Chocolate! Melting in your mouth and enveloping you delicate sweetness And slight bitterness. Many women and girls can give up a lot to maintain their figure, but never chocolate! Find out how to connect your love for this dessert with the process of losing weight - which chocolate is healthier, how much to eat without harm, and what are the benefits of chocolate. Check out the nutritionist's verdict.
A participant in sacred rituals, a “sweet sin”, a remedy for depression and illness, a sweet drug – how much has been said about the chocolate we are used to over the entire history of its existence. Annual studies of chocolate are conducted, the harm or benefit of which is then questioned, then proven again. Invented especially for those with a sweet tooth! Meanwhile, healing properties, which this dessert has, belongs to only two components, and all other additives add harm and cause problems with the figure.
Let's take it in order...
Chocolate production
Various manufacturers They use their own recipe and experiment with the composition. True chocolatiers keep secret the special nuances of production. But we will look at those stages that are the basis for chocolate production.1. Roasting cocoa beans
The fruits of the cocoa tree undergo cleaning and selection of ripened and ripe beans. The best ones are fried until uniformly brown.2. Refining
The stage of cooling the cocoa beans after roasting and dumping them into a bean machine, which grinds, refines, and removes the husk. Then thorough grinding occurs.3. Extracting cocoa butter
Cocoa butter is squeezed out of the resulting particles, for this they are subjected to heat treatment and sent under the press. The dry residue is separated, which is the cocoa powder we are used to.4. Adding ingredients
IN different proportions, depending on the quality of the final product, the following are mixed: - Cocoa mass;Sugar;
Cocoa butter (to save money, manufacturers replace it with cheap Palm oil or trans fats, and the remainder of the cocoa butter is sold for cosmetic purposes);
Vanilla (according to recipe).
On a note! There should be nothing else in classic chocolate, read the labels and choose quality chocolate without unnecessary food and chemical additives.
5. Thorough kneading
Chocolate mass with added ingredients are mixed in special machines at high temperatures to evaporate moisture, obtain a homogeneous structure and remove excess substances.6. Tempering
The most important stage at which chocolate becomes an appetizing bar. Several alternating steps of cooling and then heating the cocoa mass to achieve the shine and hardness of the original product.7. Molding and cooling
After adding the filling (nuts, dried fruits, etc.) thick mass poured into molds and placed in the refrigerator.Composition of chocolate, benefits and harms
Chocolate differs in:- Gorky (black)
- Lactic
- White
Composition of dark chocolate
– cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter.
High content cocoa mass and minimizing sugar make dark chocolate bitter and can hardly be classified as sweet. This type of treat will tone you up no less than a cup of coffee.
Compound milk chocolate
– cocoa mass, sugar, milk (most often powdered), cocoa butter.
The sugar content and high fat content make it sweeter and more delicate in texture.
White chocolate composition
– milk, sugar, cocoa butter.
“Sweet milk, but not chocolate” - true gourmets They don’t recognize this dessert as chocolate. The delicacy was classified as chocolate only because of the cocoa butter in the composition, which in many bars is replaced with lecithin, palm oil or butter.
Cocoa liquor contains up to 60% cocoa butter, which is the main criterion for determining the quality of chocolate. In cheap sweets that have nothing in common with real chocolate, practically no cocoa butter is added. But an inflated price will not guarantee the quality of the product.
On a note! When reading the bar wrapper, pay attention to the order in which the cocoa butter in the composition is indicated. If you see that it is placed after cocoa powder in bitter chocolate and after sugar in milk chocolate, and besides, it does not appear in the composition milk fat, palm oil, thickeners, then with a high degree of probability you have a quality product.
It follows from this that the real classic chocolate– these are only 3-4 main components. Availability food additives, substitutes and analogues makes the product useless for health, and in some cases even harmful.
Which chocolate is healthier for your diet?
The benefits of chocolate come only from cocoa liquor and cocoa butter.Active substances- calcium, magnesium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, flavonoids, caffeine, theobromine, antioxidants - all this is contained in cocoa and has a positive effect on the biochemical processes of the body.
On a note! Cocoa is beneficial for those who are more sensitive to caffeine and cannot afford to drink coffee. Cocoa contains a lot of tonic components and antioxidants, just like coffee. Causes an increase in mood, helps to gain vigor and tone without attacks of tachycardia, which is different from coffee-containing drinks. It is useful to drink cocoa with milk during work periods in the evenings without fear of developing insomnia.
