special diabetic.

The older we get, the more careful we should be when eating chocolate.

Chocolate and diabetes

Until recently, there was an opinion that eating chocolate, if it is not diabetic, with sweeteners, is strictly prohibited.

However, British scientists were able to prove that eating within reasonable limits the healthiest type of delicacy, namely black, on the contrary, helps maintain cholesterol at the proper level. It is worth choosing chocolate with the highest percentage of cocoa.

Be careful what you buy. Many manufacturers now do not really care about our health, so they use cheap substitutes for natural cocoa products in their production.

Hot chocolate - health benefits and harms

It is believed that hot chocolate is much healthier than chocolate bar. The second is done at a very high temperature, and this kills a certain amount of beneficial substances.

A hot drink instantly adds color to life and energizes you. It is even similar in action to aphrodisiacs, as it significantly increases strength.

How can you refuse a cup of aromatic hot chocolate before bed?

If you add cinnamon, a little pepper and honey to the drink, you can cure a cold.

For those who are struggling with excess fat, you can prepare the drink with water or skim milk, adding just a little sugar. This way you won’t harm your figure, but at the same time you will be full, recharged with energy and be able to exercise more actively.

Chocolate - history and types of product

The main component of chocolate is cocoa beans, which ripen on the cocoa tree. The homeland of these trees is considered South America. The Mayans and Aztecs also drank cold cocoa, made from roasted and ground cocoa beans, water and pepper.

After the conquistadors brought it to Europe, the drink began to gain popularity. In the 17th century, rich Europeans enjoyed hot, sweet chocolate.

At the beginning of the 19th century, it was considered an excellent remedy for giving strength and vigor. Since 1828, when they learned to squeeze butter out of grated cocoa in Holland, they began making solid chocolate.

Those same cocoa beans

And in the 30s of the twentieth century, the Nestle concern, in order not to waste the remains of cocoa butter, for the first time released white chocolate - a favorite children's treat that does not contain cocoa powder.

Types and composition of chocolate:

1. Dark or bitter chocolate is made from cocoa mass (at least 56%), cocoa butter and powdered sugar.
2. Dry or cream is added to the milk, respectively.
3. White gets the aroma from vanilla and condensed milk.
4. There are several options for vegan chocolate - with almond, soy, rice or coconut milk
5. make tiles , but with various substitutes.

However, it is difficult to find such a natural product on the shelves of our stores. Modern manufacturers add stabilizers, preservatives, and trans fats to it, which, of course, does not add health to those with a sweet tooth.

Even more useful information You will learn about chocolate from the video below.