Divine Delight: Chocolate

Probably, there is no such person in this world who would not love chocolate. This delicacy has attracted everyone for several centuries. sweet tooth... During this time, various chocolate recipes with interesting flavors have been invented. And all this is just to satisfy the most demanding needs of sweets lovers.

The benefits of chocolate

Like any other sweet treat, chocolate cheers you up and gives you pleasure. In small amounts, you can pamper yourself with it. In addition, it has already been proven that real dark chocolate with a large amount of cocoa in it is even beneficial.

It is noticed that chocolate is able to increase efficiency and give vigor to a person. This is due to the fact that the delicacy contains substances that give a person a feeling of joy and happiness. So if you are facing intense mental work, stock up on a bar of chocolate, and do not cheer yourself up with harmful energy drinks.

Chocolate prevents the formation of blood clots, so it is good for blood vessels and the heart. Eat it to prevent heart ailments. In terms of the amount of antioxidants, a bar of chocolate is in no way inferior to a glass of red wine, so it can be safely used to remove toxins from the body.

It is useful for students and schoolchildren to eat dark chocolate during periods of intense mental activity - during sessions and exams. The explanation is simple - chocolate perfectly activates the brain.

Many people believe that chocolate provokes the appearance acne in adolescents. Recent research has shown that this statement is not true. It has been scientifically proven that acne appears for very different reasons, and chocolate has nothing to do with it.

The harm of chocolate

As you know, everything has a good side and a bad side. Chocolate is no exception. It also has its drawbacks. Usually, when it comes to the dangers of chocolate, it means milk chocolate. Indeed, because of its composition, it contains more harm than good.

Any type of chocolate contains trace elements with a nitrogen content that slow down metabolism in the body... Therefore, it should not be consumed by people with overweight problems and endocrine diseases... Of course, you can't eat chocolate for young children.

Milk chocolate is very harmful to the figure due to the high concentration of glucose and milk. Bitter chocolate does not have such properties, of course, if you do not abuse it. In this case, you can say goodbye to a slender figure. In large quantities, chocolate will be harmful to the teeth as it can cause tooth decay.

If you have insomnia, then do not eat chocolate before bed, because it contains theobromine - a substance that arouses a person. Large amounts of chocolate can cause nausea and vomiting, high blood pressure, and tachycardia.

For men, eating a lot of chocolate is especially harmful. It provokes the growth of glandular tissue and enlargement of the prostate gland. It also negatively affects the quality of the sperm.

Types of chocolate

There are many types of chocolate. But the main classification is based on the amount of cocoa powder in a particular type of chocolate.

On this basis, chocolate can be divided into three types:

• White chocolate can be roughly attributed to chocolate. After all, there is not a single gram of cocoa beans in it at all. This is what explains its white color. Basically, such chocolate consists of cocoa butter, which does not have any of its own taste, but has a persistent cocoa aroma. And to add flavor, powdered sugar and milk powder are added to white chocolate. White chocolate is often used in cooking: they bake pies with it, decorate cakes and ice cream, add to fruit salads.
• Milk chocolate has a mild and sweet taste with a bright milk tint and a beautiful brown color. The percentage of cocoa powder in it can reach 60%. In a small amount (about 5 slices), you can give it to children over 6 years old. Various drinks are made from milk chocolate - hot chocolate, cocktails with milk, you can add it to coffee. In cooking, it is used for chocolate glazes and cake decorations.
• Chocolate connoisseurs prefer dark chocolate. It has a bright taste with bitterness and a rich aroma. In dark chocolate, the cocoa content can be up to 99%. This type of chocolate is considered to be the healthiest one. It can be eaten in very small quantities for those on a diet. But children cannot use it - there are too many cocoa beans in it. In cooking, bitter chocolate is used for baked goods that must contain chocolate chips due to its poor melting ability. They also add it to coffee.

How to choose chocolate

If you decide to pamper yourself with chocolate, then you are probably faced with the problem of choice. In modern stores, the selection of chocolate is very large. How to navigate in all this diversity?

First of all, pay attention to whether GOST is indicated on the packaging and the composition of the chocolate. The presence of GOST indicates that the product contains only those ingredients that are indicated on the package. Now read the composition. Real good chocolate doesn't have to have many ingredients. It will be ideal if you find in the composition only cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter. In milk chocolate, in addition to these three components, milk powder or cream must also be indicated. White chocolate will list all of the above, with the exception of cocoa powder.
Please note that it is cocoa butter that should be indicated on the packaging, and not vegetable fats. The latter is most often understood as palm oil, which is harmful to health.

