Archive for the ‘chocolates Delivery’ Category

Are You On A Diet? Then Have Some Chocolates!

March 23rd, 2016

If you are someone who is on a diet, one common suggestion which pops up from many people is to stay away from chocolates. If you are a chocolate lover, this could be heart breaking for you. However, the scientific studies have broken this taboo. Send chocolates by post to your friend, who is on a diet. It is found that dark chocolate can effectively aid your efforts of weight loss. Wondering how? Then check this out.

Accelerates metabolism:

The fat and carbohydrates metabolism are significantly affected by chocolates. The chocolates show their impact on fatty acid synthesis. In this way, they promote digestion in our body helping us to absorb carbohydrates effectively. A feeling of satiety can be experienced by including chocolates in our diet. However, not every chocolate is capable of producing same results. Dark chocolate has a great reputation in this context.

Controls appetite:

The appetite is controlled by the hormones like leptin, ghrelin and insulin. The sugar produced in our body is transported to various cells with the help of insulin. Leptin decreases the appetite and the ghrelin works exactly in the opposite way. If you can’t feel full, the major reason could be that your body is resistant to insulin. To regain this ability, start loving dark chocolates and send chocolates to your loved ones to help them lose weight. It can lower your resistance towards insulin and also retard the production of ghrelin hormone.

Sense of well being:

Are you wondering how the ‘sense of well being’ is related to weight loss? When you feel good, you don’t fell like having too much food. The dark chocolate constitutes polyphenols as one of its major constituents which has a significant effect on our sense of well being. Regular consumption of dark chocolate helps us to stay calm. It is also a good source of the lipid, “anandamide”. This chemical compound breaks down in no time and provides instant energy.

Calories produced by chocolates:

A chocolate which contains 60% cocoa content can provide us as much as 170 calories. Avoid over eating of dark chocolate. A moderate way of consuming it would be two to three times per week.

Fat content:

You need certain saturated fats to lose weight! You heard it right. Not all fats make you put on weight. Oleic acid, stearic acid and palmatic acid are the major types of saturated fats supplied by dark chocolates. These compounds are capable of lowering cholesterol levels.

Promotes your workouts:

Do you know that dark chocolates can kill the pain? When you feel less pain, you will be encouraged to spend some excess time in the gym. The chocolates contain anti-inflammatory chemicals, which on reacting with magnesium makes us feel lesser pain.

Tips to include chocolate in your diet:

  • Search for the ways to include chocolate in breakfast, lunch as well as dinner.
  • Start your day with a chocolate drink. Add cocoa power and artificial sweetener in skimmed milk to make a typical chocolate drink. Check out new such recipes every day.
  • Always carry chocolate bars with you.

Apart from weight loss, dark chocolate also fetches us many other health benefits. It stabilizes blood sugar levels in our body, makes you feel relaxed and curbs your desire to eat junk foods.

Chocolate eating mistakes you should stop now!

February 12th, 2016

One of the simple pleasures of life, chocolates is a treasure in the refrigerator of a chocoholic person. As proved by science, chocolates lift up ones mood and generate feelings of happiness. While you are gobbling up that bar of delicious chocolate, here are a few mistakes you should stop making and also share with the recipient of your chocolates by post.

Not paying heed to its energy-boosting properties – If you are one of those who save their chocolate to enjoy it as a late night snack, you should get this – a bar of dark chocolate as it contains about 25 mg caffeine. When you drink a cup of coffee, you receive around 90 mg, and it will be sufficient to rev you up. As per a recent study, few people were said to feel more vigil after consuming dark chocolate, which contains about 60% of cocoa. If you find it difficult to get sleep at night, have one during your matinee slump instead.

Not choosing raw chocolate – Dark chocolate is filled with antioxidants and minerals such as iron and magnesium. But the raw chocolate has even more to offer. This is due to the cocoa beans utilized to prepare the raw chocolate, which are dried at low temperatures and helps the raw chocolate retain more antioxidants and nutrients.

Using cocoa powder for only hot chocolate –The cold-weather, creamy drink is only the tip of the chocolaty iceberg. Beat unsweetened cocoa powder along with little melted coconut oil in order to make some chocolate sauce and combine it with some melted cocoa butter in order make amazing homemade chocolate, or simply toss it up in your food processor along with frozen bananas in order to make yummy chocolate servings.

