Chocolate

[Gaby]

This dry skin started after a trip I took about two years ago with my brother's family, we went to Florida on vacation and I got the worst sun burn I've ever had in my life. Burnt like a lobster from head to toe. Since then my skin has never been the same. It seems to be okay during the warm months but in the cold my skin dries right up now. The lil rash on my chin is a new addition, but that may have to do with the new changes I've been making to my diet. I'm not disregarding any suggestions that come my way, I'm actually making a list of them, but I'm gonna start with straightening out my diet first I think. Thank you tho Trevrizent ;)


Edit: Psyche you musta posted while I was typing! I have bookmarked most of the health threads and I'm going thru them now. Thanks again for your help!

Welcome!

I used to have really bad rashes, they will also start after a very bad sun burn. In the winter, it will also be the worst. All my life I had a very typical history of allergies: rashes, flu like symptoms, inflammation in my eyes among other things. At the end I determined that the main contributing factor was what I ate. The worst rashes I've ever had was when I cut out meat from my diet, substituting it with loads of gluten foods and I was also having dairy (this was like 10 years ago). My rashes were so bad that my dermatologist was suggesting anti-anxiety drugs, he said I was among the worst cases... Now that I do the diet, I don't have bad rashes anymore. I also use almond oil to keep my skin moisturized, so it won't become so dry. Hope your rashes disappears as well.

 

[truth seeker]

This dry skin started after a trip I took about two years ago with my brother's family, we went to Florida on vacation and I got the worst sun burn I've ever had in my life. Burnt like a lobster from head to toe. Since then my skin has never been the same. It seems to be okay during the warm months but in the cold my skin dries right up now. The lil rash on my chin is a new addition, but that may have to do with the new changes I've been making to my diet. I'm not disregarding any suggestions that come my way, I'm actually making a list of them, but I'm gonna start with straightening out my diet first I think. Thank you tho Trevrizent ;)

I got a really bad sunburn about three years ago. I think that although the skin arrears to be healed, it may take years for it to recover from that kind of trauma. As a child, I also remember getting burned really bad (this was back in the seventies before sunscreen became popular) so I wouldn't be surprised if that was/is a contributing factor. as well.

I have no doubt that the diet will help with this. In addition, I'd like to mirror Psyches post and say that oil helps. I currently use olive oil and find that it works great (I wonder if the almond oil works better?). This suggestion is only for dry skin however, not rashes as I'm not sure if it will irritate them.

The skin on my face will act up sometimes in the summer (season change?), but I use baking powder mixed with soap to remove the dead skin. You can also use it on your body.

 

[Chu]

Anyone got any good "make your own sugar-free chocolate" recipes?

After several trials, we've come up with a pretty good recipe for gluten and dairy AND sugar-free chocolates!

I haven't perfected it yet, and sometimes the cocoa butter doesn't mix up very well with the cocoa powder, but you can try for yourselves and see!

Here's the recipe, but I never actually measure the ingredients, so the quantities may not be totally accurate:

- Melt 1/2 cup of pure cocoa butter in a pot, at low temperature. Do not let the butter boil. This seems to be one of the secrets for good ingredient mixing.

- Once it's melted, turn the fire off, and add about four heaping table spoons of cocoa powder (100% cocoa), and your preferred sweetener. If you are on a detox diet and can't have sugar, you can use two heaping table spoons of xylitol. Stevia tastes too strong, IMO. If you can have sugar, you can add the same amount of organic brown sugar or of maple syrup.

- Then add about a table spoon of rice milk to thicken the mix.

- Pour into a container. It could be a rectangular one if you want to make a tablet, or one of those trays specially designed for chocolates and cookies. Any shape you like.

- Put it in the freezer, and it will be done in about 15 minutes.

Optional: When pouring it into a container, you can add anything you like. Try some fresh or dry mint, or tangerine/orange zests, or cranberries, or cocoa nibs, or anything you want.

Depending on the proportions you use, you may get a more or less creamy chocolate. With the recipe above, you get solid chocolate. But it can be modified to make pudding or anything else.

I have to say it's tricky, but you CAN have yummy chocolate once in a while! :P

 

[3DStudent]

Very nice, thank you Ailén! I'll keep this in mind and maybe try it out when I'm confident that candida is at bay and start eating healthy sweets.

