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COCOA YES, IT'S GOOD FOR YOU!!
Family: Sterculiaceae, other members include Kola
Genus and Species: Theobroma cacao
Also Known As: Chocolate, cacao
Parts Used:Seed (often called bean)
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Here
is a picture of the Cacoa Fruit where the seeds used to make chocolate
and cocoa are found. YUM!!
A few years ago a burst of publicity surrounded a report
suggesting that eating chocolate causes the release of brain chemicals
responsible for the feeling of being in love. Though this research is yet
to be confirmed, your favorite vice may just be what the doctor ordered!
Cocoa and its derivative chocolate, may aid digestion, boost blood flow
to the heart, and help anyone with chest congestion breathe easier. Read
on!!
THE NOT SO SWEET HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
Chocolate was once a rare and exotic luxury reserved
only for the wealthy and priviledged.
When Columbus landed in the New World, the native people
were already cultivating the cacao tree for its precious fruit, the cacao
bean, from which chocolate was ultimately extracted. It was Columbus himself
who introduced the cacao bean to Europe, presenting a handful of dried
beans to a rather indignant Spanish court, disdainful of the humble-appearing
beans.
When the Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez and his
soldiers marched into the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) he
found the emporer Montezuma and his nobles drinking a brown, bitter tasting
drink from golden goblets in a sacred daily ritual. They called this drink
Xocolatl. They believed that the drink endowed them with supernatural powers
and bestowed health, strength, longevity, and sexual vigor. It was considered
a gift from the Gods (In fact, 100 cacao beans could buy a healthy human
slave).
Once the Spanish nobility put aside their disdain for
the beans and tasted the chocolate drink they became passionate devotees
(1660's). For European tastes, however, the drink was too bitter, so they
sweetened it with sugar and milk and sometimes added spices like nutmeg.
In 1828 the cocoa press was invented making the process
of grinding cacao beans easier. Before, chocolate was gritty and grainy,
similar to coffee without the grounds removed. But now, the quality of
chocolate liquor was improved.
A Swiss inventor Daniel Peter experimented with the addition
of milk to so that the liquor could be molded and allowed to harden and
eaten in solid form. It was extremely successful!!!!
KISS THESE RUMORS GOODBYE!!
Chocolate does not cause:
Acne, Tooth decay, Heart disease, Kidney stones, Headaches,
Infant colic, High cholesterol, and Obesity. Also very few incidents of
chocolate allergy are reported. Often, chocolate allergies are actually
the result of milk allergies, which are common. Hypersensitivity to caffeine
is not a rumor, but does not indicate an allergy, and chocolate should
then be consumed in small amounts, only. (See contraindications below)
HEALING WITH COCOA
Cocoa has three chemicals which account for its use in
herbal healing: Caffeine, Theobromine, and Phenylethylamine. Cocoa
also contains several minerals such as copper, magnesium, iron, and zinc.
Recently (2003) a group of phytochemicals (flavenoids) contained in chocolate
are under study for their antioxidant function and possible health benefits.
Caffiene is only found in small quantities in chocolate
(only 10-20 percent of coffee's caffiene content) Cocoa and chocolate may
provide mild stimulation without the insomnia, jitters, and irritability
caused by coffee.
Theobromine
is a weak stimulant found in slightly
larger amounts. The combination of this and caffeine may cause the "lift"
chocolate eaters experience. Theobromine also relaxes (soothes) the smooth
muscle lining of the digestive tract which may explain why people have
room for chocolate after a heavy meal.
Theobromine and caffeine are close chemical relatives
to theophylline, a standard treatment for asthma, which opens the bronchial
passages of the lungs. They both have similar effects. Even if you don't
have asthma, try chocolate for the chest congestion of colds and flu.
Phenylethylamine also found in chocolate is related
to amphetamines, which are strong stimulants.
All three (caffeine, theobromine, and phenylethylamine)
increase the actions of neurotransmitters in the parts of the brain that
control one's abilty to pay attention and stay alert. There are also some
controversial findings/theories that chocolate has a pharmacologically
active substance that has the same effect on the brain as marijuana.
Cocoa Butter which is also derived from the plant
and is present in chocolate is also very useful for healing. It is comprised
of the monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) oleic acid which was recently
(1999) shown to have positive effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Cocoa butter itself can be rubbed on burns, chapped lips, dry skin, and
the sore nipples of nursing mothers.
Flavenoids are a subclass of polyphenols that are
also found in tea and wine. Epidemiological studies indicate that they
may have an impact on cardiovascular health. They have powerful antioxidant
properties and have been reported to decrease low density lipoprotein (LDL)
oxidation in vitro and in humans.
