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It's the chocolate story page
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The
chocolate story ( for a quick résumé
click here )
A modern art
American-made chocolate and cocoa
products number in the hundreds. There is a fascinating story behind these
wonderful products. To tell that story and to provide a better understanding of
the chocolate industry and its long-standing traditions is the purpose of this
booklet. The Story of Chocolate is essentially a layman's
introduction to the subject. It will provide readers an opportunity to view the
industry as a whole. Particular emphasis has been given to the activities that
have made the chocolate industry distinctive from all other industries. Each
activity is characterized by a heritage of quality workmanship-certainly one of
the hallmarks of chocolate making.
Chocolate making is much more than a series of scientific and
mechanical phenomena. In a word, it is a true art, which started centuries ago
and has been preserved and perfected to make chocolate America's favorite
flavor.
Chocolate Through the Years
The story of chocolate, as far back as we know it, begins
with the discovery of America. Until 1492, the Old World knew nothing at all
about the delicious and stimulating flavor that was to become the favorite of
millions. The Court of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella got its first
look at the principal ingredient of chocolate when Columbus returned in triumph
from America and laid before the Spanish throne a treasure trove of many strange
and wonderful things. Among these were a few dark brown beans that looked like
almonds and seemed most unpromising. They were cocoa beans, today's source of
all our chocolate and cocoa. The King and Queen never dreamed how important cocoa beans
could be, and it remained for Hernando Cortez, the great Spanish explorer, to
grasp the commercial possibilities of the New World offerings.
Food of the Gods
During his conquest of Mexico, Cortez found the Aztec Indians
using cocoa beans in the preparation of the royal drink of the realm,
"chocolatl," meaning warm liquid. In 1519, Emperor Montezuma, who
reportedly drank 50 or more portions daily, served chocolatl to his Spanish
guests in great golden goblets, treating it like a food for the gods. For all its regal importance, however, Montezuma's chocolate
was very bitter, and the Spaniards did not find it to their taste. To make the
concoction more agreeable to Europeans, Cortez and his countrymen conceived the
idea of sweetening it with cane sugar. While they took chocolatl back to Spain, the idea found favor
and the drink underwent several more changes with newly discovered spices, such
as cinnamon and vanilla. Ultimately, someone decided the drink would taste
better if served hot. The new drink quickly won friends, especially among the
Spanish aristocracy. Spain wisely proceeded to plant cacao in its overseas
colonies, which gave birth to a very profitable business. Remarkably enough, the
Spanish succeeded in keeping the art of the cocoa industry a secret from the
rest of Europe for nearly a hundred years.
Chocolate Spreads to Europe
Spanish monks, who had been consigned to process the cocoa
beans, finally let the secret out. It did not take long before chocolate was
acclaimed throughout Europe as a delicious, health-giving food. For a while it
reigned as the drink at the fashionable Court of France. Chocolate drinking
spread across the Channel to Great Britain, and in 1657 the first of many famous
English Chocolate Houses appeared. The hand methods of manufacture used by small shops gave way
in time to the mass production of chocolate. The transition was hastened by the
advent of a perfected steam engine, which mechanized the cocoa grinding process.
By 1730, chocolate had dropped in price from three dollars or more per pound to
within financial reach of all. The invention of the cocoa press in 1828 reduced
the prices even further and helped to improve the quality of the beverage by
squeezing out part of the cocoa butter, the fat that occurs naturally in cocoa
beans. From then on, drinking chocolate had more of the smooth consistency and
the pleasing flavor it has today. The 19th Century marked two more revolutionary developments
in the history of chocolate. In 1847, an English company introduced solid
"eating chocolate" through the development of fondant chocolate, a
smooth and velvety variety that has almost completely replaced the old coarse
grained chocolate which formerly dominated the world market. The second
development occurred in 1876 in Vevey, Switzerland, when Daniel Peter devised a
way of adding milk to the chocolate, creating the product we enjoy today known
as milk chocolate. Growing the Cocoa Bean
Cocoa beans are the product of the
cacao tree. The origin of the cacao tree is in dispute. Some say it originated
in the Amazon basin of Brazil, others place it in the Orinoco Valley of
Venezuela, while still others contend that it is native to Central America. Wherever its first home, we know the cacao tree is strictly a
tropical plant thriving only in hot, rainy climates. Thus, its cultivation is
confined to lands not more than 20 degrees north or south of the equator.