 

[andi]

Cocoa butter-less chocolate irks buyers, says the title of a small article : http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2008/09/02/Cocoa-butter-less-chocolate-irks-buyers/UPI-12941220385450/

NEW YORK, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Some chocolate-lovers in the United States are complaining about the substitution of cheaper vegetable oils for cocoa butter in candy.

Sharon Leitner of Cincinnati told ABC News that she noticed about a year ago that Take 5, her favorite confection, had developed a "waxy and artificial taste." When she checked the ingredients, she discovered that cocoa butter was no longer listed.

"It just didn't taste like it used to," she said.

Judy Ganes, head of J. Ganes Consulting in Katonah, N.Y., said there is a big reason candy makers like Hershey, which manufactures the Take 5, have cut down on their use of cocoa butter: Prices have more than doubled since 2006, with a ton of African butter going from $4,000 to $8,100.

Kirk Saville, a Hershey spokesman, said the company still uses cocoa butter in most of its products, citing Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and the ever-popular Hershey Kisses.

Leitner is not impressed. She said Hershey appears to be removing the cocoa butter from its less popular products, suggesting that fans of Take 5 or Whatchamacallit are less important than those who like Reese's.

I wouldn't be surprised if the dark chocolate that is advertised in the big stores is cocoa butter-less...more like very small quantities of it.

Cocoa butter is obtained from either whole cacao beans or chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor is pressed to separate the cocoa butter from the cocoa solids.[4] The broma process is used to extract cocoa butter from whole cacao beans. The cocoa butter is most often deodorized to remove its strong and undesirable taste.[5]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa_butter

My take on it is : if it doesn't taste just right (like something is missing) , then probably the cocoa butter is almost absent.

 

[Oxajil]

Today I took a bite from a chocolate bar, ingredients:

Ecuadorian cacao** (70%), dried banana purée*, cacao nibs**, non-GMO lecithin
* Organic Ingredients
** Organic and Fair Trade Ingredients

I have to say that it tastes a lot more different than the usual chocolate I eat! It's not as yummy as the poisoned chocolate bars (it tastes bitter), but the funny thing is that so far my body likes it! (I think) It's funny; it doesn't taste good, but I do have this craving feeling after some minutes, which makes me want to eat it again. Not sure if that's a good thing, but I do feel happy :P It's the same feeling I'm having when I ate quinoa for the first time.
I have eaten organic cacao bars before this one, but they had raw sugar cane in it, and when I ate one of those I didn't feel much.. maybe even had a light headache from it, I don't remember. All I know is that it didn't make me feel this good.

Next time I'm going to try 100% Cacoa Powder

Perhaps interesting, from _http://ezinearticles.com/?Amazing-Benefits-of-Raw-Cacao,-Raw-Chocolate-and-Immune-Stimulating-Mushrooms&id=1797445 :

Although, everyone enjoys chocolate, people do not consume it in its raw form for the maximum benefit that they can derive from it. Some benefits of raw cacao and raw chocolate include:

- It acts as a stimulant, so that the energy level in your body will receive a boost and you will feel better about yourself.

- It can also help to reduce chronic fatigue and general weakness caused by stress.

- Raw chocolate and raw cacao can help strengthen your cardiovascular system.

- This special superfood helps to regulate your sleep.

- Most importantly, pure chocolate directly stimulates various neurotransmitters in your brain (such as serotonin) to help reduce depression and to give a sense of euphoria or a sense of well being. Hence, your mood will be uplifted and you will feel better about yourself.

- Raw chocolate has a very high ORAC quotient. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This is an important property, as it denotes the ability to absorb free radicals from your body. This can be a very useful concept for helping you to protect your body from carcinogens and free radicals that cause cancer.

- Raw chocolate is also considered as a mild aphrodisiac as it has shown to increase sexual appetite after regular consumption.

- Raw chocolate can also help stimulate your immune system.

(The first one is definitely check!)

 

[Bo]

Oxajil was giving me a piece of this chocolate bar;

and my response to it: Disgusting!!

How can you even eat this?

 

[kannas]

Anyone got any good "make your own sugar-free chocolate" recipes?

After several trials, we've come up with a pretty good recipe for gluten and dairy AND sugar-free chocolates!

I haven't perfected it yet, and sometimes the cocoa butter doesn't mix up very well with the cocoa powder, but you can try for yourselves and see!

