Chocolate

[taurushead]

Hey all you extremely wise VB people :sunny:

Just wondering if anybody knew the answer to this one...

I'm a complete dark chocolate addict :angel: and have also read about the health benefits. Now.. I know, that dark chocolate has more flavenoids and all the rest of it, than milk chocolate. BUT... i was just curious, is what makes dark chocolate able to lower cholesterol and the rest part cocoa and part cocoa BUTTER that you find in chocolate? or is it purely the cocoa. Because lately I've become equally partial to hot water and unsweetend cocoa power (don't ask me why :stinkeye: its weird I know) and when I can't decide between the two, I figure why not suss out the benefits of each.
I don't know if my q. is even followable, but in summary, is it the whole component of the dark chocolate that makes it healthy-ish ? or just the cocoa powder in there??

thaaaaaank you :hamster:

[bluewisdom]

I don't think it's the cocoa butter, as that is generally the unhealthy part of the chocolate (where the saturated fats come from and such), so I'm guessing it's the pure cocoa part. That's why 70% cocoa content and up for dark chocolate is what is considered a healthy..ier choice.

I love dark chocolate too (my favorite is Endangered Species Company 88% Black Panther Bar..:drool:)

[taurushead]

Thanks blue!!! And yes, I know the brand!!!! love it!! But this is all thats near my house!
And yeah I thought so, about the cocoa butter. But I've also heard that even though its saturated, the cocoa butter fat actually works like "good fats" to lower cholesterol??

[bluewisdom]

Thanks blue!!! And yes, I know the brand!!!! love it!! But this is all thats near my house!
And yeah I thought so, about the cocoa butter. But I've also heard that even though its saturated, the cocoa butter fat actually works like "good fats" to lower cholesterol??

I don't know for sure, but I heard that cocoa butter falls under the "tropical oil" catagory..along with coconut oil/palm oil/etc. Tropical oils typically don't have health benefits because they are high in saturated fat and some trans fat.

The dark chocolate that you eat should list the cocoa content, ingreidents, and saturated fat/trans fat content. If it is high quality dark chocolate and you are eating it for the health benefits, the cocoa content should be at least 70%, the ingreidents should list cocoa, cocoa butter, or chocolate FIRST and not sugar first, and the saturated fat shouldn't be more than 10g per 1.5 oz and it should contain no more than 1 gram of trans per 1.5 oz.


If the cocoa content is any lower than 70%, that means it is mostly sugar...
And if it has more saturated fat/trans fat per 1.5 oz, that means either the company added stuff to it or they used too much cocoa butter and not enough pure cocoa.

[Amy SF]

I didn't know anybody needed an excuse to eat chocolate... :D :lick:

[taurushead]

no excuse needed....
i'm gonna eat it any way. I was just curious. I looked it up on faithful google and got back a response similar to yours, Blue, and then one saying the opposite that cocoa butter is high in vitamin E and doesn't raise cholesterol.

weiiiiiiiird

guess its like everything else, tofu...is good but bad. for example. lol.
and yes, i always eat chocolate with cocoa listed first, the others make me feel sick. 70% isn't my favourite...but its all i could find in our block. and im too lazy to walk far away to get the 80% or 99% ones. eheh

[taurushead]

p.s. Blue- I see you haven't posted in the other thingoes yet. How are you doing today??? And did you check out Something Fishy's boards?? Its done me a world of good. lots of support and what not. Sorry..just a side note:)

[bluewisdom]

p.s. Blue- I see you haven't posted in the other thingoes yet. How are you doing today??? And did you check out Something Fishy's boards?? Its done me a world of good. lots of support and what not. Sorry..just a side note:)

I posted in the new "You Ate Today" thread earlier today and updated my post recently..it's on page 2 of the thread, I think.

I'm doing okay, thank-you. :) How are you doing?

I did check out those message boards quite some time ago, they did help me then...maybe it's time for me to take another look at them.

99% chocolate? I've heard of that, but never tried it..I can't find it anywhere! I think Lindt makes one. I heard somewhere it is so strong that Lindt has a put a warning label on that specific bar. *wants to try it*

88% is so much better than 70%, in my humble opinion.....it is so much more...satisifying and bitter and, well, dark tasting! :yes:

[bjorn again veg]

I believe vegetable saturated fats from 'tropical' plants such as coconut are 'good' saturated fats (google coconut oil, there are heaps of sites & research advocating this). I would assume the cocoa plant would be similar but do not know for sure.
I love Lindt's 85% chocolate, mmmmmmmmm...

[taurushead]

blue- the lindt 99% isn't actually that nice. but every other brand...of 99% is heavenly. so completely lovely. eheh. and sorry, i didn't see ur post in the other thing. prob coz im half asleep right now:) my bad.
and im doing ok. but doing ok is tiring, you know? sigh. ehehe

[taurushead]

also thanks bjorn!!!! wise. so wise. and yeah, i googled that and ur right on:):wayne: :lick:

[baboxsandy]

... I LOVE chocolate. = )