Tag Archive: epicatechin
Bittersweet and Semisweet Chocolate
May 17, 2012
Bittersweet chocolates are simply a sweetened form of plain chocolate that contains no milk. It is basically a mixture of chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, and quite often, vanilla. Plus you might see a substance called lecithin on a label. That is added to serve as an emulsifier.
Cocoa that is produced via the grinding of its beans into a liquid form is usually referred to as chocolate liquor, which ironically contains no alcohol whatsoever. Unsweetened baking chocolate is chocolate liquor that has been solidified.
In the North America, a standard is set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that bittersweet chocolates are required to contain at least thirty-five percent chocolate liquor. While in the United Kingdom, the figure is usually as high as forty-three percent.
Read more
Chocolate ‘As Good As Exercise’
September 16, 2011
New studies have revealed that a moderate amount of high quality dark chocolate can be as good as a session in the gym. Cocoa was found to contain a certain compound called epicatechin and this allegedly enhances muscle the same way exercising does.
Researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, conducted an experiment on three groups of 12-month-old mice, the equivalent of middle aged humans: one was given epicatechin twice a day for 15 days, the second one was given epicatechin as well and spent 30 minutes on a treadmill, while the third exercised without receiving the extract.
There was an observed increase in the number of energy-producing mitochondria, the ‘powerhouses’ of cells, in the mice that only took epicatechin and they had significantly better muscle performance and took longer to tire than those that only exercised. It was unusual as these mitochondria are normally a byproduct of getting aerobic exercise such as running or cycling.
Read more
Chocolate to Clear Your Head
December 16, 2010
'Tis the season – to be tired!
I know the holidays can be stressful and exhausting. Even if you aren’t in charge of preparing for the parties and family gatherings, you may find yourself having to do something unexpected that requires a tremendous amount of your time and energy.
One of two things usually happens to me in times of stress as it pertains to food; overeat or forget to eat. Neither extreme is healthy, and neither condition will do anything to keep a body going.
Read more
High Flavonol Chocolate
October 10, 2010
Here's a question that was posed to me recently...
What is the difference between store bought chocolate and the high flavonol chocolate found in all those scientific studies?
The simple answer to this question is found in the question itself. Store bought chocolate typically has lower quantities of flavonol substances. OK, that's a weak answer. Here is some explanation...
Read more