Beth E. Van Horn, Ph.D.
Retired Penn State Extension Educator
Chocolate lovers started to rejoice when in 1994 one of the first studies was published suggesting that chocolate had health benefits.
Finally, something many of us loved was possibly good for us! Since then hundreds of studies have linked chocolate to healthful attributes, such as improved heart health.
You may have forgotten, or perhaps never new, that chocolate comes from a fruit that explains why it contains antioxidants and flavonoids that lead to these health benefits.
Cocoa powder contains most of the antioxidants. Therefore, dark chocolate, having more cocoa powder, is the better healthful choice.
Unfortunately, pure cocoa powder is bitter. For many of us, it is the addition of fat and sugar that makes chocolate so appealing to our taste buds. In fact, most Americans prefer milk chocolate that according to current research does not offer the health benefits of dark chocolate.
I realize there are readers who do not like chocolate! There are other foods that contain flavonoids such as blueberries, citrus fruits and onion to name a few. Chocolate in no way replaces a recommended diet of fresh fruits and vegetables; but rather a small piece can add a sweet finish to a healthful meal.
A fun activity to share with family and friends of all ages is to conduct a chocolate tasting. There is not enough room in this article to describe all the details, but you can find lots of helpful information through an Internet search. A few tips:
- Use only dark chocolate.
- Only taste three to five chocolate samples. Stick with three if you are including children or have limited time. Since most of us are not professional tasters, we can become overwhelmed if sampling more than five specimens.
- Start with your most inexpensive chocolate such as a Hershey’s© dark chocolate candy bar. You may want to include a specialty flavor such as chili or cinnamon in a blind taste test and see if your group can identify the “mystery” flavor.
- End your tasting with a high-end chocolate. Since Belgium chocolates are considered to be some of the best quality, you may want to use Godiva© as your last selection.
The Women’s Health Task Force is a small group volunteering their time to educate women and families on important health issues.
If you have an interest in health, work in a caring profession or just want to volunteer with other sincere women, consider attending our planning meetings.
Meetings are traditionally held the first Friday of the month beginning at 12 p.m. at Clearfield County Career & Technology Center, with Feb. 3 as the next meeting.
All interested persons are encouraged to attend. Additional information is available by calling Robin Kuleck, Penn State Extension, at 814-765-7878, Ext.2. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/whtfclearfieldcounty.
