Dark Chocolate -- not white chocolate or milk chocolate -- is good for you. There is no question that chocolate procures pleasure for those who eat it. - Never feel guilty again!
If you enjoy chocolate, eat a little daily - but make it the dark kind.
Eating 2 ounces (50 grams) a day of plain chocolate with a minimum content of 70% chocolate solids can be beneficial to health, providing protection against heart disease, high blood pressure, and many other health hazards as well as essential trace elements and nutrients such as iron, calcium and potassium, and vitamins A. B1, C, D, and E and it's a lot tastier than boring old vitamin pills too. A 1 1/2-ounce square of chocolate may have as many cancer-fighting antioxidants as a five-ounce glass of red wine.
About 50% of all food cravings are for chocolate, far more than cravings for "something sweet" (16%), salty foods (12%), baked goods (11%), and fruit (4%). Some people go so far as saying they are addicted to chocolate. But that's no license to go on a chocolate binge. Eating more dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure. Remember, you do have to balance the extra calories by eating less of other things.
What is it that makes chocolate so irresistible? A large part of chocolate's allure, of course, lies in the taste - a deliciously rich concoction that satisfies the most intense craving. But several chemical reactions are also at work. For one thing, chocolate stimulates the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasurable sensation similar to the "runner's high" a jogger feels after running several miles. The question arises: Why is chocolate such a powerful food? And what makes it the most commonly craved food? (About 40% of women and 15% of men report chocolate cravings.)
A new study by market research publisher Packaged Facts titled Market Trends: The U.S. Market for Gourmet Chocolate reports that the higher cocoa, lower sugar content and antioxidant properties of premium dark chocolate are making it a more attractive treat for health-conscious Americans, especially those counting carbs. The potential health benefits of premium dark chocolate versus higher sugar, higher fat mass-market counterparts are causing consumers to reevaluate their attitudes toward the gourmet chocolate market.
A word of caution: Not all chocolate is heart healthy. White chocolate, which a Harvard researcher points out is "not really chocolate at all," and milk chocolate may expand the hips rather than help blood flow. And none of the instant cocoa mixes in the local grocery store contain the flavonoids that improve blood vessel function.
You are right it is wonderful for the body here is 1 recipe to make a cake out of the good stuff
Dark Chocolate Brown Sugar Pound Cake With Chocolate Glaze
2 1/4 C. cake flour
3/4 C. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1 C. sour cream
2 1/4 sticks (1 C. plus 2 T.) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 C. granulated sugar
1 1/2 C. packed dark brown sugar
1 T. chocolate extract (optional)
1 t. vanilla extract
6 large eggs
Glaze:
3 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
2 T. unsalted butter
Accompaniments:
Brown sugar mixed into sour cream, to taste and strawberries
Do not preheat oven. Butter and flour 12-cup bundt pan, knocking out any excess flour.
Into small bowl sift together flour, unsweetened cocoa powder and salt. In another small bowl, stir together baking soda and sour cream.
In large bowl with an electric mixer (preferably a standing electric mixer) beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Beat in extract(s) and add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture and sour cream mixture alternately in batches, beating until just combined.
Pour batter into bundt pan and put in middle of cold oven. Set oven to 350°F. and bake cake 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.
Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes and turn out onto rack to cool completely. Pound cake keeps, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature 1 week. Alternatively, pound cake may be frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil, 3 months.
To make glaze, chop bittersweet chocolate and put in double boiler or metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water.
Melt chocolate with butter, stirring until smooth. Transfer glaze to a pastry bag fitted with a No. 3 plain tip (slightly smaller than 1/8 inch). (Alternately, transfer glaze to a small, heavy-duty sealable plastic bag and press out excess air. Snip off 1 corner, making a small hole.)
Pipe glaze back and forth over top of cake, letting it drip down sides. Let glaze set 30 minutes at room temperature.
Serve cake with dollops of sour cream and strawberries.
Makes 16 servings.