The Need for Shelter
The cacao tree is very delicate and sensitive. It needs
protection from wind and requires a fair amount of shade under most conditions.
This is true especially in its first two to four years of growth. A newly planted cacao seedling is often sheltered by a
different type of tree. It is normal to plant food crops for shade such as
banana, plantain, coconuts or cocoyams. Rubber trees and forest trees are also
used for shade. Once established, however, cacao trees can grow in full sun
light, provided there are fertile soil conditions and intensive husbandry. Cacao
plantations (trees under cultivation), and estates, usually in valleys or
coastal plains, must have evenly distributed rainfall and rich, well drained
soil. As a general rule, cacao trees get their start in a nursery
bed where seeds from high yielding trees are planted in fiber baskets or plastic
bags. The seedlings grow so fast that in a few months they are ready for
transplanting, container and all.
The First Fruit
With pruning and careful cultivation, the trees of most
strains will begin bearing fruit in the fifth year. With extreme care, some
strains can be induced to yield good crops in the third and fourth years. Everything about the tree is just as colorful as its history.
An evergreen, the cacao tree has large glossy leaves that are red when young and
green when mature. Overlays of clinging moss and colorful lichens are often
found on the bark of the trunk, and in some areas beautiful small orchids grow
on its branches. The tree sprouts thousands of tiny waxy pink or white
five-pedaled blossoms that cluster together on the trunk and older branches.
But, only three to 10 percent will go on to mature into full fruit. The fruit, which will eventsssually be converted into the
world's chocolate and cocoa, has green or sometimes maroon colored pods on the
trunk of the tree and its main branches. Shaped somewhat like an elongated melon
tapered at both ends, these pods often ripen into a golden color or sometimes
take on a scarlet hue with multicolored flecks. At its maturity, the cultivated tree measures from 15 to 25
feet tall, though the tree in its wild state may reach 60 feet or more. The potential age of a tree is open to speculation. There are
individual trees known to be over 200 years of age, but no one has determined
the real life span of the species. However, in 25 years the economic usefulness
of a tree may be considered at an end, and it often becomes desirable to replant
with younger trees.
Varieties of Cacao
While the cacao tree bears fruit (or pods) all year round,
harvesting is generally seasonal. The pods come in a variety of types since
cacao trees cross-pollinate freely. These types can be reduced to three
classifications: Criollo, the prince of cacaos, is a soft thin-skinned
pod, with a light color and a unique, pleasant aroma. Forastero, a more
plentiful type, is easier to cultivate and has a thick-walled pod and a pungent
aroma. Trinitario, which is believed to be a natural cross from strains
of the other two types, has a great variety of characteristics but generally
possesses good, aromatic flavor; and these trees are particularly suitable for
cultivation. In the Western Hemisphere, strange as it may seem,
plantations composed of just one species of cocoa beans are uncommon. Even
single trees with all the characteristics of a specific type are rare.
Uniformity exists only where cacao plantations have been developed from the
rooted branch cuttings of single mother trees. In recent years, cacao growers have turned increasingly to
hybridization as a means of improving the quality of the bean and making it more
disease resistant. Scientists using state-of-the-art biotechnology techniques
are also trying to improve the quality of cacao and its resistance to disease.
