My Chocolate Fantasy

A little bit of sinful indulgence in some hearty dark chocolates can work wonders for a throbbing heart. In fact, they are the perfect healthy treats which give holistic results. Ever since health and fitness have become the mantra for many people, some have shunned chocolates. There is no need as chocolate hearts are the perfect stress busters. Unless you are on an absolutely low calorie diet, chocolates can pep up the dark mood. Chocolates containing high content of cocoa beans are healthy. The flavonoids in it help in blood thinning. Milk chocolates have sugar and milk making them high in calories. But dark chocolates do not need sugar. Hence they are ideal as an occasional treat. It improves insulin immunity too. Premium versions of dark chocolate are heavenly in taste. Buy them as gifts or for self consumption. Either way there is a huge variety in the market. They work well for many occasions all year round.Chocolate can be molded into many shapes and sizes. Chocolate hearts are appealing, giving a literal meaning to ‘eat your heart out’! Chocolates hearts work like magic when presented at special events. Rich in taste and beautifully packed, they are perfect gourmet gifts for chocolate connoisseurs. Some of the most common menus offer a delectable assortment.* white chocolate,* milk chocolate,* dark chocolate, * hazelnut,* rum & raisin,* mint,* cookies & cream,* cinnamon,* Irish cream,* mocha coffee,Chocolate hearts are useful for special events and make them memorable. Mini hearts for kiddie birthdays so that they do not overeat and house warming parties are ideal, big ones for Valentine’s Day with personalized messages like “Love You” or “Marry Me”. The mouth-watering hearts are attractively wrapped in many metallic and matt foils. Pink is perfect to present the world’s best mom and new born baby girls. Similarly blue has choco hearts wrapped for a a baby boy. White chocolate hearts are just right for weddings or Mother’s day whereas cookies and cream hearts are wonderful for birthday parties. Hazelnut or rum & raisin hearts are popular with nut lovers and best for anniversaries. Cinnamon hearts are spicy sweet, just like different flavours of love. Chocolate heart dragees are luxury heart shaped milk chocolate pieces covered in a thin crisp sugar coated shell- very popular with kids! So, what kind of a chocolate heart are you?

Planning dark chocolate into your every day diet could help prevent heart diseases, according to a study realized by a team of Swiss researchers. The Swiss researchers say that the antioxidants from dark chocolate could prevent arterial plaque, making it less likely to travel and cause a stroke or heart attack. Additionally, procyanidins can trigger the production of nitric oxide, which helps keep arteries flexible and increases blood flow to the heart.

The research team came to this conclusion after testing on a group of 20 volunteers, which were smokers without health problems. The subjects were asked not to eat any types of aliments rich in antioxidants such as apples, onion and cabbage and after that were given 40 grams of different types of chocolate.

Two hours after consuming the chocolate, the echo-graph showed that dark chocolate, with at least 74% cocoa, significantly improved the blood flow. Additionally, ulterior tests showed that the risk of encountering blood accidents and blockages has been decreased to half of the initial risk. However, white chocolate did not achieve similar effects. The researches that performed the study say that dark chocolate contains a greater quantity of antioxidants to a gram than any other products known for their high content of antioxidants like red vine, green tea or blueberries.

Cocoa is rich in antioxidant flavonoids called flavonols, which include procyanidins, epicatechins, and catechins, explains Harold Schmitz, PhD. Studies have shown that people with high blood levels of flavonoids have lower risk of heart disease, lung cancer, prostate cancer, asthma, and type 2 diabetes. Studies show, that people who ate a diet rich in cocoa powder and dark chocolate had lower oxidation levels of bad LDL cholesterol, higher blood antioxidant levels, and higher levels of good HDL cholesterol.

Chocolate is indeed an aliment that has varied antioxidant elements in it. And eating just a few squares a day reduces your risk of hardening of arteries / or blockage. But we shouldn’t ignore that dark chocolate also contains fats and glucoses in huge quantities causing weight gain if excessively consumed.

The best thing to do is to adjust your chocolate portion to your actual weight and activity level, age and metabolism. If you are physically active throughout the day you probably can consume reasonable amounts of dark chocolate without ever fearing weight gain. Ask your doctor for advise if you have health problems or if you are not sure.

Recipe: Soothing Hot Chocolate
Fill a mug with 1 cup of 1% milk and microwave on medium until hot. Carefully remove, and then add two small squares of dark chocolate. Stir gently until the chocolate melts. Enjoy..

According to researchers, at least half a slab a week of dark chocolate (70% to 85% cocoa content) has a protective effect against inflammation and heart disease.

The findings come from one of the largest epidemiological studies ever conducted in Europe. The study focused on the complex mechanism of inflammation. Chronic inflammation is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases (heart disease) ranging from myocardial infarction to stroke.

The study found that people having moderate amounts of dark chocolate regularly had significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein in their blood, which indicates that their inflammatory state was considerably reduced.

