Christmas chocolate left over?
The Christmas holidays are over, but maybe you still have some delicious leftover chocolate? Instead of just putting them in the cupboard and forgetting about them, you can turn them into something new and delicious!
All-round talent cocoa bean!
Why the cocoa bean is a real superfood for humans...
...and why dogs and cats are not allowed to eat chocolate
We love it - chocolate. White, milk or dark chocolate, pure or with nuts and raisins, as a bar, as a hollow figure or as a drink. Very few of us can imagine our everyday lives without chocolate. On the other hand, it is easy to imagine life without cocoa beans as a snack. But wait! Thinking of cocoa beans only as a basic ingredient for chocolate is a big mistake. Find out why here!
One thing is certain: eating cocoa beans is good for your body! Cocoa beans contain many healthy ingredients that are good for the human body.
Many components can be found in the small super seed of the cocoa fruit. For example, over 50 percent of the bean consists of cocoa butter. This fat is not only used to make chocolate, it is also found in beauty products and medical devices. Cocoa butter has several advantages: it consists of saturated, unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. This combination not only means that cocoa butter can hardly go rancid, it also makes the fat solid. The mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids makes it a wonderful source of energy for us.
If you are looking for a source of magnesium, calcium or iron, you should eat cocoa beans. They contain high amounts of these minerals and provide your body with ideal nutrients. They help in many ways - with bone and muscle building, headaches or cramps. Above all, cocoa beans are one of the best sources of magnesium you can find! Compared to other foods, the content is particularly high at a good 400 mg per 100 g of cocoa beans.
You also consume polyphenols when you eat cocoa and chocolate. But what are polyphenols actually? Polyphenols are so-called secondary plant substances and are considered to be beneficial to the health of the human body. This is because this plant substance is said to have an anti-inflammatory and cancer-preventing effect. Not bad at all, right?
There are many other ingredients in the cocoa bean. The respective content of the substances varies depending on the cocoa variety and growing region, and even the weather can influence the proportions of the ingredients!
| Proportion | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 54% | Cocoa butter (fat) |
| 11,5% | Egg white (protein) |
| 9% | cellulose |
| 7,5% | Starch and pentosans |
| 6% | Tanning agents and coloring components |
| 5% | water |
| 2,6% | Minerals and salts |
| 2% | Organic acids and flavorings |
| 1,2% | theobromine |
| 1% | various sugars |
| 0,2% | caffeine |
The bean also contains theobromine, which makes up just over 1 percent. It stimulates the nervous system, is a vasodilator and is considered a diuretic. The effect of theobromine is often equated with caffeine, but theobromine has a milder and mood-enhancing effect on the human body.
We humans can digest a certain amount of theobromine thanks to an enzyme, but dogs and cats cannot. Even relatively small amounts can be poisonous for animals - the smaller the pet, the quicker poisoning occurs.
So is chocolate healthy?
As in many cases, the answer is: it depends on the type and quantity. Dark chocolates contain more cocoa and less sugar. The rule here is: enjoy everything in moderation. But who can and wants to say no to a delicious chocolate?
