Melting Chocolate – Can Chocolate be Good for You?
Executive Summary About Melting Chocolate By Brett Smith
It got me thinking about one of my great loves, chocolate and the amazing qualities of the cocoa bean. The Aztecs associated chocolate with Xochiquetzal, the goddess of fertility as did the Mayans (sorry, their god of fertility). A Japanese study linked cocoa’s polyphenol content to cholesterol reduction. Another German study revealed cocoa can actually reduce blood pressure.
Prof Avni Sali, Director of the National Institute of Integrative Medicine claims that polyphenols in dark chocolate are antihypertensive because they cause vasodilation by increasing the production of nitric oxide.
chocolate melting pot
The BBC reported a study that broke down chocolate’s pleasurable physiological secrets. The act of melting chocolate in one’s mouth produces an increase in brain activity and heart rate that is more intense than that associated with passionate kissing, and also lasts four times as long after the activity has ended.
Fair trade Chocolate contains alkaloids such as theobromine and phenethylamine which have been linked to an increase of serotonin levels (the happy hormone) in the brain. Two other structural cousins of anandamide present in chocolate, N-oleolethanolamine and N-linoleoylethanolamine, both inhibit the metabolism of anandamide.
Other therapeutic uses of dark chocolate flowers include longevity, mood enhancement, cognition, erythema and scaly skin, insulin sensitivity, cough suppression, dental decay, PMS and athletic performance. The higher the cocoa chocolate content the greater the medicinal effects.
Check out my other guide on Chocolate Gifts and Chocolate Ganache
- Dog Eats Chocolate It’s hard to believe that something that we enjoy so...
23 Mar
7:40 pm on January 11th, 2010
[...] real hot chocolate cocoa content chocolate, shaved into tiny curls for easy melting. Warm up the cold days of winter with this Cocoalicious Gourmet Cocoa And Hot Chocolate Gift Basket [...]
8:27 pm on January 12th, 2010
[...] To melt the chocolate, cut or break it into small pieces and place in a double boiler, or a heatproof bowl over a saucepan that is just big enough to support it round the edges. Put some water in the base of your double boiler or saucepan (but not enough for it to touch the base of the bowl which the chocolate is held in), Heat the water to a very gentle simmer, and stir occasionally while melting. [...]