Those who ate dark chocolate regularly had a 17% average reduction in C-reactive protein – enough to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease by one-third in women and one-fourth in men.

The findings apply to dark chocolate only. Milk chocolate does not have the same affect, since milk interferes with the absorption of polyphenols.

Sources:
- Science Daily September 23, 2008
- The Journal of Nutrition October 2008, 138:1939-1845

The scientific name of the cocoa tree is ‘Theobroma Cacao’, which means ‘Food of the Gods’. Chocolate, providing it’s a milk-free and sugar-low variety, contains a substance called Theobromine, which the body converts into Serotonin and Endorphins, the first having a calming effect, the second and uplifting effect and boosts the immune system. Cocoa contains the chemical PEA (Phenylethylamine), which occurs naturally in the brain and is released at times of emotional excitement – it gives us the ‘high’ feeling. Caffeine and theobromine in chocolate increase alertness and sharpen the memory.

Theobromine is a vagus nerve suppressor, which is responsible for coughing. Theobromine is three times more effective to cure persistent cough than codeine, a powerful chemical cough cure. Another study showed that blood vessels dilate better when eating good quality chocolate, helping to improve the circulation.

A good quality chocolate should have no milk content and be sugar low. The cocoa content should be at least 70%. These top quality chocolates are usually marked ‘70%’ or ‘Intense 70%’ or ‘72%’.

Chocolate prevents cardiovascular disease

The chemicals known as flavanols, which are found in chocolate as well as in fruits and vegetables, can reverse smoking-related damage to blood vessels by boosting the levels of nitric oxide in the blood. This raises the possibility of a potential new treatment for cardiovascular disease. Those who drank cocoa containing as much as 185mgs of flavanols experienced significant increases in circulating nitric oxide and flow-mediated dilation – a definite improvement in function. Moreover, the benefits disappeared when patients were given a drug that interferes with nitric oxide signaling.

Improved Blood Vessel Response

Researchers compared the effect of flavanols on a dozen smokers participating in a double-blind study. Half were given a cocoa drink rich in flavanols, and the rest had a drink that tasted the same but had far fewer flavanols.

The study, however, was designed specifically to identify the active ingredients, so the cocoa drink used was specially processed to retain much higher levels of flavanols than are typically found in commercially-available cocoa drinks.

Smokers chosen to test cardiovascular benefits

Smokers were chosen for the study because their blood vessels tend to respond poorly to changes in blood flow, possibly related to impairments in how nitric oxide sends signals to the inner lining (the endothelium) of blood vessels, which is in turn a warning sign for cardiovascular disease. The study was not designed to find out whether flavonols could specifically protect smokers, but rather to investigate the effects of cardiovascular disease in general.

‘Journal of the American College of Cardiology – October 4, 2005; 46(7): 1276-1283’

If you want to really impress your loved one with a special cake, try this wonderful chocolate cake. This cake also works well for bridal showers and parties as well as other special occasions. The secret ingredient of this Chocolate-Cherry Heart Cake is rum. This ingredient makes this chocolate cake stand out from all the rest.

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY HEART CAKE

DARK CHOCOLATE ICING: 12 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped finely 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1 cup heavy cream 3 tbsp rum (or use 1 tsp rum flavoring) 1 cup cherry preserves 1 semi-sweet (4 oz) chocolate bar

Place 12-ounce chocolate and butter in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Pour cream over the chocolate and butter and shake the bowl gently to distribute the cream evenly. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk together by hand until smooth. Cover the surface of the icing with plastic wrap and set aside in a cool spot to set but do not refrigerate. When set, the icing should have the consistency of a firm pudding. Set aside the preserves until the cake is to be assembled.

With a vegetable peeler, shave the chocolate bar into a freezable bowl. Place in the freezer until ready to decorate the cake.

DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE: 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed 2 large eggs 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup rum 3/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and line with parchment paper the bottom of single layer heart-shaped pan. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, blending until smooth after each.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa. In a separate small bowl, blend together the sour cream and rum. With mixer on low, alternately add the dry ingredients and the rum mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Slowly pour in the water and mix until well-blended. Pour the batter into the pan and shake gently to level. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until center of cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 to 6 minutes in the pan then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To Assemble: When the cake is completely cool, invert cakes onto a serving plate. Using a hand held whisk, stir the cooled chocolate icing, adding the rum gradually. Once rum is incorporated, whisk vigorously for a few seconds until the icing is slightly lighter in color. Spread 2/3 of the icing over the sides and top of the cake. Take chocolate shaving from the freezer and adhere shaving to the sides of the cake. Spread the cherry preserves gently over the top of the cake in a heart shape design, leaving at least a 1-inch border around the edges. Use the remaining icing to make a decorative design around the cherry heart and around the top edge of the cake.

Enjoy!