consciouseating CHOCOLATE Happiness Is… Dark and Delicious,
it’s Blissfully Healthy by Gabriel Constans
D
id you know that more than half of U.S. adults prefer chocolate to other flavors and spend $55 per person per year to indulge their hankering? That’s a lot of chocolate— some 3.3 billion pounds annually, or about 12 pounds per chocoholic. The International Cocoa Organization further estimates that by 2015, U.S. chocolate sales will top $19 billion. Eating dark chocolate makes peo- ple happy, researchers have learned, because it contains phenylethylamine, the same nurturing hormone triggered by the brain when we fall in love. Ac- cording to the California Academy of Sciences, the theobromine in chocolate acts as a myocardial stimulant, dilator of coronary arteries and smooth muscle relaxant, all inducing good feelings. Researchers at the Harvard Medical School and Boston Uni- versity School of Medicine recently reported that subjects who consistently consumed dark chocolate showed a 40 percent lower risk of myocardial infarction and stroke than those who did not. A study published in the Euro- pean Heart Journal that tracked almost 20,000 people for 10 years found that people who ate about 7 grams of dark chocolate per day had lower blood pressure and 39 percent less risk of experiencing a stroke or heart attack, compared to those who ate an aver- age of 1.7 grams daily. Scientists from Switzerland’s University Hospital point out that cocoa powder and chocolate
48 Collier/Lee Counties
contain rich sources of polyphenol antioxidants, the same beneficial com- pounds found in red wine and many fruits and vegetables that help to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Chocolate lovers will be glad to know that dark chocolate contains more antioxidants per 3.5 ounces than prunes, raisins, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, plums, oranges, red grapes, red bell peppers, cherries, onions, corn or eggplant.
Gabriel Constans, Ph.D., is a counselor, journalist and author of a dozen books, including Luscious Chocolate Smooth- ies: An Irresistible Collection of Healthy Cocoa Delights and Great American Smoothies. For more information, visit
GoGabriel.com.
A Bite of History
Xocolatl was the Aztecs’ word for chocolate, which they called “bitter water” and considered a gift from the gods. Cultivated for 1,000 years, the cacao tree is prolific once it reaches maturity, producing cocoa pods every six months for about 20 years. The beans must be fermented be- fore they begin to taste like the chocolate we know and love.
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Chocolate
Smoothies for Valentines
The Sweetie
2 cups orange juice 1 banana
½ cup raspberries ½ cup blueberries ½ cup guava slices ½ cup mango slices 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1. Place all the fruit and cocoa in a blender and mix on high for one minute.
2. Pour into clear glass and serve. Yields: 4 cups
The
Velvet Orchid
2 cups chocolate low-fat milk – dairy or non-dairy (soy, rice, nut, coconut or grain) ½ banana, in chunks
1 12-oz package of soft silken tofu 1 cup frozen mango slices 2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted
1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix on high for two minutes. 2. Pour contents into tall glasses and serve.
Yields: 4 cups
Source: Luscious Chocolate Smooth- ies: An Irresistible Collection of Healthy Cocoa Delights by Gabriel Constans
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