Always wanting sweet – Sure, a dessert gets all the glory during a meal. But using the cocoa powder in other aromatic dishes gives an extra layer of richness, and also lets one load up chocolate without taxing you with too much of sugar. You can try adding a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder into barbecue or chilli sauce or to pan sauces or combine it with spices like chilli powder or cumin in a spicy rub.

Eating only the chocolate – Few of us are simply addicted to chocolates. When you go on your grocery shopping, chocolates by default are in your cart and your promise yourself to last those chocolates at least a month. Turns out that you finished all of them in a wee!  When you are eating just the chocolate part, you get a dose of sugar without the satiety-boosting antioxidants and nutrients, so again you will be hungry. So instead, pair the chocolate with few almonds or a slice of butter/cheese to feel full. This way you will also be able to resist yourself from the next piece a bit longer.

So, the next time, you are about to relish on that piece of chocolate or send chocolates online, remember to not avoid these mistakes! Chocolates are a healthy food, but it is always good to have some self control.

Are Chocolates Healthy For You?

January 22nd, 2016

The debate whether chocolate is healthy rages on with conflicting reports emerging every day. So, let’s conduct an objective assessment.

The bare truth is that chocolate by itself in raw form is healthy while products made using chocolate are usually not.

Chocolates are derived from cocoa beans. To make the chocolates, they are usually separated into cocoa butter (fats) and cocoa solids (everything remaining). Both cocoa solids and cocoa butter are healthy.

  • Cocoa butter: contains a lot of saturated fat that is healthy.
  • Cocoa solids: contains zinc, magnesium and copper and lots of fiber. Also have high content of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are found to have cardio-vascular benefits like lowering blood pressure.
  • Chocolate liquor: Melted chocolate containing cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Does not contain alcohol.
  • Phytic acid: Here is the hitch. Phytic acid is an anti-nutrient, found in raw cocoa beans. It sticks to minerals and prevents body to absorb them. But good news is that most phytic acid in cocoa is destroyed when beans are heated and fermented.

So far, all is well with chocolates. But the problem comes when other junk is added to the chocolate; be careful while getting chocolate gifts delivered for a sick person.

  • Sugar: This is enemy number one for your health. Sugar is added in generous quantity to most commercial chocolate bars and its detriments are commonly known.
  • Milk: It may or may not affect your health but it is definitely not good for everyone.
  • Flavouring, preservatives, soy lecithin, emulsifiers, and stabilizers: Some may be harmless but most come as bad news.

A good chocolate product is one which is rich in cocoa solids and cocoa butter but does not contain the above junk elements. Very often this means you have to buy expensive, high quality brands. Real cocoa butter is costly and cheap brands try to substitute and add emulsifiers and additives to compensate for natural cocoa content. For the real thing, be prepared to shell out more cash.

Here is a rundown on forms of chocolate:

  • Unsweetened cocoa powder: Mainly consists of cocoa solids and lacks tasty and healthy cocoa butter but overall very healthy form used for cooking.
  • Unsweetened baking chocolate: Combines cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Mostly used in chocolate based recipes.
  • Dark chocolate: contains cocoa butter, cocoa solids and a bit of sugar. But sugar content is miniscule in comparison to some popular fruits, so it is not a health issue.
  • Milk chocolate: Has milk, cocoa butters, cocoa solids and high quantity of sugar. Most common brands are unhealthy.
  • White chocolate: Contains milk, sugar and cocoa butter minus cocoa solids. On the unhealthy side! Most of us have access to only cheap white chocolate, loaded with sugar and other junk.

In sum: Like most plant food, cocoa beans provide high nutritive content. It is rich in healthy fats and anti-oxidants. Eating them after roasting and fermenting is a healthy treat. It is a delicious luxury and not a staple in our lives. Nowadays, you can order chocolates online, who will deliver chocolates by post.

 But sugar content in most chocolate candies is worrying, health wise. You can do well by picking a brand that has minimum junk. All said and done, you cannot rule out some junk content in all chocolates. But one way to get around this problem is by using cooking chocolate to make recipes that will satisfy your chocolate fix.

Women and chocolates – a love affair

December 5th, 2015

Both the genders enjoy eating chocolates, but let us accept it; women are absolutely crazy about chocolates. The moment you ask them what gift they want, their prompt answer is chocolates. But have you ever wondered why women are so crazy about chocolates? The craving for chocolate is directly linked to stress, low blood sugar, or change of hormones before the menstrual cycle.