Handling the Harvest
The job of picking ripe cacao pods is
not an easy one. The tree is so frail and its roots are so shallow that workmen
cannot risk injuring it by climbing to reach the pods on the higher branches. The planter sends his tumbadores, or pickers, into the fields
with long handled, mitten-shaped steel knives that can reach the highest pods
and snip them without wounding the soft bark of the tree. Machetes are used for
the pods growing within reach on the lower trunk.
Where Experience Counts
It requires training and experience to know by appearance
which fruit is ripe and ready to be cut. Ripe pods are found on trees at all
times since the growing season in the tropics, with its evenly distributed
rainfall, is continuous. For most localities there is a main harvest lasting several
months and a mid-crop harvest lasting several more months. Climatic differences
cause wide variations in harvest times with frequent fluctuations from year to
year even within the same location.
What Happens after Picking
Gathers follow the harvesters who have removed the ripe pods
from the trees. The pods are collected in baskets and transported to the edge of
a field where the pod breaking operation begins. One or two lengthwise blows
from a well-wielded machete is usually enough to split open the woody shells. A
good breaker can open 500 pods an hour. A great deal of patience is required to complete harvesting.
Anywhere from 20 to 50 cream-colored beans are scooped from a typical pod and
the husk and inner membrane are discarded. Dried beans from an average pod weigh
less than two ounces, and approximately 400 beans are required to make one pound
of chocolate. The beans are still many steps away from the familiar
finished product. Exposure to air quickly changes the cream-colored beans to a
lavender or purple. They do not look like the finished chocolate nor do they
have the well-known fragrance of chocolate at this time.
Preparing the Crop for Shipment
The cocoa beans or seeds that are
removed from the pods are put into boxes or thrown on heaps and covered. Around
the beans is a layer of pulp that starts to heat up and ferment. Fermentation
lasts from three to nine days and serves to remove the raw bitter taste of cocoa
and to develop precursors and components that are characteristic of chocolate
flavor. Fermenting is a simple "yeasting" process in which
the sugars contained in the beans are converted to acid, primarily lactic acid
and acetic acid. The process generates temperatures as high as 125 degrees
Fahrenheit, which kill the germ of the bean and activate existing enzymes in the
beans to form compounds that produce the chocolate flavor when the beans are
roasted. The result is a fully developed bean with a rich brown color, a sign
that the cocoa is now ready for drying.
Drying is Important
Like any moisture-filled fruit, the beans must be dried if
they are to keep. In some countries, drying is accomplished simply by laying the
beans on trays or bamboo matting and leaving them to bask in the sun. When moist
climate conditions interfere with sun-drying, artificial methods are used. For
example, the beans can be carried indoors and dried by hot-air pipes. With favorable weather the drying process usually takes
several days. In this interval, farmers turn the beans frequently and use the
opportunity to pick them over for foreign matter and flat, broken or germinated
beans. During drying, beans lose nearly all their moisture and more than half
their weight. When the beans are dried, they are prepared for shipping in
130 to 200 pound sacks. They are seldom stored except at shipping centers, where
they await inspection by buyers.
Marketing for export
Buyers sample the quality of a crop by cutting open a number
of beans to see that they are properly fermented. Purple centers indicate
incomplete fermentation. If the prevailing crop is found satisfactory, the grower is
paid at the current market price. The market price depends not only on the
abundance of the worldwide crop and the quality of farmers' crops in a number of
countries, but on a number of economic conditions throughout the world. The
industry has set up Cocoa Exchanges, similar to stock exchanges, in principle
cities such as New York, London, Hamburg and Amsterdam.
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From the Bean to Chocolate
We now come to the remarkable art of
chocolate making, a process that is comparable with the skill and finesse of the
world's greatest chefs. The manufacturing process requires much time and
painstaking care. Just to make an individual-size chocolate bar, for instance,
takes from two to four days or more.Manufacturing methods will differ in detail from plant to
plant, but there is a general processing pattern which prevails everywhere. It
is this pattern that makes the chocolate industry distinctive from every other
industry. For example, all manufacturers carefully catalogue each
shipment according to its particular type and origin. This is very important,
because it enables them later to maintain exact control over the flavor blending
of beans for roasting.
