By making your own homemade chocolate candy, you can ensure the positive effects of your ingredients. Minimizing or eliminating unhealthy ingredients will maximize the positive effects of your chocolate eating experience.
Before we get all caught up in the hoopla over the health benefits of eating chocolate, we should understand a few things about the studies that claim, among other things, that chocolate releases endorphins (boosting the spirits, relieving pain), increases the appetite (without adding pounds to your weight), doesn't cause acne, doesn't cause food allergies, doesn't trigger migraines, lengthens the lifespan, is good for the heart, and lowers risks of getting cancer.
Most of the studies, if not all, were done on PURE cocoa. You have to look at the chocolate YOU love to eat to decide if it is healthy. Many of the added ingredients are what cause weight gain, acne, allergies, migraines, etc. in some people.
If the chocolate you are eating contains moderate to large amounts of sugars, milk fats or cream, hydrogenated oils (such as tropical oils), corn syrup, nuts, then the negative effects far outweigh the healthy effects.
By making homemade chocolate candy, you will know exactly what is in the chocolate you eat. You can make homemade chocolates with only the naturally-occurring cocoa butter in the chocolate itself. You can add sugar sparingly if at all and you can leave out the corn syrup, milk fats and nuts.
Sugar is usually the number one ingredient listed on a candy bar wrapper. Sugar consumption has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, clinical depression, ADHD, dental cavities, yeast infections, osteoporosis, obesity, and other disorders.
There are substances in chocolate that produce pleasant or healthy effects, but exactly how much chocolate you would have to consume to experience these effects has yet to be determined. For example, chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a chemical related to amphetamines. Like amphetamines, this chemical causes blood pressure and blood-sugar levels to rise, resulting in a feeling of alertness and contentment.
Some tests have shown that eating chocolate increases the ability to think and remember. All these tests and research experiments just confuse me. If we're going to rely on tests to inform us, there are going to have to be a lot more of them, and done very carefully, at that.
As for me, forget about the tests. We have to remain smart, people. Coffee also has some health benefits if you don't load it up with sugar, milk, syrupy flavorings, and whipped cream. "Chocolate is good for me, give me another candy bar" isn't wise thinking.
Making your own candy, preparing food from scratch, making your own coffee, even growing your own food or knowing where it comes from...only makes sense in this world of increasing doubts about food safety and negative effects.
Do the best you can, then enjoy what you eat. Happiness has the biggest effect on your health of all. I am so happy when I eat quality homemade chocolate candy! I'm just careful to do everything in moderation.
Become a master chocolatier in record time! Want to learn four secrets that will make you an unstoppable Candy-Making Queen or King? Learn this secret system of pumping out chocolate candy and other chocolate delights fast and at low cost with the Dessert University video course. Dozens of categories, hundreds of recipes--get the audio guides, ebook tutorials, and the whole chocolate multimedia learning system today for only $19.95!
It's so easy to find all your chocolate candy making needs - chocolate, equipment, tools, and wrappers!
Here are the latest articles published on this site:
