http://articles.chocolategiftsonline.com/rss.xml A blog about chocolategiftsonline.com daily 365 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://articles.chocolategiftsonline.com/?a=36430 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Chocolate has been a longtime favorite of many. The earliest recorded mainstream use of chocolate was in 1529 when it was used in Spain. Since then chocolate has made stops around the globe. Introduced in liquid products in England chocolate has taken off in popularity since. Some of the first chocolate bars were bittersweet like that that became popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However chocolate really went mainstream in America around the 1920s. At that time there were approximately 40,000 different candy bars introduced in the Eastern United States.<br /><br />Chocolate has grown ever popular since it was first produce and enjoyed. There are few who do not enjoy an occasional candy bar or sweet treat made with chocolate in it. Today you can find chocolate in candy, drinks foods and even medicine.<br /><br />Chocolate has become both a favorite of many and a hindrance to many diets. The sweet smooth taste of chocolate is being constantly improved upon. There are many different types of chocolate available today. For instance, dark chocolate, which appears to produce a sweeter yet less sugary type of flavor has be come extremely popular in recent year. <br /><br />Chocolate has also long been known for its antioxidants that help to keep your body healthy. Indulging in a small piece of chocolate regularly has been shown in scientific studies to improve your mood and improve your health. As long as you don't go overboard eating a small chocolate can help your body to fight off illness and various illnesses due to lack of antioxidants.<br /><br />Chocolate is often given to others as a gift for some holidays. It is also proven to improve your mood due to releasing chemicals in your brain know as mood enhancers. Recent studies have shown that giving a small piece of chocolate to patients in the hospital can improve their mood and therefore speed the healing process.<br /><br />Dark chocolate has been show to contain the most antioxidants so if you are merely interested in the occasional chocolate for health purposes then you should be aware to use dark chocolate. The benefits have been proven by the FDA or Food and Drug Administration, which conduct and approve all regulated foods in the United States.<br /><br />Regardless of whether you eat chocolate for enjoyment or for the health benefits there is no shortage of choice. You can find chocolate in many drinks, candy, foods, and some medicines. The love for chocolate seems to be a love shared by the entire world. You will find chocolate in most countries around the globe, sometimes in small villages that you may have never expected. Isn't it great to know that wherever you go there is probably somewhere nearby where you can purchase your favorite sweet treat, chocolate?</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach Florida. Find more about this as Gourmet Chocolate Gifts at <a href="http://www.chocolategiftsonline.com/">http://www.chocolategiftsonline.com</a></p> 2006-11-22T21:37-05:00 http://articles.chocolategiftsonline.com/?a=36429 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Chocolate is finally getting the recognition many think it deserves. It has been proven in scientific studies to contain antioxidants, which are good for you. This is very exciting news to the millions of chocolate lovers around the world. What better news to receive than for a prescription to eat a sweet treat once in awhile.<br /><br />Antioxidants are similarly those found in wine and tea. These antioxidants help to inhibit or prevent heart disease in some people. The amount is small compared to some foods however even a small amount in any food will be helpful in your quest for good health.<br /><br />The most effective way to get the health benefits of chocolate is to consume the least processed type of chocolate. Dark chocolate has been shown to contain the highest amount of these health benefits. By the lack of deep processing dark chocolate has maintained its antioxidants ad therefore their benefits. <br /><br />The FDA or Food and Drug Administration is recommending a very small amount of chocolate daily however to get the most benefit stick to the dark chocolate. Many people are pleased with this prescription for better health, as most people have a love for chocolate.<br /><br />So the next time you are at the store feels free to buy that dark chocolate candy bar. Just make sure you do not sit down and eat the whole bar. Try to take one bite of a regular size candy bar and savor the taste and flavor on your tongue. After all the recommendations are clear and who doesn't want to try and prevent or inhibit the like hood of developing heart disease?<br /><br />Another way to get the health benefits of chocolate into your diet is to slip some bittersweet chocolate into some of the things you make. For instance pudding is an excellent snack. Pudding has milk in it and adds the chocolate and you have a quick and easy healthy snack. Although many people probably do not need any instruction into eating more chocolate. To chocolate lovers it comes natural.<br /><br />There is more testing in the planning for the health community to try and find more healthy uses for chocolate. In the meantime try to eat a well balanced diet and consume chocolate, preferably dark, in small doses and with moderation.<br /><br />Eating chocolate as a health food may seem a little off the wall, however if done in moderation there is no reason why you cannot eat your chocolate and reap the healthy benefits also. There is a recommended age of this finding be geared towards adults although allowing children a sweet indulgence can be very rewarding otherwise. Chocolate lovers of the world can now delight knowing that our secret prayers have been answered.