Wednesday, July 9, 2014

It's One of Those Days....



By Jeanette Andrade:
 I’m hungry and nothing seems to be filling me up. Do you ever have one of those days?  You know those days where you can eat all the food within your refrigerator and still look for more? Ugh, I tried to eat fruits (blueberries and strawberries) and vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, and green peppers) to keep me full, but within thirty minutes I am looking for more. I scoured my cabinets to find something that I think will keep me satisfied and only came upon dark chocolate. Disappointment fills me up as I am not a sweet eater nor do I like the lingering after taste of dark chocolate. However, I’ll give it a whirl as this particular dark chocolate has carbohydrates, fats, and benefits that will hopefully keep me full until the next meal. 



The fats found in dark chocolate are stearic and oleic acids. Stearic acid is considered a saturated fat, but surprisingly does not tend to raise total cholesterol as other saturated fats (University of Michigan, 2014). Oleic acid is a monounsaturated fat that tends not to raise total cholesterol and is generally considered the good type of fat (University of Michigan, 2014). This particular dark chocolate that I am about to take a bite of also has 65% cacao. This amount of cacao may potentially have more flavonoids (i.e. procyanidins and epicatechins). These particular flavonoids may be beneficial for the heart and may improve one’s mood (University of Michigan, 2014). Who knew chocolate would help my mood? Well, that is a bonus to take a bite of this sweet delight, but only an ounce will do.

I gingerly take that first bite, yuck bitter, so I drink a lot of water as I have to stop this hungry feeling. After several more tiny bites my profoundness for this piece of dark chocolate has grown. Soon that ounce has disappeared inside my belly (well more technical than this, but suffice it to say it lands in my belly). Ok, the wait begins. Yes! Thirty minutes has passed and no hungry feeling. Soon I forget that I was once hungry as I am now full and satisfied. Thank you dark chocolate for filling my belly and as a bonus giving me some healthy benefits.

For those who are dark chocolate lovers, here is a yummy recipe for you from Delish:

Ingredients
  • 2 cup(s) semisweet, bittersweet, or milk chocolate chips, melted
  • 1 1/2 cup(s) assorted nuts, such as hazelnuts, almonds, and cashews, plus more for garnish
Directions
  1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. (Take care to avoid wrinkles.) Combine melted chocolate and nuts in a medium bowl. Scrape the mixture onto the foil and spread it into an approximate 12-by-9-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with additional finely chopped nuts, if desired. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
  2. Transfer the bark and foil to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
Nutritional Information
(per 1.5 inch serving)
Calories
74
Total Fat
5g
Saturated Fat
2g
Cholesterol
--
Sodium
1mg
Total Carbohydrate
--
Dietary Fiber
1g
Sugars
--
Protein
1g


Delish (2014). Chocolate Nut Bark. Retrieved from http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/chocolate-nut-bark-recipe
University of Michigan (2014). Healing Foods Pyramid: Dark Chocolate. Retrieved from http://www.med.umich.edu/umim/food-pyramid/dark_chocolate.htm

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