It's all about Dark Chocolate....

Chocolate is a name given to products that are derived from cacao which are then mixed with some sort of fat (cacao butter, oil) and finely powdered sugar to produce a solid edible product. Woo~~i love chocolates. I remembered i was so disappointed when i found out my chocolates were gone last week. Recently, i also heard that dark chocolate is a healthy chocolate from a friend who loves it very much. So, i am here to share about DARK CHOCOLATE.

Chocolate is a popular ingredient and is available in many types. Different forms and flavors of chocolate are produced by varying the quantities of the different ingredients. Dark chocolate is adding fat and sugar to cacao. It is chocolate without milk. However, the lack of milk additives also means that dark chocolate is more prone to a bitter aftertaste. Dark chocolate is often distinguished by the percentage of cocoa solids in the bar. The cocoa content of commercial dark chocolate bars can range from 30% (sweet dark) to 70% or even above 80% for extremely dark bars. Common terms used for dark chocolate bars include bittersweet, semi-sweet, and sweet dark chocolate.

Flavonoids act as Antioxidants
There are news which state that eating 1.6-ounce bar of dark chocolate everyday is actually good for us. It is because chocolate is made from plants, which means that it contains many health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids which act as antioxidants. There are two different types of flavonoids called catechin and epicarechins. These are found to help with some symptoms of cancer.

Dark chocolate contains a large amount of antioxidants (nearly 8 times more than strawberries). Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Studies show that eating dark chocolate daily can lower the risk of heart attack. Plus it's also being attributed to insulin resistance. Besides, it helps to improve coronary circulation in healthy adults. Flavonoids keep cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels, reduce the risk of blood clots, and slow down the immune responses that lead to clogged arteries.

Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide and balance certain hormones in the body. Generally, flavonoids function in protecting plants from microbes and insects. When we eat these antioxidants in food, they trigger the production of natural enzymes that protect us from disease just as they do for the plants that contain them.


Fats in chocolate
Most of the fats in chocolate do not impact the cholesterol in our body. The fats are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid.

• Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.
• Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but it has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
• Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat which raise cholesterol and heart disease risk
  

That means only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for us.

Oleic acid ....image on the right side is stearic acid/palmitic acid



A summary on benefits of dark chocolate:

• reduces risk of certain cancers.
• lowers blood pressure.
• improves insulin resistance
• reduces risk of stroke and heart attack.
• fight artherosclerosis.
• reduces risk of chronic respiratory systems especially cough.
• protects from UV light which cause skin cancer.
• decreases inflammation and pain associated with arthritis.
• the smell of chocolate may increase theta brain waves, resulting in relaxation.

On the other hand, we have to know that eating too much of anything is not good. Too much dark chocolate is not encouraged as it contains caffiein. But if it is taken moderately, you will see the health benefits. A dark chocolate a day keeps the doctor away!!

Pick a dark chocolate....^^





References:
1. http://www.oohoi.com/natural%20remedy/everyday_food/benefits-of-dark-chocolate.htm
2. http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Benefits-of-Dark-Chocolate---Facts-You-Need-to-Know-Before-Enjoying&id=986225
3. http://www.shockmd.com/2009/05/21/dark-chocolate-improves-coronary-blood-flow/
4. http://www.webmd.com/news/20040601/dark-chocolate-day-keeps-doctor-away

FOOD ADDITIVES~~

This afternoon, i went to McD for lunch with my friends. I ordered a fish burger, french fries and a cup of coke. I kept thinking of what am i going to write for my blog and an idea suddenly came out from my mind. haha...i decided to let everyone gain some knowledges about food additives. Hmm...Have you all ever thought about the effects of food additives?? Well..maybe not, but if u read this post, you may find out something that could save you or your loved ones. Life is so busy and hectic in this new era that most of us don't have time to cook a nutritious meal at home. This is the reason why most of us prefer fast-food, can-food, or food that can be pack and reheat at home. Fast-food restaurant such as McDonalds, KFC, and Pizza Hut become a priority location for students to take their meals.

Besides that, food additives are everywhere on the supermarket shelf too. Consumers need to learn how to read labels for the sake of their health. Dangerous or threatenng additives include the colourings, preservatives, flavors, flavor enhances, sweeteners, texture agents and processing agents.

COMMON PRESERVATIVES ADDED TO FOOD
Sulphur: It keeps dried food soft and fresh.

Sulphites: Used to control microbial growth in fermented beverages. Widely used in wines, beers and fruit products. Sulphites may trigger asthma charaterised by breathing difficulties, shortness of breath and coughing so they are hazardous for asthmatic patients.
Sodium Nitrates: They can be found in luncheon meats, ham,hot dogs and bacon. Sodium nitrates are converted to nitrous acid in the stomach which may cause stomach cancer.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aspartame: MSG is an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in soups, chips, frozen food, and restaurant food. It can cause headaches and nausea. Aspartame is a sweetener found in desserts, drink mixes, and soft drinks. It may cause cancer or neurological problems such as dizziness and hallucinations.

BHA and BHT: Preservatives such as BHT and BHA are found in small quantities in cereals, chewing gums, potato chips, and vegetable oils. They are oxidants which form potentially cancer-causing reactive compounds in your body. They are also toxic to livers and kidneys.

Olestra: A synthetic fat found in some potato chips brands which can cause severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and gas. It also inhibits healthy witamin absorption that are found in fruits and vegetables.
Sugar: Sugar and high fructose corn syrup are a frequent additives and its overuse can lead to numerous health issues. Watch out for foods with added sugars such as baked goods, cereals, crackers, sauces and many other processed foods.
Sodium Chloride: More commonly known as salt, can bring flavor to your meal. But too much salt can be dangerous for your health, leading to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.


