via youtube.com
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
What does a chocolate craving say about your health?
Possible ailment: Depression, stress, premenstrual tension
So why do you crave the sweet stuff when you’re working on a deadline or feeling down in the dumps?
Well, compounds found in chocolate called alkaloids may help to raise the levels of serotonin - the mood-boosting hormone.
Chocolate is also a source of magnesium and B-vitamins, which are used by the body in energy production, meaning it can help give us energy when we’re under pressure.
A small Swiss study in the Journal of Proteome Research found eating 40g of dark chocolate every day for two weeks reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol in people who’d been battling with pressures.
Craving chocolate may also be a sign of premenstrual tension. Some women also find themselves lacking in magnesium at this time, and chocolate is high in the mineral, says Shona Wilkinson.
Magnesium is vital for everything from your nerves to your bones and immune system.
Find out what other food cravings may tell you about your health
http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/what-food-cravings-say-about-your-health-1.1113243
Monday, August 1, 2011
Dark Chocolate in the Top 10 heart-friendly foods
6. Dark chocolate. Dark chocolate contains the wonderful components of resveratrol and flavonoids to protect your heart. Scientists are particularly excited about resveratrol because animal studies have shown that it can prolong life. In buying chocolate, choose the dark variety, which has 70-percent cocoa content. Yes, it has a slightly bitter taste, but dark chocolate is healthier than milk chocolate or white chocolate.
See the other 9 heart-healthy foods and full article here
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=712240&publicationSubCategoryId=80Friday, July 22, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
5 Healthy and Low-Fat Chocolate Truffles that Won't Bust Your Diet: Shape Magazine
By Jennipher Walters
If you’re a chocoholic, there’s really no better chocolate-fix than a truffle. Decadent and rich, you probably think that truffles have to be full of fat and calories, right? Wrong! We have not one, not two, but five ways to indulge in low-fat truffles totally guilt-free!
5 Healthy Truffles that Won’t Bust Your Diet
1. Lemony Truffles. With just 86 calories per low-fat truffle, these lemony truffles are the perfect mix of chocolate and lightness for summer!
2. 3 Musketeers Truffle Crisp Bar. Who says you can’t have a candy bar when trying to lose weight? This 3 Musketeers Truffle Crisp Bar has just 85 calories and 4.5 grams of fat per bar. Crispy and chocolatey, they’re a delish low-fat truffle option!
3. Skinny Cow’s White Mint Truffle. If you like your chocolate truffle with a touch of mint, this ice cream truffle treat won’t disappoint! And with just 100 calories, it won’t break the calorie bank either!
4. Powerbar Essentials Chocolate Raspberry Truffle. Power your workout and get your chocolate-truffle fix with this protein bar that marries chocolate with berry flavor.
5. Vosges Yoga + Chocolate. These truffles are for the yogis out there, as this company’s chakra gift box pairs seven exotic truffles with yoga poses!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Is Swiss chocolate better than Chinese? Depends on when you find out where it's from
When consumers taste a chocolate bar they think is made in Switzerland, they'll prefer it over one supposedly made in China, according to new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. But if you tell them where it's from after they taste the candy, they'll prefer the Chinese chocolate.
"Imagine being at a wine tasting and finding out that a wine is expensive after tasting it," write authors Keith Wilcox, Anne L. Roggeveen, and Dhruv Grewal (all Babson College). "Will learning the price afterwards affect your evaluation differently compared to if you had learned the price beforehand?"
The authors found that the answer seems to depend on whether the information is favorable or not. In the chocolate study, undergraduates were given unbranded squares of Trader Joe's chocolates to taste. Half of the participants were told the chocolate was made in Switzerland; the remaining students were told the chocolate was made in China. But some were told this information before eating the chocolate and some were told afterwards. "When they were given the country of origin before tasting, the students liked the chocolate more when they were told it was from Switzerland," the authors write. "This was expected because Switzerland has a strong reputation for chocolate whereas China does not. Surprisingly, when they were given the country of origin after sampling, the students that were told the chocolate was from Switzerland liked it less than those told it was from China."
The authors found similar results when they told the participants that the chocolate was expensive versus inexpensive. The students enjoyed the same chocolate less when they were told it was expensive after sampling.
Finally, the authors conducted a study in a Boston-area liquor store. Customers were told the store was conducting a blind taste test of a new wine. After tasting, half the customers were told the wine was from Italy; the remaining customers were told it was from India, a region not known for producing fine wines. "As in previous studies, people liked the wine more when they were told it was from India after sampling compared to when they were told it was from Italy," the authors write. And nearly twice as many people opted to take a $5 coupon for the wine (instead of a gift of similar value) when they were told it was from India.
via sciencecodex.com
3...2...1.. Uproar.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Chocolate & Beer – My New Favorite Pairing
Beer & chocolate are two of my favorite things, but even I wouldn't have put the two together. But having read the post I can just about imagine the pairings working together. Will have to explore the subject some more. All in the name of research of course....
Monday, July 4, 2011
Not even chocolate is safe
British chocolate firm Thorntons announced on 28 June that it plans to close up to 180 of its shops over the next three years, due to weak consumer spending in Britain, RTE Ireland reported.
The group, unveiling a major strategy review, said it would withdraw from at least 120 outlets by 2014 as their leases expire and consider the future of an additional 60 shops over the same period, leaving 1,125 jobs at risk.
The plan will leave Thorntons with around 200 stores, and the chocolatier will still maintain a network of franchisees.
Thorntons store closings represent the latest blow to the UK high street after the failure of chains Habitat and Oddbins in recent weeks.
Our goal is to refocus the business across all channels and deliver industry competitive returns over the next three to five years, Thorntons Chief Executive Jonathan Hart said.
"Although we see the prospect of weakness in high street footfall and consumer sentiment continuing, I am confident that this strategy is right," he said.
via google.com
Crikey! We're doomed!
Deal could see Nestlé gain fast-track access to China’s $6bn sweet market, analyst
Nestlé confirmed to ConfectioneryNews.com this morning that it "is engaged in preliminary confidential discussions with Hsu Fu Chi."
The Swiss group added that it "has no further comments to make at this stage."
“Strategically, we would view the deal positively since it would give Nestlé access to China’s fast-growth $6bn confectionery market and allow the group a number of international cross-selling opportunities,” claims MF Global analysts.
Expansion in key Asian countries has long been earmarked as a strategy for the Swiss group as a means of compensating for sluggish growth in developed markets.
Hsu Fu Chi is one of China's largest confectionary and bakery manufacturers. It was started in 1992 by four Taiwanese brothers.
Nestlé reported sales of CHF 2.8bn (€2.27bn) in China in 2010, due to the growth there of its global brands including Nescafé, Nan, Maggi, KitKat as well as a hike in demand for local brands such as Haoji and Totole.
Instant-food partnership
In April, the global food giant announced that it has acquired a 60 per cent stake in Chinese food maker Yinlu Foods Group, expanding Nestlé’s instant-food offerings in a key growth market.
Family-owned Yinlu is a well-established brand in China and a major distributor of ready-to-drink peanut milk and instant canned rice porridge. The deal extends cooperation between the two companies, as Yinlu is a co-producer of Nestlé's Nescafé coffee in China.
Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke noted the collaboration with Yinlu demonstrated its “long-term investment in China and our commitment to further developing local brands.”
However, that transaction, the financials details of which were not disclosed, is subject to regulatory approval by the Chinese authorities.
Regulations on ownership
While Western companies are looking to gain a foothold in the growing Chinese market, government regulations on foreign ownership are not aiding such acquisition plans.
In 2009, Chinese authorities, citing antitrust concerns, rejected a $2.4bn bid by Coca Cola to buy a leading Chinese soft drinks maker, Huiyuan Juice Group. Market watchers regarded the move as protectionist, though Chinese officials rejected such allegations.
Seems like a win-win. Nestle get access to a market worth $6 billion and the Chinese get Kit Kat.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Latest Trends from The 2011 Sweets & Snacks Expo
"Trends in confectionery and snacks for 2011 reflect the larger patterns seen across the food industry -- Americans are more interested in what they are eating, and are looking for new flavors to satisfy increasingly complex palates," NCA President Larry Graham said. "Consumers look for value, exciting flavors and nutrition when seeking new sweets and snacks."Among the new products: -- Gummies aren't just for worms or bears anymore. Wrigley introduced Life Savers Gummies in cherry-watermelon, raspberry-lemonade and pineapple-fruit punch. -- Mars Chocolate North America is adding savory flavors to its Snickers line. The company also is offering Marathon Smart Stuff bars fortified with vitamins and minerals. -- Biscomerica introduced its Sun-Maid Oatmeal Raisin Apple cookie with fiber and no transfats. -- Live Smart Manufacturing's Natural Bubbie's Soft Biscotti are sweetened with goji berries, cranberries, dates and raisins, and also is offering flax bars (chocolate coated and plain) that contain antioxidants and 100 percent of the recommended Omega-3 fatty acids. -- Also for the diet conscious, Nestle Confections has a line of 110-120 Skinny Cow candies. -- For those having trouble sleeping, forget the Ambien and pop a Slumberland Sleep Square. -- Simply 7 Snacks introduced Hummus Chips and Lentil Chips. -- Verve Inc.'s Sugar-Free Glee gum is harvested from rainforest chicle and sweetened with xylitol from birch. -- With Harry Potter still popular, Jelly Belly Candy Co. is expanding its jelly bean offerings to include grass, black pepper and rotten egg, among others (did the Weasley twins have a hand in that?). The company is also dipping more traditional flavors -- very cherry, coconut, strawberry, raspberry orange and mint -- in dark chocolate.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Consumer-Corner/2011/07/03/Consumer-Corner-Just-what-the-sweet-tooth-ordered/UPI-46671309682340/#ixzz1R4yqBGuE
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Would a Real God Drop a Ferrero Rocher?
Ah! So some trainee god dropped a Ferrero Rocher in heaven and it landed up in the perfect family home.
Must have really taken an age to think that one up!
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