If you buy bulk chocolate without a wrapper, pay attention to its color. Often soy is added to such chocolate, which makes the chocolate bar lighter. See what the consistency of the tiles is. It should be hard and brittle, and when broken, make a sonorous sound. If not, then it is possible that a large number of thickeners have been added to the chocolate.

How many calories are in chocolate

The question of the calorie content of chocolate worries, first of all, those who seek to maintain their weight in the norm, and parents who are worried about the health of their child. Such knowledge, of course, will not be superfluous for all other connoisseurs of delicacies.

The healthiest and lowest calorie of all types of chocolate is dark chocolate. But this does not mean at all that the product can be classified as dietary and eaten in large quantities. The calorie content of bitter chocolate is about 540 kcal. If you are on a diet, then with such a calorie content, you can afford one bite a day.

The most popular and favorite type of chocolate is at the same time the most high-calorie one - 555 kcal per 100 g. Although it is considered healthier than white chocolate, it is absolutely impossible to use it on a diet.

White chocolate contains a lot of sugar, which is especially harmful to the teeth. And although it is not much ahead of bitter chocolate in calorie content, it can only be consumed by those who do not monitor their weight, and then quite a bit. The calorie content of white chocolate is about 541 kcal.

Slimming chocolate

It would seem that weight loss and chocolate are incompatible things. However, there is a chocolate diet that allows you to lose a few extra pounds, while not denying yourself your favorite treat. It is worth noting that this is a very strict diet that allows almost nothing more than chocolate.

The duration of this diet is no more than 5 days. During this time, you can lose about 3 kilograms. You can eat only bitter varieties of chocolate, while choosing those with the highest amount of cocoa. In this case, one bar of chocolate weighing 90 grams will need to be divided into three doses. This chocolate should be washed down with black coffee without added sugar. That's the whole diet for the whole day. Please note that after a portion of the chocolate is eaten, you cannot drink for 3 hours.

Weight loss occurs due to the complete rejection of salt and dehydration of the body. In addition, subcutaneous fat is also burned during such a diet.

Chocolate recipes

Awesome delicious chocolate and candy can be made from it yourself. Such a delicacy will be much more useful than store-bought tiles, because it will contain only everything natural and fresh. Here are some homemade chocolate treat recipes.

Bitter homemade chocolate

Melt 50 grams of butter in a saucepan in a water bath and add 100 g of cocoa powder and a teaspoon of sugar to it. You should get a mass similar in consistency to thick sour cream. Let it boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time with a spoon. Then cool a little and fill the candy tins with the chocolate mass. Then put the homemade candy in the refrigerator to set.

Milk homemade chocolate

Such chocolate is prepared in exactly the same way as bitter. Melt 50 grams of butter in a saucepan and add 100 grams of cocoa, 2 tablespoons of milk and a teaspoon of sugar to it. Pre-mix them in a separate bowl. Let the mixture boil and cook for a couple of minutes. Then cool, pour into molds and send to the cold to solidify.

Raw food chocolate recipe

For this natural chocolate, melt the cocoa butter in a water bath. Grind 100 g of cocoa beans and some pistachios in a coffee grinder. Now add it all along with the cinnamon and vanilla to the melted cocoa butter. Mix everything well and pour into a mold. Send the chocolate to solidify in the refrigerator.

Chocolate with flour and milk

To make chocolate according to this recipe, pour 5 tablespoons of tablespoons of milk into a saucepan, add 8 tablespoons of tablespoons of sugar and 5 tablespoons of cocoa. Pound everything well so that there are no lumps, and put on the smallest heat. Now, while stirring, wait for the mixture to boil and add 50 g of butter to it. Then mix everything well again and add a teaspoon of flour. When the flour is completely combined with the chocolate mass, remove the pan from the heat and cool slightly. Pour the mass into molds and place in the cold to solidify.

According to these recipes, you can make chocolate with different additives - with raisins and grated hazelnuts, candied fruit pieces, vanilla and waffle crumbs. Just add the filling before pouring the chocolate into the molds and mix well.