Day 52 PV Wt 176.1 September 22, 2011
Daily Loss: 0.9 lb
Total Loss: 30.2 lbs
Wt. to go: 21.8 lbs
Breakfast: Bran cookies
Lunch: Scrambled eggs and ham
Snack: 2 chicken fingers baked
Supper: String beans and turkey bacon, yogurt
We have all heard about the good things in dark chocolate but what about cocoa?
Eric L. Ding, PhD, of Harvard Medical School says the apparent health benefits come from polyphenolic flavonoids in cocoa that have the potential to prevent heart disease. Flavonoids are antioxidants that are commonly found in fruits, vegetables, tea, wine, and coffee.
http://diabetes.webmd.com/news/20110323/cocoa-rich-in-health-benefit
For more information just search the web. There are many studies and other information. Dr Ding’s statement is what the internet reports say but are all cocoas the same?? Natural cocoa, dutch cocoa and dark cocoa are all very different.
Important note- To fully benefit from chocolate’s wide array of nutrients, eat chocolate that is as close to its natural state as possible. Whole cacao beans and nibs are best. You lose many of the health benefits when you eat commercially produced chocolate. http://bestsuperfoods.wordpress.com/2008/11/05/why-unprocessed-raw-chocolate-is-good-for-you/ This is well documented on the internet and is logical
Dutch-process cocoa powder is made from cocoa (cacao) beans that have been washed with a potassium solution, to neutralize their acidity. Natural cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that are simply roasted, then pulverized into a fine powder. Black cocoa is cocoa powder that has been heavily-Dutched. If you’ve ever had an Oreo cookie, the outer cookies are a good example of black cocoa. Because it has a strong, very brusque flavor, it’s best used in conjunction with another cocoa powder and is mostly used to boost color. Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder is heavily Dutched, and is close to black cocoa powder. (King Arthur sells true black cocoa powder. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/02/cocoa-powder-faq-dutch-process-v/
The cocoa that stands out as the less processed is natural cocoa. If you want even less processed you must go to cocoa beans for cocoa nibs that are the most unprocessed cocoa.
So it is your choice. If you like the color dutch and black cocoa give, use the processed cocoa. Use what you want but do not fool yourself that darker cocoa is better for you. If you like the rich flavor of natural cocoa use natural cocoa. Natural cocoa has retained more nutrients than Dutch cocoa and black cocoa because it is less processed.
Duchess of Dukan Alabama 