Cooking for Diabetics
Yes, you can have chocolate!
You've probably heard that chocolate has health benefits, but never thought of it as diabetes-friendly. Surprise! Check out what a superfood chocolate really is.
Your Brain on Chocolate
The next time you need a brain power boost, try reaching for a square of dark chocolate. The way the flavonoids in dark chocolate dilate blood vessels increases blood flow to key areas in the brain. This may improve mental performance and boost alertness. Eating dark chocolate has also been shown to improve brain function in people suffering from sleep deprivation.
Cacao!
The chocolate that melts on your tongue and dazzles your tastebuds is the result of long refining process. It begins with beans harvested from cacao (pronounced kuh-KAH-oh) trees. Cacao beans are fermented, dried, roasted, and ground. Then they're turned into cocoa butter (a smooth, solid fat), chocolate liquor (ground or melted cacao beans), and cocoa powder (the nonfat part of the bean).
The Many Shades of Delicious
Unsweetened chocolate is chocolate in its rawest form and is also known as bitter chocolate or baking chocolate. It's pure chocolate liquor, which is about half cocoa butter. No sugar is added, so this chocolate has a strong, bitter taste.
Dark chocolate is made by adding more fat and sugar to chocolate liquor. The cacao content of dark chocolate can range from 30 to 99 percent, but is usually between 65 to 80 percent. Cacao content is the total percentage of components derived from the cacao bean. There are several types of dark chocolate.
| Bittersweet chocolate contains a small amount of sugar, cocoa butter, lecithin, and vanilla. It has a cacao content of at least 35 percent and may go up to 80 percent. | |
| Semisweet chocolate contains slightly more sugar and has a cacao content of at least 35 percent. | |
| Sweet dark chocolate is dark chocolate with a high percentage of sugar. It only has a cacao content between 20 to 40 percent. |
Milk chocolate is made by combining chocolate liquor, extra cocoa butter, flavorings, and milk. Depending on the product, it may contain fresh, sweetened condensed, or powdered milk.
White chocol
Go for Dark
Although milk chocolate is the most popular type of chocolate, it's dark chocolate that offers the health benefits. Cacao beans contain antioxidants — such as flavonoids and polyphenols — that protect your cells from the kinds of damage that's associated with many chronic diseases.
Because dark chocolate has a higher percentage of cacao, it delivers more antioxidant power than milk chocolate. In fact, ounce for ounce, dark chocolate contains more antioxidants than blueberries, green tea, or red wine. To get the most health benefits, you should choose chocolate with at least a 60 percent cacao content.
White Chocolate contains cocoa butter but no chocolate liquor or any other cocoa products. Some purists don't consider it "real" chocolate at all.
Your Brain on Chocolate
The next time you need a brain power boost, try reaching for a square of dark chocolate. The way the flavonoids in dark chocolate dilate blood vessels increases blood flow to key areas in the brain. This may improve mental performance and boos
Curb Cravings with Chocolate
It sounds too good to be true, but eating chocolate in moderation may help you manage your weight. A 2011 study showed that people who ate dark chocolate felt more satiated afterwards than did people who ate milk chocolate. Dark chocolate satisfies your "sweet tooth" for a longer time and may curb cravings.
Yes, you can have chocolate!
You've probably heard that chocolate has health benefits, but never thought of it as diabetes-friendly. Surprise! Check out what a superfood chocolate really is.
Your Brain on Chocolate
The next time you need a brain power boost, try reaching for a square of dark chocolate. The way the flavonoids in dark chocolate dilate blood vessels increases blood flow to key areas in the brain. This may improve mental performance and boost alertness. Eating dark chocolate has also been shown to improve brain function in people suffering from sleep deprivation.
Cacao!
The chocolate that melts on your tongue and dazzles your tastebuds is the result of long refining process. It begins with beans harvested from cacao (pronounced kuh-KAH-oh) trees. Cacao beans are fermented, dried, roasted, and ground. Then they're turned into cocoa butter (a smooth, solid fat), chocolate liquor (ground or melted cacao beans), and cocoa powder (the nonfat part of the bean).
The Many Shades of Delicious
Unsweetened chocolate is chocolate in its rawest form and is also known as bitter chocolate or baking chocolate. It's pure chocolate liquor, which is about half cocoa butter. No sugar is added, so this chocolate has a strong, bitter taste.
Dark chocolate is made by adding more fat and sugar to chocolate liquor. The cacao content of dark chocolate can range from 30 to 99 percent, but is usually between 65 to 80 percent. Cacao content is the total percentage of components derived from the cacao bean. There are several types of dark chocolate.
| Bittersweet chocolate contains a small amount of sugar, cocoa butter, lecithin, and vanilla. It has a cacao content of at least 35 percent and may go up to 80 percent. | |
| Semisweet chocolate contains slightly more sugar and has a cacao content of at least 35 percent. | |
| Sweet dark chocolate is dark chocolate with a high percentage of sugar. It only has a cacao content between 20 to 40 percent. |
Milk chocolate is made by combining chocolate liquor, extra cocoa butter, flavorings, and milk. Depending on the product, it may contain fresh, sweetened condensed, or powdered milk.
White chocol
Go for Dark
Although milk chocolate is the most popular type of chocolate, it's dark chocolate that offers the health benefits. Cacao beans contain antioxidants — such as flavonoids and polyphenols — that protect your cells from the kinds of damage that's associated with many chronic diseases.
Because dark chocolate has a higher percentage of cacao, it delivers more antioxidant power than milk chocolate. In fact, ounce for ounce, dark chocolate contains more antioxidants than blueberries, green tea, or red wine. To get the most health benefits, you should choose chocolate with at least a 60 percent cacao content.
White Chocolate contains cocoa butter but no chocolate liquor or any other cocoa products. Some purists don't consider it "real" chocolate at all.
Your Brain on Chocolate
The next time you need a brain power boost, try reaching for a square of dark chocolate. The way the flavonoids in dark chocolate dilate blood vessels increases blood flow to key areas in the brain. This may improve mental performance and boos
Curb Cravings with Chocolate
It sounds too good to be true, but eating chocolate in moderation may help you manage your weight. A 2011 study showed that people who ate dark chocolate felt more satiated afterwards than did people who ate milk chocolate. Dark chocolate satisfies your "sweet tooth" for a longer time and may curb cravings.
