Health Benefits of Chocolate

There is, quite possibly, nothing quite as seductive as a piece of chocolate melting on your tongue and filling your mouth with its rich, full-bodied flavor and then running down your throat leaving you wanting more. And I mean nothing. Maybe not even sex.

Hey...I said "maybe."

And the best news of all is...chocolate can actually be good for you.

If you think about it, chocolate is a vegetable. I know, I know...it sounds like I'm reaching here but it's true. Chocolate comes from a plant and as such, it's chock-full of flavanoids. And it's a vegetable.

What are 'flavanoids'? Something to do with taste? Nope. Not even close. Flavanoids are, among other things, antioxidants. Ah, there's a word we all know. We should -- we hear about them enough. The question is, what do they...and therefore, by extension, chocolate...do?

Antioxidants seem to help the body to resist damage on a cellular level, particularly as a result of free-radical damage caused by such trivial things as breathing, particularly when environmental toxins are an issue...and let's face it, there's always some kind of environmental toxin floating around out there. When the antioxidants aren't there to resist that cellular damage, you're leaving yourself open to things like increased LDL cholestorol oxidation and arterial plaque formation.

The benefits don't stop there, though. Flavanoids (and chocolate) also are believed to affect the relaxation capabilities of blood vessels and are thought to be beneficial to maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system.

Before you jump out of your chair and grab the nearest Hershey bar, you should probably stop and consider what kind of chocolate is better for you because yes, it does make a difference:

Milk chocolate--when many of us think of chocolate, this is what we think of. Creamy, rich and sweet...it also has less actual chocolate (only about 10%), more sugar, more fat and more calories. But yes, it is chocolate, which means it's a vegetable, which means it still has flavenoids and anti-oxidents. It's just that their effectiveness isn't all it could be.

Dark chocolate--not quite as sweet, there aren't as many milk solids added during production and include:

• Semi-sweet--these are, quite often, chocolate chips. When you bite into a Toll House cookie and you get that burst of semi-melted chocolate...that's semi-sweet. Frequently used in baking because it has less sugar than milk chocolate, although more sugar than bittersweet.
• Bittersweet--same amount of actual chocolate as semi-sweet (about 35%) but less sugar.
• German chocolate--sweeter than semi-sweet, not as sweet as milk. Created and named by Samuel German, not from its geographic origins.
• Unsweetened--used almost exclusively for baking. Take a nibble and you'll see why.

White chocolate--technically not a chocolate but close enough. It doesn't have any actual cacao in it but it is made with cocoa butter.

Remember...to get the most out of your chocolate, you want to get the most chocolate. Dark chocolate takes the day. Every day.

Physical benefits aren't all that chocolate has to offer; chocolate tends to just make us feel better. Most of us don't really think about why, we just notice that it does. When we're feeling blue, a bit of chocolate seems to make everything better. It is, arguably, the 'comfort' food. Is it all in our heads? Yes and no. Chocolate seems to have an affect on seratonin and dopamine levels. When these levels get too low, we feel sad or depressed. Chocolate raises these levels. Chocolate also seems to have an affect on the central opioid system which triggers feelings of pleasure. This might also explain why chocolate has long been considered an aphrodisiac and offered by hopeful suitors and admirers. And the just, plain hopefuls.

After all, "Candy is dandy."

The ultimate comfort food

4 cups heavy cream

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Bring the cream to a simmer in a heavy saucepan. Remove from heat. Place the chocolate in a large bowl, add 1 cup of the warm cream and let stand until the chocolate melts. Stir the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the remaining cream.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Gradually whisk in the chocolate mixture. Strain the pudding through a strainer or cheesecloth and pour into eight oven-proof ramekins. Place the ramekins in a baking pan and place on center rack of preheated oven, adding enough hot water to the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover and bake for 40-50 minutes or until set around the edges but not quite solid in the center. Cool at room temperature then cover and refrigerate.