Please note that white chocolate does not contain all of the above. This means that there is no benefit in it and there is nowhere to come from - only pure sugar and fat.
The benefit of dark chocolate is its 2 times lower sugar content compared to milk chocolate. On the contrary, cocoa products predominate in the dark treat and provide a fortified product. Dark chocolate, in comparison with milk chocolate, differs in its iron content by as much as 5 times!
According to the composition requirements of Russian and European manufacturers, it is better to choose chocolate, be it black or milk, made in Europe.
Bottom line: You have already guessed that dark chocolate is preferable in all respects, but do not forget to read the label and study the possible benefits of dark chocolate.
How to choose quality dark chocolate?
Here are a few steps on how to choose dark chocolate:According to GOST R 52821-2007, for all manufacturers of dark chocolate there is a restriction on the content grated cocoa at least 55%, for cocoa butter the minimum value is 33%.1) Choose chocolate with a cocoa content of 75% or higher;
2) Do not trust both low and inflated prices;
3) Study the composition for the presence of foreign additives.
The problem is that manufacturers have the right not to indicate these percentages on the label. Yes, we are dealing with big amount low-quality products on the shelves.
At the beginning of 2015, SOEKS ANO Soyuzexpertiza of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry was held analysis of samples for compliance with GOST of popular brands of dark chocolate taken from store shelves. The samples included both domestic and foreign products.
Participants in the experiment with violations of GOST:
- "Victory",
- "Autumn Waltz"
- "SladCo"
- "Amur",
- "Gold medal",
- “Frey” NOIR 85% CACAO dark bitter (Switzerland),
- « Ritter SPORT» bitter with elite cocoa from Ecuador 71% cocoa (Germany).
1 place– Manufacturer: “Red October”, Moscow Region, Kolomna “Bitter chocolate 80% cocoa”
2nd place- Manufacturer: OJSC “Babaevsky Confectionery Concern”, Moscow “Babaevsky Chocolate” elite bitter 75% cocoa”
3rd place- Manufacturer: LLC " Confectionery factory named after Krupskaya”, St. Petersburg “Bitter dessert chocolate “Vernisage” 70% cocoa”
4th place- Manufacturer: CF “Volshebnitsa”, Moscow region, Lyuberetsky district “Golden Medal” bitter chocolate”
When is the best time to eat chocolate?
If you are at the stage of losing weight:
Time to eat any product related to fast carbohydrates (Sweet tooths can lose weight, adhering to a few basic rules. Another rule is the time when you eat sweets. Allow yourself to eat sweets only in the first half of the day, and do not eat them at night. The most high-calorie foods, such as cakes, pastries with butter or custard, baked goods, puff pastries, products from yeast dough Ideally, it should be completely excluded from your diet. If, however, you absolutely cannot live without it, experience depression and stress, then eat all of the above foods, but in small quantities. A small piece will be enough to satisfy your natural sweet needs.
Sweet diet for weight loss
Learn to eat sweets for weight loss in small portions, place desserts on small saucers. Hide the remaining piece of cake or pastry away. Arrange the food in the refrigerator so that when you open it you won’t be looking at the sweets. Hide them behind other foods, this will make it easier for you to control yourself.
Another pattern was discovered by nutritionists. Try Don't eat desserts with tea! Conducted experiments prove that people who ate dessert before tea or without tea at all managed with a much smaller portion of dessert than those who ate sweets with tea.
If you get rid of habits of eating sweets along with tea, coffee, cocoa, cappuccino etc., then the weight loss process will speed up several times.
What sweets are not harmful to your figure?
Chocolate lovers should also know one thing. If you are on a diet or really want to lose weight, but cannot do without chocolate for several days, choose only bitter chocolate. Do not allow yourself to eat white or milk chocolate; these types of chocolate contain a lot of extra sweetness and sugars, and they are several times higher in calories than black chocolate.
So, all those with a sweet tooth can take note of 6 tips on how not to gain weight from sweets.
1 Eat sweets before lunch
2 Eat only low calorie fruits, yoghurts, mousses, jellies
3 Eat sweets without tea, coffee and other drinks, drink tea without anything
4 Eat dark chocolate instead of white and milk chocolate
5 Eat marshmallows, marshmallows, marmalade, instead of pastries, pastries, cakes, as they are considered healthy sweets for the figure
6 Eat fruit ice, instead of ice cream
Sweets that don't make you feel better
Below you can find out why marshmallows are not harmful to your figure, and what time of day is best to eat them.
SWEET: HOW TO GET RID OF ADDICTION
Many people, especially women, cannot live without sweets and cakes. And then they suffer from excess weight or diabetes. Is it possible to reduce cravings for sweets?
Doctors console: it is possible and necessary. After all, a chocolate “binge” (as well as candy, cake and bakery) is fraught not only with diabetes and obesity, but also with problems with the heart and blood vessels, digestive disorders, weakened immunity (due to excess sugar, many useful material). Not to mention the fact that a craving for sweets can develop into an addiction akin to a drug: chocolate, cookies and others like them stimulate the release of endorphins - joy hormones. This effect does not last long, but the brain remembers that it was the sweets that made it “happy” and requires more. And everything would be fine: after all, sweets are not vodka with cigarettes, but over time, more and more doping is required and it becomes more and more difficult to get off the sweet “needle”. However, nothing is impossible!
Step 1. Forget about juices from a package and sweet soda. These drinks are loaded with sugar! One glass of juice contains 5 or more teaspoons of sugar, and soda contains up to 8. Moreover, they are full of dyes, flavors and other harmful substances. Quench your thirst plain water or tea without sugar, and replace the juices from the package with freshly squeezed ones (again, without sugar).
Step 2. Avoid processed foods, sausages, pickles and marinades - these products also contain sugar. And there is a lot of it there.
Step 3: Give Preference complex carbohydrates(you will find them in porridge, pasta from durum varieties wheat, flour bread coarse, vegetables, unsweetened fruits). They will energize you good mood and reduce cravings for simple carbohydrates found in sweets and rolls. Having eaten a bowl of porridge for breakfast (and not a piece of cake with tea - they say, you can do it in the morning, everything will burn before the evening), you will not pounce on chocolates and cakes at noon: your body is full, it does not need sweet “feeding”. It is better not to add sugar to porridge. But a spoonful of honey, fruit or dried fruit is fine. They will improve its taste.
Step 4. Refrain from sweeteners - they are not for everyone. Do not overuse fructose - it is high in calories.
Step 5. Include foods containing chromium in your diet: sea and river fish, beef liver, pearl barley, broccoli, bananas, apples. Foods rich in chromium reduce the need for sweets.
Step 6. Don't keep sweets in the house - it's like buying an alcoholic a bottle of vodka in the hope that he won't drink it. He'll still drink! If guests are expected to arrive, buy sweets immediately before their arrival.
Step 7. If sweets are a way of self-soothing for you, learn to relax differently: go for a walk, do yoga, take a warm bath with sea salt. Pamper yourself with a trip to the spa, the theater, a movie (preferably a comedy), and chatting with friends. Great way dispel the melancholy - dance: physical activity promotes the production of endorphins.
Any child can eat a chocolate bar, but not even all adults know how to do it correctly. Many will be surprised to learn that the process of eating chocolate should be taken seriously and even follow certain rules, because in fact, the taste of chocolate even depends on the time of day and the air temperature in the room where you are going to eat it. Fortunately, very soon the Fifth Chocolate Salon will be held in Moscow, where the main experts in this field will gather, and we decided to learn from them how to eat chocolate correctly.
A few words about chocolate
A few words about chocolate
Most useful variety chocolate - dark. Dairy contains a lot of sugar, its consumption seriously harms your figure, and White chocolate, strictly speaking, is not chocolate at all. There is not a single gram of cocoa in it, but for traditional chocolate this is a prerequisite. Scientists have proven that dark chocolate not just useful, but in some cases even necessary, for example, for people suffering diabetes mellitus. It contains greatest number microelements that lower blood pressure and blood sugar. Dark chocolate also has a positive effect on vision, reduces the risk of vascular thrombosis and improves mood.
Simple rules
Simple rules
Once you buy a bar, do not put it in the refrigerator; chocolate does not like temperature changes. Ideal conditions To consume this dessert - 22-24 degrees Celsius, moderate dryness and daylight. White chocolate goes well with nuts: cashews and hazelnuts, berries: strawberries, blueberries, and brie cheese. The taste of milk chocolate is best revealed by oranges, peanuts, goji berries and, believe it or not, bacon. Experts recommend trying dark ones with salted caramel, mint, lime, grapes or seafood. If we talk about compatibility with drinks, then white chocolate goes well with any white wines, dairy wines can be enjoyed with Burgundy and rose wines and port, while dark chocolate is best combined with red wines. Remember Golden Rule: there must be wine sweeter than chocolate.