The association with blood sugar level – Caffeine and sugar in chocolate together raise the blood sugar level. Also, dark chocolate has very less index level, and thus it is good in stabilizing the blood sugar levels. Primary reason why most woman and also at times men crave for chocolate is due to their fallen blood sugar levels, which can be balanced by sugar which is given by chocolates. If ever you feel irritated, moody or fatigued, specifically in between meals, the craving for chocolates is then a consequence of a low level of blood sugar.

Association with serotonin levels – Consuming chocolates makes one feel good since it increases the serotonin level in the brain. It is a neurotransmitter, which is responsible for giving way to feelings of happiness. Most woman go through low levels of serotonin around a week before their menstruation, and this is one reason why women having a crazy craving for chocolates. Also, high level of stress makes men and women crave for chocolate due to the increased serotonin level, which leads to lowering ones anxiety. If you need some comfort, you can rely on chocolates. If you are emotionally unwell, consume chocolates since they raise the levels of serotonin and thus help you forget about your problems at least for a short period of time.

Association with the menstrual cycle – Along with fat, sugar and caffeine, chocolate also has trace minerals such as magnesium that is usually deficient in women during menstruation. The change of the hormonal levels before and during those seven days gives both to different food cravings, one of which is chocolate. They say that some women want nothing else but chocolates. As per few scientists, the craving for chocolates among menstruating women is a cultural phenomenon. According to studies, American women crave for chocolates more than ladies from other counties, mostly since they are always concerned sugar levels in chocolates and hence take them as an indulgence. It is also believed by some experts that the craving might also be psychological because PMS gives women a justified reason to enjoy chocolates.

Chocolate is quite addictive – Research has also proved that chocolate has alkaloid compounds, which also make alcohol an addiction. Hence, experts say there is basis to look at chocolates as being addictive. Chocolates also contain anandamine, which is a compound scientist say stimulates the brain just the way marijuana does. However, these claims are still quite debatable among doctors.

And, of course, we all love chocolate for its extraordinary taste. There is no sweet sweeter than chocolates. This Christmas if you are planning to send some parcel of love to your loved ones, send them chocolates by post.

15 minutes chocolate recipes to try!

November 30th, 2015

We all love and crave for chocolates. This is that one thing that adults and kids both cannot resist. There are so many healthy ways to make chocolate dishes in 15 minutes, which you don’t know about. And guess what? We have decided to list down some incredible chocolate recipes that you can perfect in 15 minutes or under. Keep on reading if you want some recipe ideas…

  • Fruit & nuts chocolate pie – We all love apple pies, but if you have tons of chocolate, then you can simply make a chocolate pie. Add in some fresh fruits, which are cut into small cubes in this with nuts. You can chop the dry fruits or nuts into tiny pieces and garnish the pie with it, but it is better to just add it inside the batter. If you have kids who hate eating fruits or dry fruits, then this recipe can help you a lot. Stuff the pie with lots of fruits; make sure the fruits are cut into the tiniest cubes.
  • Strawberry chocolate salad – Have too many strawberries at home? If yes, then you can use this as dessert. If you have guests coming over, and you want to make a dish in 15 minutes (including presentation), then you can simply use some chocolate sauce. Use fresh strawberries and dip them in warm chocolate sauce. Place this gently on a tray and let it freeze for a while. Once that is done, you can serve this beautiful and delicious dessert. This will hardly take 15 minutes!
  • Bread and chocolate delight – Have leftover bread at home? If you have round breads at your house then warm them up and fill the insides with thick chocolate sauce. Add a little chocolate on top with fresh or whipped cream and toss this in the fridge. Leave it for 10 minutes once the chocolate and cream set on the bun. You can bake this for 5 minutes in the oven too if the chocolate has not set properly. Make sure you add the cream on top post the baking process. With this dish, you can use the leftover bun bread and also utilise the chocolates you have at home.
  • Sponge cake – What better than a sponge cake for the day? Plain sponge cakes can be stored in the fridge for over 2 weeks if kept in an airtight container. Making a simple sponge cake doesn’t take time at all. All you need to do is make the batter and put it in the oven. Once that is done, the garnishing is your choice. You can have sponge cake for dessert and for evening snacks with tea.
  • Chocolate milk – Chocolate milk is said to be good for the body post a workout or running session. If you work out or run a lot, then you should start drinking chocolate milk more often.

 

These few simple recipes can help you utilise chocolates in the right way. The next time you send someone chocolate by post; don’t forget to add a note with these recipe ideas.