Prior to Roasting
While awaiting the blending process, the beans are carefully
stored. The storage area must be isolated from the rest of the building so the
sensitive cocoa does not come into contact with strong odors which it may absorb
as an off-flavor. Every step of the way so far reflects the close regulation of
conditions which is needed to ensure the production of uniformly high quality
chocolate. The first step to actual manufacturing is cleaning. This is
done by passing the cocoa beans through a cleaning machine that removes dried
cacao pulp, pieces of pod and other extraneous material that had not been
removed earlier. When thoroughly cleaned, the beans are carefully weighed and
blended according to a company's particular specifications. These formulas are
based on experience and desirability. In the science of chocolate making, much
depends upon the ability to achieve the right formula for the desired end
product through the proper selection of beans available. To bring out the characteristic chocolate aroma, the beans
are roasted in large rotary cylinders. Depending upon the variety of the beans
and the desired end result, the roasting lasts from 30 minutes to two hours at
temperatures of 250 degrees Fahrenheit and higher. As the beans turn over and
over, their moisture content drops, their color changes to a rich brown, and the
characteristic aroma of chocolate becomes evident.
What Follows Roasting
Proper roasting is one of the keys to good flavor, but there
are still several more steps to follow. After roasting, the beans are quickly
cooled and their thin shells, made brittle by roasting, are removed. In most
factories, this is done by a "cracker and fanner," a giant winnowing
machine that passes the beans between serrated cones so they are cracked rather
than crushed. In the process, a series of mechanical sieves separate the broken
pieces into large and small grains while fans blow away the thin, light shell
from the meat or "nibs." The nibs, which contain about 53 percent cocoa butter, are
next conveyed to mills, where they are crushed between large grinding stones or
heavy steel discs. The process generates enough frictional heat to liquefy the
cocoa butter and form what is commercially know as chocolate liquor. The term
liquor does not refer to alcohol, it simply means liquid. When the liquid is
poured into molds and allowed to solidify, the resulting cakes are unsweetened
or bitter chocolate. Up to this point, the manufacturing of cocoa and chocolate is
identical. The process now diverges, but there is an important interconnection
to be noted. The by-product of cocoa shortly becomes an essential component of
chocolate. That component is the unique vegetable fat, cocoa butter, which forms
about 25 percent of the weight of most chocolate bars.
How to Make Cocoa Powder
The chocolate liquor, destined to become a cup of cocoa, is
pumped into giant hydraulic presses weighing up to 25 tons, where pressure is
applied to remove the desired cocoa butter. The fat drains away through metallic
screens as a yellow liquid. It is then collected for use in chocolate
manufacturing. Cocoa butter has such importance for the chocolate industry
that it deserves more than a passing mention. It is unique among vegetable fats
because it is a solid at normal room temperature and melts at 89 to 93 degrees
Fahrenheit, which is just below body temperature. Its success in resisting
oxidation and rancidity makes it very practical. Under normal storage
conditions, cocoa butter can be kept for years without spoiling. The pressed cake that is left after the removal of cocoa
butter can be cooled, pulverized and sifted into cocoa powder. Cocoa that is
packaged for sale to grocery stores or put into bulk for use as a flavor by
dairies, bakeries, and confectionery manufacturers, may have 10 percent or more
cocoa butter content. "Breakfast cocoa," a less common type, must
contain at least 22 percent cocoa butter. In the so-called "Dutch" process, the manufacturer
treats the cocoa with an alkali to develop a slightly different flavor and give
the cocoa a darker appearance characteristic of the Dutch type. The alkali acts
as a processing agent rather than as a flavor ingredient.
How to Make Eating Chocolate
While cocoa is made by removing some of the cocoa butter,
eating chocolate is made by adding it. This holds true of all eating chocolate,
whether it is dark, bittersweet, or milk chocolate. Besides enhancing the
flavor, the added cocoa butter serves to make the chocolate more fluid. One example of eating chocolate is sweet chocolate, a
combination of unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter and perhaps a little
vanilla. Making it entails melting and combining the ingredients in a large
mixing machine until the mass has the consistency of dough. Milk chocolate, the most common form of eating chocolate,
goes through essentially the same mixing process-except that it involves using
less unsweetened chocolate and adding milk. Whatever ingredients are used, the mixture then travels
through a series of heavy rollers set one atop the other. Under the grinding
that takes place here, the mixture is refined to a smooth paste ready for
"conching."
What is Conching?
Conching is a flavor development process which puts the
chocolate through a "kneading" action and takes its name from the
shell-like shape of the containers originally employed. The "conches,"
as the machines are called, are equipped with heavy rollers that plow back and
forth through the chocolate mass anywhere from a few hours to several days.
Under regulated speeds, these rollers can produce different degrees of agitation
and aeration in developing and modifying the chocolate flavors. In some manufacturing setups, there is an emulsifying
operation that either takes the place of conching or else supplements it. This
operation is carried out by a machine that works like an eggbeater to break up
sugar crystals and other particles in the chocolate mixture to give it a fine,
velvety smoothness. After the emulsifying or conching machines, the mixture goes
through a tempering interval-heating, cooling and reheating-and then at last
into molds to be formed into the shape of the complete product. The molds take a
variety of shapes and sizes, from the popular individual-size bars available to
consumers to a ten-pound block used by confectionery manufacturers.
Ready for Shipment
When the molded chocolate reaches the cooling chamber,
cooling proceeds at a fixed rate that keeps hard-earned flavor intact. The bars
are then removed from the molds and passed along to wrapping machines to be
packed for shipment to distributors, confectioners and others throughout the
country. For convenience, chocolate is frequently shipped in a liquid
state when intended for use by other food manufacturers. Whether solid or
liquid, it provides candy, cookie, and ice cream manufacturers with the most
popular flavor for their products. Additionally, a portion of the United State's
total chocolate output goes into coatings, powders and flavorings that add zest
to our foods in a thousand different ways.
Inside a Chocolate Factory
In touring a chocolate factory, one is
particularly impressed by the close controls maintained throughout operations.
Work is carried out in an atmosphere of scientific exactness and nothing is left
to chance. Precision instruments regulate temperatures, stabilize the
moisture content of the air, and control the time intervals of manufacturing
operations and other items necessary to achieve quality results. The equipment of a factory is heavy, massive and complex.
Often representing an investment of many millions of dollars, there are
literally tons of equipment that the cocoa beans must pass through on their way
to becoming chocolate.
Automation Does the Job
Besides the equipment already described, the industry employs
a number of fascinating machines to do the work of shaping and packaging
chocolate into the familiar forms that we see every day on store counters. Some
of the shaping machines perform at amazing speeds, squirting out jets of
chocolate that solidify into special shapes at a rate of several hundred a
minute.* Other machines do a complete job of wrapping and packaging at speeds
that human hands would find impossible. (* Separate from the chocolate industry but of interest
nonetheless, is the enrober-a machine employed by many candy manufactures in the
creation of assorted chocolates. The enrober receives lines of assorted centers
(nuts, nougats, fruit or whatever desired filling) and showers them with a
waterfall of liquid chocolate. This generally covers and surrounds each center
with a blanket of chocolate. Yet other confectionery machines create a
hallow-molded shell of chocolate which is then filled with a soft or liquid
center before the bottom is sealed with chocolate.) The mechanized nature of the entire chocolate-making process
contributes greatly to the industry's high standards of hygiene and sanitation.
To keep check on these standards, chocolate factories constantly run quality
tests, which show whether the process is proceeding within the strict
limitations designed for each product. These tests cover an amazing range-there
are tests for the viscosity of chocolate, for the cocoa butter content, for
acidity, for the fineness of a product and, of course, tests for purity and
taste of the desired finished product. All chocolate manufacturers, it is important to note, must
meet the standards as set forth in the rules and regulations of The Food and
Drug Administration. These govern manufacturing formulas, even to the extent of
specifying the minimum content of the chocolate liquor and milk used. They also
impose strict rules regarding the flavorings and other ingredients that may be
used.
Reasons for Secrecy
Where methods of manufacturing are concerned; however,
manufacturers have a completely free hand and have developed individual
variations from the "pattern." Each manufacturer seeks to protect his
own methods by conducting certain operations under an atmosphere of secrecy.
Modern technology, in this respect, is reminiscent of the day of the Spanish
monopoly. Today's "secrets," unlike those of old, include
many small but important details which center around key manufacturing
operations. No chef guards his favorite recipes more zealously than the
chocolate manufacturer guards his formulas for blending beans or the time
intervals he gives to his conching. Time intervals, temperatures and proportions
of ingredients are three critical factors that no company wants to divulge.
A Sanitary Atmosphere
A visit to a chocolate factory certainly will not reveal any
secrets; however, the visitor will be impressed by the gleaming appearance that
such a place has. Chocolate manufacturers conduct all operations under sanitary,
laboratory-like conditions in keeping with the purity of the products they make.
They follow a daily regimen of machine maintenance and general housekeeping that
is not exceeded in the food industry. Cleanliness is, indeed, the universal byword of the chocolate
industry. Chocolate factories not only have careful programs for industrial
sanitation and for the personal hygiene of their employees, but they are
continually striving to improve their programs.
A plant within a plant
Technicians use laboratories to analyze every phase of
chocolate preparation-from raw materials to finished products. They test samples
for the market as well as experimental products produced in a company's pilot
plants. These pilot plants consist of miniature equipment which
duplicates a company's entire chocolate making process and those of some of
their customers, as well as providing sample quantities of any product desired.
Chocolate manufacturers are making increasing use of pilot plants in conjunction
with their laboratory research programs to develop interesting new products and
find new ways of making the old ones.
Chocolate and Health
Many of the old myths about chocolate
and health are crumbling under the weight of scientific fact. The once-prevalent
belief that something that tastes so good just cannot be good for you has given
way to a more balanced picture of chocolate and cocoa products and their
relation to health and nutrition. The following are brief reviews on recent findings which
counter several of the common misinterpretations of the effects of chocolate on
health.
Chocolate and Acne
Over the past two decades, research has revealed that
chocolate neither causes nor aggravates acne. Acne, a condition resulting from
the extreme activity of the skin's oil glands during puberty, is not linked
primarily to diet. In research conducted at the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, a control group was given a bar
with no chocolate which resembled a chocolate bar and had 28 percent vegetable
fat to imitate the fat content of chocolate liquor and cocoa butter. A similar
group was given real chocolate, but the test bars contained almost 10 times as
much chocolate liquor as a normal 1.4 ounce chocolate bar. At the end of the
test, the average acne condition of the persons in the group eating chocolate
was almost the same as those who had no chocolate. A group of 80 midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in
Annapolis, Maryland, all of whom had acne conditions ranging from mild to
moderate, were divided into groups, both experiencing the same living, dining
and physical activities. One group avoided all chocolate for four weeks, the
other included a minimum of three bars in their daily diet. After four weeks,
the groups exchanged eating patterns. Clinical observations, facial overlays and
photographs showed no significant changes in the acne conditions in either
group.
Chocolate and Caffeine
The amount of caffeine ingested when people eat chocolate in
normal quantities is very small. 1.4 ounces of milk chocolate, for example,
contains about 6 milligrams of caffeine, about the same as the amount found in a
cup of decaffeinated coffee. Thus, the role of caffeine in chocolate is
largely a non-issue.
