Chocolate Really Does Grow On Trees

Chocolate, as we know it, is produced from the seeds of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree grown in Brazil, Africa, Malaysia and Hawaii. This evergreen tree is 15-26 feet tall – about the size of our Crabapple trees - with long, broad leaves.

Thousands of pink flowers form in clusters directly on each tree trunk and, once pollinated, about 100 of these clusters develop into mature cocoa pods. The ovoid pods look similar to an extra long, over-ripe acorn squash: about 6-10” long and 3-4” thick.

After harvest, growers remove the thick husk much like you might open an acorn squash and remove the center pulp that contains 16-40, 1¼ “ long, white or purple seeds. These intensely bitter seeds are fermented to develop the characteristic flavor. After fermentation each cocoa bean usually weighs between 1/20th to 1/30th of an ounce.

The beans are then dried, cleaned, and roasted. The shells are removed and the cacao nibs are ground into pure chocolate in a rough form known as cocoa mass. The liquefied cocoa mass, chocolate liquor, is sometimes further processed into two products: cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

Pure chocolate liquor is then blended with cocoa butter in varying quantities to create three basic types of chocolate. The healthiest chocolate, of course, has the highest percentage of chocolate liquor. So, in order of the highest quantity of cocoa liquor first, the general recipes are:

* Dark chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, and (sometimes) vanilla
* Milk chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, milk or milk powder, and vanilla
* White chocolate: sugar, cocoa butter, milk or milk powder, and vanilla

Additional ingredients such as emulsifiers (like soy lecithin), alkaline compounds and preservatives may also be added at this point in the processing.

Now that you have followed the raw beans through to the final product, I hope you find it easier to understand how different processing choices create significant nutritional differences – not just in chocolate but in all the foods we eat. Making the right nutritional choice for yourself and your family can be difficult. Want some help with your nutritional plan? Call me at 503-492-9427.

Are you ready for healthy chocolate and healthy wine?

Yes, wine and chocolate. The right wine and the right chocolate is a heavenly combination. The secret is to find a wine that is sweeter than the chocolate which is an easy feat when you start with healthy chocolate!

Some combinations favored by wine experts include:

* First choices for an unparallel taste combination: Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandels
* Alternate choices and nice variations: Pinot Noir or a Merlot
* Finally, for desserts: Tawny or Vintage Port

But what does wine have to do with health? A 5-ounce glass has about 100 calories, no fat, no cholesterol and negligible sodium. Furthermore, one little glass (about 5-ounces) of wine a day is thought to have several health benefits. Wine may:

* prevent some causes of cognitive decline and heart disease.
* raise HDL which helps unclog your arteries.
* encourage your body to burn extra calories for as long as 90 minutes
* reduce the risk of infection by Helicobacter pylori bacteria, a major cause of gastritis, ulcers, and stomach cancers and help prevent certain kinds of food poisoning.
* reduce the risk of ovarian cancer
* may boost women’s estrogen levels and result in higher bone mass

Wondering if chocolate and/or wine fit into your nutritional plan? Call me at 503-492-9427.

3 Sumptuous ways to enjoy your Healthy Chocolate

Eating an ounce of healthy chocolate….is an event to be savored. Try the following suggestions:

1. Nibble one delicious square of chocolate – at about 150 calories – for a highly satisfying snack when you crave chocolate.
2. Alternate bites of your chocolate square with an ounce of almonds (about 20-25). An ounce of almonds contains about 6 grams of protein, 35% of your daily Vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids (but no cholesterol!) and as much calcium as a ¼ cup of milk in 160 calories.
3. Finally, the third sumptuous suggestion is to use the healthy chocolate as a frosting. Melt your chocolate in small dish placed in very hot water.

Dip or spread your melted chocolate. Flavorful fruits for dipping include apple slices, dried apricots, raisons and strawberries. Excellent baked goods include angel food cake, graham crackers, unsalted pretzels and lady finger cookies.

Let your confection harden in the refrigerator for a few minutes before enjoying.

Ten tips for sustaining your energy

Every day stuff:

1. Start your day with breakfast and include a small portion of protein
2. Select crunchy fruits and vegetables for snacks - crunch is satisfying
3. Get some fresh air and daylight
4. Plan something you look forward to doing
5. Do something nice for somebody else

Big stuff:

6. Make a best friend at work
7. Understand and do what is expected of you
8. Do what you do best most of the time and do it well.
9. Continue to learn and grow
10. Develop and follow a personal mission and purpose

So you're counting calories...how many do you need?

Over the years I’ve seen many different, and often conflicting, numbers for daily calorie requirements. Unfortunately, one size does not fit all. A flat number of calories for all women or all men cannot be accurate.

If you don’t know the goal you are shooting for how can you reach it? Let’s take a minute and figure out a more reliable number for your personal caloric intake per day. I like the following equation from Jim Kara’s because it factors in several important variables.

Working the numbers

To maintain your current weight start with this first equation:

Women: resting metabolic rate = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)

Men: resting metabolic rate = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)

Then multiply your results by:

Activity Factor Category Definition
1.2 Sedentary Little or no exercise
1.375 Lightly Active Light exercise 1 to 3 days a week
1.55 Moderately Active Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week
1.725 Very Active Hard exercise 6-7 days a week
1.9 Extremely Active Hard daily exercise and physical job

You now have the number of calories required to maintain your present weight.

Loosing weight

3,500 calories equals one pound. The most effective weight loss is a blend of increased exercise to burn more calories and decreased intake of calories. To target loosing one pound in a week, you would need to reduce your net calories by 500 per day. Please don’t reduce your net intake below 1200 calories per day.

A slow weight loss accompanied by lifestyle changes is usually the most effective long-term plan to reach and maintain your ideal weight.