DIETING WITH CHOCOLATE
Nutritionists have always been aware that chocolate
contains more energy per unit weight than almost any other food. (Joseph,
p. 13)
For this reason, chocolate was almost always included
in military field rations during WWII.
While many people mistakenly consider chocolate a spice,
condiment, or flavoring, it is a full fledged food. Chocolate comes in
four forms: baking chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, and
cocoa powder.
Baking
Chocolate is pure and unsweetened, derived directly from the chocolate
liquor. It contains 53 percent cocoa butter, a fat. It is bitter in taste
and is used only in baking and confectionary applications.
(143 calories, 93 percent from fat in 1 ounce)
Semi-sweet Chocolate or "dark" chocolate is the
result of sweetening the original chocolate liquor with sugar, dextrose,
corn syrup, or other sweetening agents. It can be eaten in its natural
state like candy, as well as cooking and baking.
Fun Fact: Dark (semi-sweet) chocolate contains ten
times more antioxidants than a strawberry! In addition, studies have
shown that an ounce of dark chocolate a day increases good cholesterol
and prevents bad cholesterol from oxidizing, a process that may
contribute to a heart attack!
(135 calories, 75 percent from fat in 1 ounce)
Milk Chocolate the most popular form of chocolate.
The original chocolate liquor is sweetened and then milk products are added.
(147 calories, 56 percent from fat in 1 ounce)
Cocoa Powder a loose brown, powder prepared by
removing a large portion of the fatty cocoa butter from the liquor leaving
the powdery brown residue. Usually mixed with hot water or milk and consumed
as a beverage.
(75 calories, 65 percent from fat in 1 ounce)
Chocolate three times a day may help people to feel good
and not experience the irritability, cravings, hunger pangs, depression,
and feelings of deprivation associated with dieting. Consumed in controlled
(small 1 ounce) amounts at specifically coordinated (between breakfast,
lunch, and dinner) times of the day, that is!!! A cup of hot cocoa three
times a day 30 minutes before a meal provides a feeling of fullness so
you will be able to eat less, and can help satisfy a sweet craving after
meals as well.
The tast of chocolate is definitely something we enjoy.
Interestingly enough, chocolate is often flavored with another well known
bean called vanilla.
It is often theorized that it is not the taste of the
chocolate that we crave, but the fat. We enjoy the sensation of big round
fat globules rolling around on our tongues.
SAFETY AND CONTRAINDICATIONS
Cocoa and chocolate are on the Food and Drug Administration's
list of herbs generally regarded as safe. "Rated relatively safe when taken
in appropriate quantities for short periods of time." (heeheehee) Cocoa
should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor.
Caffeine is a classically addictive drug. It is associated
with insomnia, irritability, anxiety attacks, increased blood pressure,
elevated blood sugar, and increased risk of birth defects. Large amounts
of chocolate can produce classic caffeine side effects. Anyone suffering
from any of the conditions stated in the last two sentences should limit
caffeine consumption.
Cocoa and chocolate may cause heartburn. The herb relaxes
the valve between the stomach and esophagus, the tube that carries food
down to it. When this valve does not shut tightly, stomach acids splash
up into the esophagus causing heartburn. If cocoa or chocolate gives you
heartburn use less or stop using it.
Adamson, G., et al., HPLC method for the quantification
of procyanidins in cocoa and chocolate samples and correlation to total
antioxidant capacity. Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, 1999;
47, 4184-4188.
Castleman, Michael, The Healing Herbs - The Ultimate
Guide to the Curative Power of Nature's Medicines, Bantam Books, New
York, 1995, p. 176-181
Kondo, K., et al., Inhibition of LDL oxidation by cocoa.
Lancet, 1996; p. 348.
Kris-Etherton, P., et al., High-monounsaurated fatty acid
diets lower both plasma cholsterol and triacylglycerol concentrations.
American Journal of Clinical Nursing, 1999; 70(6), 1009-1015.
Rein, D., et al., Modulation of platelet activation by
cacoa or red wine polyphenols in vitro. FASEB Proceedings, 1999;
13(5), abstract number: 669.13.
Joseph, Robert F., MD, The Chocolate Lover's Diet -
Enjoy Chocolate and Say Good-bye to Fat, Noble Porter Press, California,
1995.
Chocolate Links
Cocoapro.com ~ Retaining
the Natural Goodness of Cocoa Beans
The Chocolate
Alliance
The
Sweet Science of Chocolate
The Chocolate Society
Everything
Chocolate
MARS, Incorproated