Chocolate and Dental Caries
Tooth decay has become less of a problem for Americans over
the last 25 years. Between 1960 and 1980 the incidence of cavities has dropped
by 50 percent. Today, more than one-third of all college-aged Americans have
never had a single cavity. It is widely accepted that all foods containing
"fermentable carbohydrates" have the potential to contribute to caries
formation. Fermentable carbohydrates are present in starches and sugars,
including those that occur naturally in foods and those added in processed
foods. Frequency and duration of tooth exposure to fermentable carbohydrates
have been identified as factors in caries. Although chocolate contains fermentable carbohydrates, a
number of dental research studies suggest that chocolate may be less apt to
promote tooth decay than has been traditionally believed. Research at the
Forsyth Dental Center in Boston and at the University of Pennsylvania, School of
Dental Medicine has shown that cocoa and chocolate have the ability to offset
the acid-producing potential of the sugar they contain. Acid, produced by
certain oral bacteria that digest or "ferment" sugars, can damage
tooth enamel and cause decay. Cocoa and chocolate have also been shown to reduce
the demineralization process-an activity which directly results in the formation
of dental caries. In a study conducted at the Eastman Dental Center in
Rochester, New York, milk chocolate and chocolate chip cookies were found to be
among the snack foods which contribute least to dental decay. The
researchers reported that: "Milk chocolate has a high content of protein,
calcium, phosphate and other minerals, all of which have exhibited protective
effects on tooth enamel. In addition, due to its natural fat content, milk
chocolate clears the mouth relatively faster than other candies. These factors
are thought to be responsible for making milk chocolate less cariogenic."
Chocolate and Nutrients
Chocolate provides a number of nutrients the body requires
daily. A milk chocolate bar weighing 1.4 ounces contains about three grams of
protein, fifteen percent of the Daily Value of riboflavin, nine percent of the
Daily Value for calcium and seven percent of the Daily Value for iron. Almonds and peanuts added to chocolate increase the nutrients
in a bar. This is particularly true for protein. Milk chocolate bars with
almonds also have increased amounts of calcium, iron and riboflavin.
Chocolate and Weight Control
Contrary to the popular stereotype, most overweight people do
not eat excessive amounts of cake, cookies, confectionery or other foods
containing sugar. Their sugar intake tends, in fact, to be below average. More important in controlling weight is the total number of
calories consumed each day and the amount of energy expended in physical
activity. Overweight children, for example, are generally less active than those
of normal weight; thus, they may remain overweight even when their caloric
intake is reasonable or even limited. Moreover, many people overestimate the calories in chocolate.
A 1.4 ounce milk chocolate bar contains approximately 210 calories-low enough to
incorporate into a weight control diet. The occasional chocolate confection may
also reduce the possibility of a binge, which can occur as a result of feeling
deprived of highly satisfying foods such as chocolate.
Chocolate and Cocoa Butter
Cocoa butter, the fat that occurs
naturally in cocoa beans, gives chocolate its distinctive smoothness and
"melt-in-the-mouth" texture. Research has shown that cocoa butter, despite its
high saturated fat content, does not raise blood
cholesterol
levels as do other saturated fats. This is due to its high
satiric acid content. Satiric acid, one of the principal fatty acids in cocoa
butter, has been found to be used in the body differently, in that it may reduce
levels of cholesterol in the blood. Lastly, about chocolate milk. Chocolate
milk provides more zinc, potassium, niacin and riboflavin than plain whole milk.
In terms of calcium, protein and vitamin B, plain milk has slightly more. For
all other nutrients, plain milk and chocolate milk are about the same. Additionally, children are more likely to drink chocolate
milk than plain milk. Studies have shown that the amount of chocolate milk left
un-drunk by children in grades 1 through 5 was about two-thirds less than when
only plain milk was offered. Moreover, research conducted at the University of Rhode
Island suggests chocolate milk may have benefits for individuals who are lactose
intolerant. Research reveals that lactose intolerant individuals who consumed
chocolate milk showed significant reductions in their symptoms.
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