Guide – In 1842 Cadbury’s in England created the worlds first chocolate bar.

Chocolate is finally getting the recognition many think it deserves. It has been proven in scientific studies to contain antioxidants, which are good for you. This is very exciting news to the millions of chocolate lovers around the world. What better news to receive than for a prescription to eat a sweet treat once in awhile.

Antioxidants are similarly those found in wine and tea. These antioxidants help to inhibit or prevent heart disease in some people. The amount is small compared to some foods however even a small amount in any food will be helpful in your quest for good health.

The most effective way to get the health benefits of chocolate is to consume the least processed type of chocolate. Dark chocolate has been shown to contain the highest amount of these health benefits. By the lack of deep processing dark chocolate has maintained its antioxidants ad therefore their benefits.

The FDA or Food and Drug Administration is recommending a very small amount of chocolate daily however to get the most benefit stick to the dark chocolate. Many people are pleased with this prescription for better health, as most people have a love for chocolate.

Guide – Choose chocolates sweetened with evaporated cane juice or barley malt. If the evaporated cane juice used is the unprocessed whole juice of the cane, it acts in the body like a whole food and doesn’t give a sugar rush.

So the next time you are at the store feels free to buy that dark chocolate candy bar. Just make sure you do not sit down and eat the whole bar. Try to take one bite of a regular size candy bar and savor the taste and flavor on your tongue. After all the recommendations are clear and who doesn’t want to try and prevent or inhibit the like hood of developing heart disease?

Guide – ‘If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you.

Another way to get the health benefits of chocolate into your diet is to slip some bittersweet chocolate into some of the things you make. For instance pudding is an excellent snack. Pudding has milk in it and adds the chocolate and you have a quick and easy healthy snack. Although many people probably do not need any instruction into eating more chocolate. To chocolate lovers it comes natural.

Guide – Choose quality over quantity. If you are going to eat chocolate, eat really good chocolate.

There is more testing in the planning for the health community to try and find more healthy uses for chocolate. In the meantime try to eat a well balanced diet and consume chocolate, preferably dark, in small doses and with moderation.

Eating chocolate as a health food may seem a little off the wall, however if done in moderation there is no reason why you cannot eat your chocolate and reap the healthy benefits also. There is a recommended age of this finding be geared towards adults although allowing children a sweet indulgence can be very rewarding otherwise. Chocolate lovers of the world can now delight knowing that our secret prayers have been answered.

Guide – Chocolate is a perfect food, as wholesome as it is delicious, a beneficent restorer of exhausted power. It is the best friend of those engaged in literary pursuits.

Guide – In 1842 Cadbury’s in England created the worlds first chocolate bar.

I’ve always considered chocolate to be one of the most decadent, satisfying and unquestionably addictive foods on this earth (along with countless other women, I’m sure).

It’s been there for me as a pleasure-producing comfort food through rough times, blue moods and trying times on the job. So, how could something that elicits such feelings of bliss be “bad” for me?

Well, researchers are now saying that chocolate, especially the high quality variety, offers certain unique health benefits never before discussed or studied. Now, does this mean it’s ok to consume a king sized Hershey bar every day?

Guide – ‘Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always tells a little white lie.

No, of course not. Because you see, unfortunately along with the indulgent good flavor and body of chocolate, there comes an inherent “unhealthy” factor in the sugar and fat added to accomplish it’s distinct texture and flavor.

The ingredient in chocolate that gives it that unique flavor that so much of us crave as “comfort food” is cocoa, and this is also the ingredient that packs the nutritional compounds of which I am speaking – not the sugar or the fat. The healthiest type of chocolate that you can eat is actually the darker chocolates, because they typically contain more cocoa and less sugar and fat.

The darker chocolates also tend to be more bitter, but that is actually my favorite type of chocolate as opposed to the creamier, less cocoa-concentrated version, milk chocolate. Whether you’re a dark chocolate or a milk chocolate fan, you still receive some sort of nutritional benefit even from the lighter, creamier stuff.

So, what is this “healthy” nutrient that the cocoa in chocolate gives us? The cocoa bean, from which cocoa powder is derived from, contains a fairly potent concentration of antioxidant nutrients, so the more cocoa, the better.

Guide – Choose chocolates sweetened with evaporated cane juice or barley malt. If the evaporated cane juice used is the unprocessed whole juice of the cane, it acts in the body like a whole food and doesn’t give a sugar rush.

If you’re a dark chocolate lover, this means you get more of that antioxidant benefit delivered to your blood stream, which helps to ward off unhealthy tissue growth and destroys free radicals, the arch enemy of the healthy cell.

Chocolate not only imparts rich nutrient benefits when consumed in moderate amounts, but studies have also shown it elevates the mood, which partially explains our emotional connection with chocolate, AKA addiction. OK, aside from the rich texture and taste bud tempting taste.