FOOD COLOURING
A colour additive is any dye, pigment or substance which when added or applied to a food, drug or cosmetic. Colour additives are used in foods for many reasons:
1) to offset colour loss due to exposure to light, air, temperature extremes,moisture and storage conditions.
2) to correct natural variations in colour.
3) to enhance colours that occur naturally.
4) to provide colour to colourless and " fun" foods.

Without colour additives, cokes won't be brown, margarine won't be yellow and mint ice cream won't be green. Colour additives are now considered as an important part of practically all processed foods we eat.

Colour additives consists of Blue 1,2 ; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6. Blue 1 and 2 are found in beverages, candy, ice creams, baked goods and pet food. Red 3, used to dye cherries, fruit cocktail, candy, and baked goods. Green 3 is added to candy and beverages, has been linked to bladder cancer. The widely used Yellow 6, added to beverages, sausage, gelatin, ice creams, desserts, baked goods and candy.




In conclusion, food additives have been used for many years to preserve, flavor, blend, thicken and colour foods, and play an important role in reducing serious nutritional deficiencies among consumers. The threat of all these additives cannot be minimized. Hence, we must be inteligent in choosing healthy products and foods to lead a healthy life.







References:
1. http://www.richardhackworth.com/article4.php
2. http://www.naturalpath.com/healthy_eating/harmful_food_additives_side_effects_of_food_additives
3. http://www.eufic.org/article/en/page/BARCHIVE/expid/basics-food-additives/

Honey Honey Honey

Honey is a natural sweet substance produced by bees from the nectar of blossoms or from the secretions of living parts of plants. Besides that, honey can also be produced from excretions which bees collect, transform and combine with specific substances of their own, store and leave in the honey comb to ripen and mature. This reminds me of my favourite cartoon "Winnie The Pooh"...lol...Pooh who is fond of honey decided to try and get honey from the bee's hive in the nearby honey tree when he discovered that his jar of honey is almost empty.




Chemical composition of the honey shows differences depending on many factors. The most important of these factors is the natural combination of the nectar and secretion. Water content in honeys is important only for determining the quality and fermentation so the it should be less than 20%. Besides, temperature and humidity where honey is stored can cause in the moisture content of honey.


CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF HONEY
Carbohydrates
Basic composition of honey is carbohydrate-about 82%. Fructose and sucrose are most commonly found. There are also some oligosaccharides present, formed from incomplete breakdown of the higher saccharides present in nectar.




Proteins and Amino Acids
Honey is rich regarding the enzymes. Honey enzymes are indicator that represent the quality of the honey. For example, invertase converts sucrose to glucose and fructose; amylase breaks down starch into smaller units; glucose oxidase which converts glucose to gluconolactone. Honey also contains eighteen free amino acids, of which the most abundant is proline.



Vitamins, Minerals and Antioxidants
Honey contains trace amounts of the B vitamins riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, pantothenic acid and vitamin B6. It also contains ascorbic acid, and the minerals calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, phosporous, magnesium, selenium, chromium and manganese. The main group of antioxidants in honey are the flavonoids. In general, the darker the honey, the greater the antioxidising properties.



Other Compounds
Honey contains organic acids such as acetic, butanoic, formic, citric, succinic, lactic, malic, pyroglutamic and gluconic acids, and an amount of aromatic acids. The main acid present is gluconic acid which is formed in the breakdown of glucose by glucose oxidase.
HEALING PROPERTIES OF HONEY
Honey especially mixed with cinnamon, can cure a multitude of ailments. Scientists today believe honey can be used without any side affects for a number of disease since honey is a natural sweet substance. Although it is sweet, it won't harm diabetic patients if taken in the right dosage as a medicine. Many uses of honey mixed with cinnamon cure ailments from heart disease, acne and hair loss.

Arthritis is one of the disease that can be cure with honey. It is believed that patients who suffer from arthritis can take one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and a teaspoon of cinnamon once in the morning and again in the evening.Cholestrol is said to be treatable with honey. As with arthritis, it is said that pure honey taken everyday will reduce cholestrol level. It is helpful towards preventing heart attack too.

Pay attention,everyone!!Honey can also help baldness and hair loss. Besides, colds can be treated with honey. It is said to cure most chronic coughs and clear the sinuses. As for weight loss, we can drink a cup of boiled hot water with honey and cinnamon twice daily, once at night, and once in the morning half an hour before breakfast. It's been said that even the most obese patient can lose weight and drinking this mixture doesn't allow the fat to accumulate in the body

Apart from that, honey is a great product for skin care..Honey is very good for our skin due to its properties. We can use honey for face mask as it treats your skin very well. It is very good to remove wrinkles from face and works as an anti-aging remedy. Honey is able to maintain moisture which helps your skin remain soft and supple. The hydration quality of the honey proves to maintain the skins elasticity, smoothness and softness. The presence of antioxidants in honey will protect us from UV rays.

Honey is a fascinating food. It plays an important role in our daily life. Hence, we must start taking honey in a right dosage everyday to keep us young and healthy always.^^


yummy yummy~~let's start our day with honey french toast as our nutritious breakfast!!...




References:
1. http://www.articlesnatch.com/tag/healing+properties+of+honey
2. http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Amazing-Healing-Properties-of-Honey
3.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey
4.http://dergiler.ankara.edu.tr/dergiler/11/221/1838.pdf
5. http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/HS/Journal/Issues/2007/OctACS/ACSSub/p1643.pdf