Kids and adults all love these. They contain only 3 ingredients too they can be whizzed up in next to no time and make a wonderful treat on a hot summer’s day. They have no added sugar – just the natural sugar from the fruit so can be enjoyed without guilt! Continue reading
Can you guess what I’m referring to?
Chocolate, of course. With Easter fast approaching and the shops overrun with every kind and size of chocolate egg possible, it’s hard not to think about the creamy, melt-in-your-mouth sweet stuff.
Chocolate is, without a doubt, one the most craved-for foods of all time. It makes us feel good. Well, that is until the guilt of indulging, or even overindulging, kicks in.
Chocolate Easter bunnies aside, most of us turn to chocolate at times of celebration or desperation. You might share a bar of chocolate with friends at the end of a lovely meal. Or, you might devour a whole slab of chocolate locked away in your bedroom at the start of your dreaded period.
So what’s the deal with chocolate? Is it our friend or foe? Is it good for you or does it solely serve to pile on the pounds and the guilt?
The answer depends on the type of chocolate you’re eating. Most of the chocolate consumed nowadays is full of sugar and nasty ingredients.
Here’s a piece of chocolate’s history for you:
Chocolate comes from cacao beans, which are seeds of the fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree native in tropical regions of South and South America. Research shows it was first consumed in the form of a bitter frothy drink around 1900 BC in Mexico, so very different from the sweet treat we enjoy today. Cacao beans were fermented, roasted, and then ground into a paste mixed with water and spices like chili peppers and vanilla and later on sweetened with honey or cinnamon.
The Mayans and Aztecs revered chocolate for its invigorating and mood enhancing properties. The Mayans worshipped a god of cacao and reserved chocolate for rulers, warriors, priests and nobles hence it became known as ‘Food of the Gods’.
It continued to be consumed only in exclusive circles until Dutch chemist Coenraad Johannes van Houten invented the cocoa press in 1828. This separated the cocoa butter from roasted cacao beans, leaving behind a dry cake that could be ground into a fine powder that was mixed with liquids and other ingredients and could be poured into moulds. Chocolate became available and affordable for the masses.
In 1847, the first solid chocolate bar, made from just 3 ingredients – cocoa butter, cocoa powder and sugar, was introduced by the British c company J.S. Fry & Sons. Cadburys, Hersheys, and Mars came into the picture in the 1900s and introduced the different sweet variations we have today.
So, with all the extra nasties now present in that innocent-looking bar of chocolate, you can indulge in an occasional treat but if you’re looking to enjoy something healthier and guilt-free, why not give minimally processed dark raw chocolate a try? Make sure it’s organic and fair trade and has a cacao content of at least 70%. A single square of chocolate packs a mighty punch of the most powerful antioxidants and the least amount of sugar. The higher the percentage of cacao the greater the potential health benefits.
I know, raw chocolate is an acquired taste. The polyphenols are what make the chocolate bitter, which is why manufacturers remove them and, as a consequence, we lose the health benefits. The good news is that you can train your palate to enjoy raw dark chocolate. My son is milk (lactose) intolerant so I decided to buy it for him. And then, of course, I had to try some too. At first, we both found it very bitter but we gradually came to enjoy it. He and I often have a piece of raw dark chocolate in the evening after our meal. One or two pieces is enough as it is so rich, which it means a whole bar lasts a few evenings AND we don’t over-indulge and scoff the lot in one go!
So, what are the health benefits of dark raw chocolate?
A 2013 paper in the Netherlands Journal of Medicine hailed cacao as a complete food for its:
Just an ounce of dark chocolate with 70 percent to 85 percent cacao solids contains around:
Click here for a nutritional breakdown:http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/10638/2
So you can see why it has been referred to as Food of The Gods.
Cacao v cocoa?
These can be used interchangeably but in cooking and baking, I tend to choose raw cacao powder as it retains more of its natural goodness. Cocoa powder, on the other hand, is typically heated at much higher temperatures, destroying many of the health properties. It also often contains sugar. You could also try raw cacao nibs. A sprinkling makes a great addition to porridge or to your smoothie.
What about caffeine?
Dark chocolate contains caffeine but much less than coffee. Compare a 1.5-ounce bar of dark chocolate with 27 mg of caffeine, to the 200 mg in an eight-ounce cup of coffee. However, if you do have trouble sleeping don’t indulge in chocolate from late afternoon onwards as some people find it gets in the way of a restful night’s sleep.
So, to sum up:
If you want to enjoy the health benefits of this Food of The Gods consume dark chocolate. Look out for the highest percentage cacao content you can find (at least 70%), check the sugar content, consume in moderation, relax and relish its rich deliciousness.
Alison Middeton
A member of the turmeric and cardammon family, ginger root is a great digestive aid – great to drink after a heavy meal. It can relieve nausea and bloating and prevent travel and morning sickness . But its therapeutic properties go way beyond that and being a good source of vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese it is a good immune booster, can increase cardivascular circulation and help with pain relief especialy helpful in protection against osteoarthritis pain and several cancers, including ovarian, colorectal, lung, and breast cancers.
This tea is great on a cold winter’s day to warm you up or alternatively it can be just as refreshing over crushed ice on a summer’s day.
Make as much as you like – we tend to cook up about 1 litre at a time and store in a glass jar in the fridge to have whenever we feel like it.
Put all the ingredients into a slow cooker and cook for 6 or 7 hours on slow (or 3 and 4 hours on high) or if you don’t have a slow cooker bring to the boil in a normal saucepan and simmer for a couple of hours topping up the water as you go.
Drink straight away or cool down and keep in fridge in a glass jar.This is great served cold with ice or warmed through. And if it is too strong for you, just dilute with some more water.
Optional to serve: add lemon slices and if you need to sweeten add some raw honey or stevia but I like it just as it is!
This is drunk a lot in Asia and is it known as ‘liquid gold’. A great comforting drink for the winter and especially if you feel you are ‘coming down with something’. I love a cup of this as part of my wind-down bed routine too. Continue reading
(makes about 12 to 16 depending on the size you want!)
These have quite a gooey fudge like texture and are completely grain free which is what I love about them. And as they have no refined sugar in them I can indulge without feeling too guilty! Continue reading
Ingredients
A bunch of Kale leaves – the curly variety as these are less bitter Continue reading
The recommended amount is at least 5 servings a day of fruit and veg and many of us struggle to hit that target. The University of London in 2014 came out and said we should be aiming for 7 so how do we make sure we up our vegetable intake?
I call it ‘crowding out’. Fill your plate with more vegetables you’ll soon see the benefits. You’ll be getting more fibre, nutrients and antioxidants and will feel fuller so won’t be so tempted to add to overindulge on other foods that aren’t so good for you! Continue reading
Ingredients
1 Banana*
2 cups milk of your choice (I like almond but you can try regular milk, rice or soy) Continue reading
This is so easy to get the children involved in pulling together! See Alex in Action on our latest Double A Health Team videos. Named as it was easy to take as a snack on hikes or walks. Continue reading
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