Chocolate Is Healthy

CBS News provides highlights from the annual New York Chocolate Show, a fascinating chocolate experience whether you are in “the business” or not.  While many of the show’s chocolate offerings are for eating, chocolate or cocoa butter is becoming a more popular ingredient in skin care products.

Here’s what one chocolate business owner has to say about the health benefits of chocolate skin care products.

“Vanessa “Chocolate Girl” Bard, the founder of Gnosis Chocolate Body Care, told Lee that between 60 to 80 percent of what you put on your skin goes into your bloodstream.

“What’s better than putting chocolate on your skin as a way of nourishing yourself?” Bard said. “(Because) chocolate, we all know, (is) extremely high in antioxidants, and minerals, and vitamins, so it turns out you can nourish yourself with chocolate soap.”

Chocolate Show Delights – The Early Show – CBS News.

While we’re often told to steer clear of saturated fats, some of the saturated fat found in chocolate is actually not harmful and doesn’t raise cholesterol.   So does this make chocolate heart healthy?    Cocoa butter still contains fat and calories that can contribute to weight gain.  So much of healthy chocolate consumption depends on how it is consumed. Here’s what Cooking Light suggests when it comes to having your chocolate and eating it too.

“Some researchers argue, however, that, regardless of stearic acid, chocolate is still a high-fat, high-calorie food. Small amounts can be worked into a healthy diet, but large quantities aren’t a recipe for good health, particularly when you consider how many Americans are overweight, says Penn State University nutritionist Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D. She suggests a leaner way to get that chocolate fix: Opt for cocoa, the powder formed when cocoa beans are ground and stripped of cocoa butter.”

Healthy Chocolate? – CookingLight.com.

Cocoa butter, also referred to as cacao butter, is made by pressing cacao nibs to separate the cacao “butter” from the protein and fiber.  For cacao butter to be raw, this process cannot take place at or above 112 degrees Fahrenheit.  The cocoa “butter,” a naturally occurring fat, separates and solidifies.  It is yellow in color and has a mild, chocolate scent.

Cocoa butter retains the antioxidant properties also found in dark chocolate, but has even more uses.  You can use it for making chocolates or chocolate desserts like ice cream. Despite being high in saturated fats, cocoa butter does not raise cholesterol levels the way other saturated fats do. You can also massage cocoa butter into your skin to help soften and retain moisture.  It’s commonly added as an ingredient in soaps and lotions.

When you’re shopping for raw cocoa butter, look for a producer who ensures there are no contaminants or other unwanted stuff in the product.  It’s commonly sold by the pound and you’re guaranteed to find many uses for cacao butter.