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach Florida. Find more about this as Chocolate Candy Gifts at <a href="http://www.chocolategiftsonline.com/">http://www.chocolategiftsonline.com</a></p> 2006-11-22T21:34-05:00 http://articles.chocolategiftsonline.com/?a=35851 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Good news for dark chocolate lovers. Eating dark chocolate can now help lower blood pressure. A recent study was done by specialists in the US that says, dark chocolate will actually help in lowering your blood pressure. This could be just the boost you need help you in your battle with hypertension, and it's natural. <br /><br />Flavinoids, or antioxidants, as many people know them, are the ingredient that is found in food that help lower blood pressure. Tea and red wine are a couple of foods that we already knew could help in lowering blood pressure due to these natural antioxidants. Know we can add dark chocolate to this list as well. <br /><br />The study was conducted at a University in Italy that is known for its hypertension studies. Twenty people were involved in this study. All twenty people, ten female and ten male, suffer from hypertension, but had no other disease. The subjects were not on any medication or treatment plan for their high blood pressure, and none of them smoke. These people also had to avoid chocolate two weeks prior to the study so that accurate results and conclusions could be drawn from the study. <br /><br />To start the study the participants were split up into two groups with five men and five women in each. The blood pressure of each subject was taken and recorded for comparison with the end results. For 15 days one group got a 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar a day, and the other group got a 3.5 oz white chocolate bar a day. After the 15 days both groups went a week without chocolate, and then the groups switched which kind of candy bar they were getting. The only difference in the candy bars is that the white chocolate does not contain any flavinoids. <br /><br />When the next 15 days were up the subjects' readings were taken again. The group that ate the white chocolate had no differences in their readings. There was a drop in pressure in the group that did have the dark chocolate. The group that ate the dark chocolate also experienced a 10% drop in their bad cholesterol levels, and a reduction in their insulin resistance. <br /><br />If you do suffer from hypertension you should talk to your doctor and find the best treatment for you. Each person is different, and you may require other treatment. Diet and exercise are the best natural way to control this issue. Prescription medication is also needed in many cases. You should not stop your current treatment and try just eating dark chocolate every day, but you may want to think about adding it to your diet once a week. In addition to helping control hypertension, dark chocolate is good for your taste buds and your heart.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Gourmet Chocolate at <a href="http://www.chocolategiftsonline.com/">http://www.chocolategiftsonline.com</a></p> 2006-09-24T14:04-04:00 http://articles.chocolategiftsonline.com/?a=35850 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>Many people enjoy chocolate in one form or another. There are a few choices when you are choosing your favorite form too. You can have liquid or powder chocolate to mix with your drinks, or a chocolate bar, or chocolate on your ice cream or pastries, or chocolate frosting. Chocolate has come a long way since it first became popular. Did you know that chocolate was first used only as a drink, and it was bittersweet due to the use of chili peppers? Thank goodness chili peppers were replaced with sugar to make sweet chocolate. <br /><br />When chocolate was being made in the United States plantation owners were mistreating their workers. Slavery was already ended by this time, but the workers were still not being treated fairly, they were forced into slave labor. Soon factory owners joined together and started boycotting these plantations that used slave labor. Soon after, there was a formal ban made by Congress that did not allow the use of cocoa that was produced by slave labor. Independent growers now grow Cocoa and is hand grown and harvested. <br /><br />Today machines are used in most factories to make chocolate. Some places do have handmade chocolate, but this is not very cost effective. With machines you can make a lot more chocolate in a lot less time. There are different machines for all different kinds of chocolate. There are machines that make the candy bars, and there are machines that fill the hollowed chocolate shells. It only takes one person to run these machines instead of many to make the same piece of chocolate. This is why companies can sell their chocolate at a lower price than those who make handmade chocolate. <br /><br />Chocolate is believed to be good for more than just eating in many cultures. Some cultures use chocolate as a form of currency, religious and medical purposes. One study was just done on the effects of dark chocolate on high blood pressure. If you eat dark chocolate it can help in lowering your high blood pressure. Cocoa butter is another way it is used in modern medicine. Did you know that pills are coated in cocoa butter to make them easier to swallow? Cocoa butter also helps soothe a sun burn. It is even being used in beauty products. Cocoa butter is a rich formula that is great at moistening and softening the skin. Lotions are now adding this to help keep skin soft and moist. Cocoa butter is even said to help with stretch marks on the skin. This is the ingredient in the lotions that is supposed to help reduce and prevent stretch marks. <br /><br />As you can see chocolate really is good for more than just eating. Most of us didn't need another reason to love chocolate though, I know I didn't.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as Chocolate Gifts at <a href="http://www.chocolategiftsonline.com/">http://www.chocolategiftsonline.com</a></p> 2006-09-24T14:01-04:00