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All About ChocolateChocolate is an ancient food, dark and mysterious. To some cultures, it is a medicine, and to some people, it is an addiction. The Mayan and Aztec cultures brewed chocolate into a powerful drink, and the cocoa bean was used as currency. Chocolate, which has a very bitter taste on its own, was flavored with hot chilies. It was the Spanish who brought it back to Europe and replaced chili with sugar to flavor the drink. The Dutch found a way to process chocolate to remove most of the fat and created powdered cocoa. European cultures expanded from chocolate beverages to baking with chocolate and making confections, and the Americans found a way to manufacture it cheaply so that today, most people can afford the luxury of chocolate, once reserved for the wealthy. Its unique flavor, texture and chemical properties make it one of those magical foods that tempt even the most stoic. It deserves its place in history, but what is its place within a healthy diet? Devilish Downfall or Sweet Salvation? You may have heard that chocolate, especially dark chocolate, contains some beneficial properties for health. While it can hardly be considered a “health” food, chocolate, besides being a real pleasure to eat, is a source of flavonoids, which may have significant health benefits. Flavonoids are one type of phytochemical, which is a chemical contained in plant foods. Flavonoids have several properties that may improve health:
But before you add a daily dose of chocolate to your diet for its healthful benefits, consider this: flavonoids are found in many plant foods including tea, fruits, vegetables, and wine. You don’t have to consume chocolate to increase the flavonoids in your diet! Bad Fat, Good Fat The natural source of fat in chocolate, cocoa butter, contains a fatty acid called stearic acid, which has been found not to increase LDL cholesterol in the blood (the “bad” cholesterol). Because of this, chocolate was said to be o.k., even though it is a high fat, high calorie food. I wish! Unfortunately, there are other fats besides cocoa butter in chocolate, and in less expensive chocolate, the cocoa butter may be replaced by palm or coconut oil, which is very high in saturated fat. So, if you’re going to enjoy a little chocolate, read the labels for fat sources - this may be a good excuse to buy the expensive stuff. Lastly, chocolate is high in calories and total fat. Enjoy it for what it is, a wonderful treat, but perhaps not a health food! One way you can enjoy the flavor of chocolate in baked products without the accompanying “bad” fat is to use cocoa powder and liquid vegetable oil or soft tub margarine in place of the harder fat of commercial baking chocolate. Hot
Fudge Pudding Cake
Topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the first four ingredients. Stir in skim milk and oil. Add walnuts. Spread into a 9-inch square pan. Topping: Mix cocoa and brown sugar and sprinkle over cake batter. Bake for 45 minutes. When cake bakes, the mix rises to the top and the sauce settles at the bottom of the pan. When done baking, turn cake over and pour remaining sauce over the top. Makes 12 servings (about 2 ¼ by 3 inches each). Source:
The New American Diet , WE Connor and S. Connor, Simon
& Schuster, 1986. Nutrition Information per Serving:
Eating Guidelines: 2 ½ Bread/Grains, ½ Fat (note how quickly desserts add up to a high carbohydrate intake – Enjoy, but save for a treat, and don’t replace those high fiber, high nutrition carbohydrates too often with sweets!) |