There has actually been research done where the unborn fetuses in a mother’s womb who consumed chocolate exhibited elevated signs of activity. Researchers came to the conclusion that the chocolate consumption of the mother subsequently improved her baby’s temperament, which translates into the adult term for “happy”.

Guide – Chocolate is a perfect food, as wholesome as it is delicious, a beneficent restorer of exhausted power. It is the best friend of those engaged in literary pursuits.

Chocolate has even been called the most high impact food when it comes to cravings and mood. When we crave chocolate, we tend to crave it when we are feeling low emotionally. The likely mechanism of chocolate’s mood altering abilities is it’s ability to make the body produce endorphins. Endorphins are essentially the primary “pleasure chemical” which is emitted by the brain and cause pleasurable sensations of well being and contentment.

Whether the endorphin release is caused simply by the good taste of chocolate, or whether there is some actual mood altering chemical in chocolate is still up for debate. Whatever the case may be, it cannot be ignored that many of us, especially women, equate eating chocolate with pleasure and comfort, and there is definitely a reason for it.

Guide – ‘The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain.

Chocolate consumption will always be a sure thing when it comes to mood enhancement. We have to be prudent when consuming chocolate though, since the effects of the sugar can actually cause us to crash and feel worse.

Another unfortunate fact is that chocolate is high in calories and can definitely add up if you consume it several times a day, or you over do it on the portion. So, the next time you feel that irrestistable urge for chocolate, grab a mini chocolate bar, and get those antioxidant, mood boosting juices flowing!

The Worlds # 1 Chocolate Cake. Recipe For The Worlds # 1 Chocolate Cake.

I started to wonder whether or not chocolate was really an aphrodisiac. Aphrodisiacs, as you know, are those things that are supposed to make you sensitive to erotic stimulation. The name itself comes from the Ancient Greek goddess, Aphrodite, who was both feared for her might and worshiped for her beauty.

Chocolate’s “love” qualities though could come from our own cultural understanding. We think that it is an aphrodisiac, so it becomes one. I mean, it tastes good. And, then there is that smooth, melting sensation on the tongue, since chocolate’s melting point is just below human body temperature. That’s sort of stimulating in itself, don’t you think? But then we ought to consider the chemical composition of chocolate. What exactly is in the stuff? And where did this idea of it being an aphrodisiac come from in the first place?

Guide – Several medical studies show that eating chocolate in moderation can actually prolong your life by reducing risk of blood clots and fighting bad cholestorol.

The answer to whether or not chocolate is an aphrodisiac differs from person to person, but I will tell you what I found out and let you decide on your own.

According to some sources, the Aztecs, the first people to cultivate cacao, celebrated chocolate’s aphrodisiacal powers. They used to eat vast quantities of food cooked with chocolate during the harvest time, and then engage in raucous orgies during festivals. But there are also reports that say that the men in Aztec society forbid chocolate-cooked food to women, because of its power as an aphrodisiac.

Guide – The shelf life of a bar of chocolate is approximately one year.

While both of these reports could be factual, I am not sure of them. Because it seems to me that if the men forbid women to eat chocolate, why did they have wild orgies during harvest time? Something doesn’t add up. They would seemingly be forcing it on their women! But that’s just the humble opinion of this author. Nonetheless, the Aztecs thought chocolate had erotic powers.

History is also replete with examples of others who were convinced of chocolate’s powers. The courtesan of French King Louis XV, Madame du Barry, apparently made sure that her lovers drank a brimming cup of chocolate before they were granted entrance to her boudoir. And Casanova, the famed Casanova, drank chocolate daily at the Florian Cafe in Venice, proclaiming the drink to be better, that is, more stimulating, than champagne. And these are just some of the examples.

Guide – If one swallows a cup of chocolate only three hours after a copious lunch, everything will be perfectly digested and there will still be room for dinner.

So obviously people throughout history have considered chocolate to have aphrodisiacal properties. But what gives it those properties? Chemicals! Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, an amino acid that occurs naturally. Some claim that phenylethylamine can even cure hangovers, but it certainly is related to love. Your body, apparently, secretes it when you are struck head over heels. And that’s not the only brain chemical that chocolate contains. It also has levels of dopamine and serotonin, both of which are pain killers and put you in a better mood. Serotonin even causes you to have a pleasurable feeling akin to the one you get when you stand in the sun.

Guide – Holding the strawberry by the leaves, dip it into the warm chocolate and swirl.

Its no wonder that chocolate’s so popular! Tasty, uplifting, stimulating, what more could you ask for? Oh, aphrodisiacal? Well, none of the sources I could find gave a concrete opinion on whether or not chocolate was really an aphrodisiac. But, in all honesty, who cares? With all the other stuff going for it, does chocolate need to be an aphrodisiac for you to want to eat it? Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some exquisite dark chocolate to nibble on.

Guide – ‘Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always tells a little white lie.