Today, we’re going to indulge in one of life’s sweetest pleasures: chocolate! The Eat Your Greens with Dr. Black podcast is all about supporting a plant-based diet and I’ve got some delightful news for you. Yes, that’s right – chocolate comes from a plant. Hooray! So, let’s dive into the rich, dark world of chocolate and uncover some deliciously fun facts and health benefits.
How Chocolate is Made
Many of us know that chocolate comes from a tree. Specifically, it’s the Theobroma cacao tree. Now here’s a trivia bit I recently unearthed: Do you know the difference between cacao and cocoa? Cacao refers to the seed pods or fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree. Just like coffee, we often call these seeds ‘beans,’ but in reality, they’re not beans at all.
To make chocolate, farmers harvest these cacao seeds from the fruit. The seeds go through a natural fermentation process, then they’re dried out and sometimes roasted to produce chocolate nibs. These nibs can be used to make chocolate or can be pressed to separate the cocoa butter from the actual cocoa. Cocoa butter makes up about half of the cacao seed, with the remaining portion used to make cocoa powder (perfect for baking those yummy treats).
Chocolate Trivia
- It takes about 400 cacao beans to make one pound of chocolate. That’s a lot of beans!
- Each Theobroma cacao tree produces around 2,500 beans per season, equaling a little over six pounds of chocolate per tree per year.
- Switzerland holds the record for the highest per capita chocolate consumption. No surprise there!
- The ancient Mayans and Aztecs actually used cacao beans as currency. Imagine paying for your groceries in chocolate!
- 90% of chocolate today comes from trees grown in West Africa.
- The world’s largest chocolate bar weighed over 12,000 pounds! That’s almost 500,000 cacao beans worth of chocolate!
- In April 2023, the Russell Stover Chocolate Company made the Guinness Book of World Records with the largest box of chocolates, weighing over 5,600 pounds with 205 different pieces inside.
Health Benefits of Chocolate
- Full of Antioxidants: Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is high in antioxidants. These little heroes fight off cell-damaging free radicals. Just imagine antioxidants running around your body with tiny shields and capes, tackling free radicals faster than you can say ‘superfood.’
- Reduced Risk of Heart Attack: Dark chocolate can lower blood pressure and improves blood flow to the heart. Next time you munch on a dark chocolate bar, think of it as a way to show your heart some love.
- Reduced Risk of Stoke: the same mechanisms that protect your heart also protect your brain from blood clots.
- Improved Cognitive Function: Studies suggest it can boost your cognitive abilities, helping you think, focus, and remember better. It’s like giving your brain a chocolatey turbo charge.
- Enhanced Athletic Performance: More blood flow means better muscle performance. Yes, chocolate might just be your next secret weapon for breaking your gym records!
- Rich in Nutrients: Dark chocolate is loaded with iron, zinc, magnesium, and FIBER! Soluble fiber, to be exact. Add that to your diet and keep things movin’ smoothly.
- Stress Reduction: Chocolate can significantly lower stress levels. Just the smell of it can activate soothing theta brainwaves. Plus, it also contains natural endorphins – you know, those feel-good chemicals. Think of chocolate as the relaxing spa treatment for your brain.
Dark chocolate has its perks, but moderation is key. Chocolate still contains sugar and fat, sometimes enough to transform a pleasant treat into a calorie bomb. And for some people, it can trigger reflux or migraines. But the silver lining is that most dark chocolate, with its 70% or more cacao content, is vegan-friendly. So, indulge in moderation and reap those sweet health benefits!
Bonus Recipe: Antioxidant Chocolate Cherry Milkshake 🍒🍫
- 1 cup frozen cherries
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs
- 1/2 cup unsweetened tart cherry juice
- 1/2 cup soy or almond milk
Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!