There can be no strict rules for chocolate because it should be enjoyable. There are only recommendations that will help you enjoy the taste of dessert and feel it better.
Claire Coutin, director of the Moscow Salon of Chocolate
You can't do that
You can't do that
- If you have never tried it before, then do not buy chocolate with a cocoa content of 85%-100%, it will seem very bitter to you and will discourage you from eating dark chocolate in general.
- Don’t try to eat a chocolate bar quickly - before you even have time to understand what it was, you’ll have gobbled up the whole bar. And you won’t satisfy your hunger, and you won’t get pleasure.
- It’s better not to chew chocolate - hold the square in your mouth and let it melt a little, the taste will develop as much as possible, become rich, and besides, you won’t be able to overeat.
- Do not buy stale chocolate - it has already lost half of the most important thing - its unique smell.
- Don't eat chocolate on an empty stomach. To enjoy dessert, wait at least half an hour after eating.
Chocolate in Belgium
Chocolate in Belgium
The real capital of chocolate is Brussels; more than 500 chocolatiers ply their trade professionally in the city! In general, Belgium produces almost 200,000 tons of chocolate per year. There are more than 2,000 shops, 16 museums and 12 chocolate factories. The owner of the Belgian chocolate atelier, Frederic Blondel, once said that his compatriots would rather survive without the Government than without chocolate. True, we must admit that tiles are less popular here than sweets with various fillings. In addition, the Belgians divide the delicacy into chocolate “for their own” and chocolate “for tourists,” so when choosing a dessert, be careful and don’t grab the first beautiful wrapper you come across.
Chocolate in France
Chocolate in France
There are more than 300 sweet shops in Paris, and the chocolate croissant is an integral part traditional breakfast in France. Moreover, the French prefer not chocolates, and bars: traditional dark French chocolate contains the least amount of sugar compared to the “world quantity”, and the percentage of cocoa beans in it ranges from 62% to 86% or more. It is also known that the French use less butter and cream, which is why French sweets are among the least caloric, and French ladies are slim and graceful at any age.
We French take pride in our cuisine and take food very seriously. Of course, this also applies to chocolate. Chocolate is generally one of the most beloved products in our country; we even have two holidays on which it is traditional to give this dessert as a gift in France - Christmas and Easter.
Chocolate once again confirmed its reputation as a controversial product. Despite its fat content and calorie content, scientists have discovered an ingredient in chocolate that promotes weight loss.
Text: Alevtina Ivanova
It is unlikely that anyone will say for sure whether chocolate is primarily healthy or harmful product. Every other day he is declared either the savior of humanity or its worst enemy. If you type in any search engine the name “chocolate benefits” or “chocolate harm”, you will get great amount facts and assumptions that contradict each other.
And now scientists under the leadership of Dr. Beatrice Golomb from the University of California at San Diego discovered another advantage. It turns out that it contains ingredients that promote. They speed up metabolism, stimulate energy consumption by cells and regulate the process.
During the study, scientists divided the body mass index (BMI = body weight (in kg) by the square of height (in meters) in thousands of healthy men and women. BMI ranged from 17) to 50 (above 35 - severe obesity). All participants were divided into several groups - some were pampered with chocolate five times a week, others - from time to time. To the surprise of the scientists, the “sweet tooth” had a BMI one point lower than the other participants. And at the same time they consumed fewer calories than others.
The association between chocolate consumption and weight was significant even after controlling for other factors, e.g. physical activity. However, the researchers did not find any connection between the weight of the eater and the amount of food eaten. In other words, it's more important how often you eat chocolate, not how much you eat.
The study by American scientists was published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. “Our results complement existing information that it is the composition of calories, and not just their quantity, that is important in determining their effect on weight,” the BBC Russian Service cites Dr. Golomb’s opinion.
She theorized that cocoa beans contain some kind of ingredient that makes them more efficient at consuming calories. For example, bioflavonoids catechins - these antioxidant compounds can improve muscle mass and reduce weight. At the very least, these compounds increase endurance, which was confirmed by a study conducted on rodents. For 15 days, the mice were fed epicatechin, which contains cocoa beans and dark chocolate. After this, they performed the exercises better, their muscle mass, they spun the wheel 50% longer than mice that did not receive epicatechin. Now, to confirm their findings, scientists plan to conduct clinical studies in humans.
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