Here's the recipe, but I never actually measure the ingredients, so the quantities may not be totally accurate:

- Melt 1/2 cup of pure cocoa butter in a pot, at low temperature. Do not let the butter boil. This seems to be one of the secrets for good ingredient mixing.

- Once it's melted, turn the fire off, and add about four heaping table spoons of cocoa powder (100% cocoa), and your preferred sweetener. If you are on a detox diet and can't have sugar, you can use two heaping table spoons of xylitol. Stevia tastes too strong, IMO. If you can have sugar, you can add the same amount of organic brown sugar or of maple syrup.

- Then add about a table spoon of rice milk to thicken the mix.

- Pour into a container. It could be a rectangular one if you want to make a tablet, or one of those trays specially designed for chocolates and cookies. Any shape you like.

- Put it in the freezer, and it will be done in about 15 minutes.

Optional: When pouring it into a container, you can add anything you like. Try some fresh or dry mint, or tangerine/orange zests, or cranberries, or cocoa nibs, or anything you want.

Depending on the proportions you use, you may get a more or less creamy chocolate. With the recipe above, you get solid chocolate. But it can be modified to make pudding or anything else.

I have to say it's tricky, but you CAN have yummy chocolate once in a while! :P

Thank you, Ailén, for this chocolate recipe! I have copied it and added the recipe to my personal cookbook. I'll be making this soon!

 

[Nienna]

I think, Oxajil, the only bad ingredient in it is the non-GMO lecithin. It is ususally listed as "soy" lecithin and I am wondering wy the "soy" was left out.

Anyway, I suppose that having it once in a while is okay. :)

And dark chocolate is good for you. ;) The darker, the better!

 

[Mr. Premise]

Have you tried raw cacao nibs? I really like them but not many other people do, but I would think it they would be easier for you to eat than cacao powder. Cacao nibs are bitter but they have fascinating complex flavors and all the health benefits.

Next time I'm going to try 100% Cacoa Powder

 

[Pierre]

It is ususally listed as "soy" lecithin and I am wondering wy the "soy" was left out.

Apparently lecithin can be extracted from soy and also from egg:

It may be isolated either from egg yolk (in Greek lekithos—λέκιθος) or from soy beans, from which it is extracted chemically (using hexane) or mechanically

 

[Lauranimal]

Quote from Belibaste:

Quote from: Nienna Eluch on Yesterday at 01:54:40 PM
It is ususally listed as "soy" lecithin and I am wondering wy the "soy" was left out.

Apparently lecithin can be extracted from soy and also from egg:

Quote from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lecithin
It may be isolated either from egg yolk (in Greek lekithos—λέκιθος) or from soy beans, from which it is extracted chemically (using hexane) or mechanically

FYI, Lecithin, especially in chocolate is most often derived from either soy or wheat. So for those avoiding gluten, if the ingredients say only, Lecithin... and it does not say anywhere that it is gluten-free, either call the company to ask, or best not to risk it.

 

[Jacques]

After several trials, we've come up with a pretty good recipe for gluten and dairy AND sugar-free chocolates!

I haven't perfected it yet, and sometimes the cocoa butter doesn't mix up very well with the cocoa powder, but you can try for yourselves and see!

Here's the recipe, but I never actually measure the ingredients, so the quantities may not be totally accurate:

- Melt 1/2 cup of pure cocoa butter in a pot, at low temperature. Do not let the butter boil. This seems to be one of the secrets for good ingredient mixing.

I would like to do that recipe but unfortunately i just can not find pure cocoa butter.

I have tried all kind of food stores and even some places where they make chocolate and nobody is using cocoa butter.

The health food store told me to give them the name of some companies that produce cocoa butter and they will try to command it.

So can someone give me the name of some companies that produces cocoa butter please.

 

[Adaryn]

Hi Gandalf,

I found this ad:
_http://boutique.annoncextra.com/naturosources/services/annonce-beaute-sante-196091.html

This French site sells it (shipping worldwide):
_http://www.aroma-zone.com/aroma/beurres.asp#cacao

I think cocoa butter is mostly sold as a cosmetic (as a body balm, for ex.) so you'll have better chance finding it in natural cosmetic shops/websites.

 

[3DStudent]

Looking at amazon and omitting the ones that look like moisturizers I found these:

Now foods http://www.amazon.com/Cocoa-Butter-100-Pure-Ounces/dp/B00028MLHA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1266344333&sr=8-1

Eastbluff trading company http://www.amazon.com/100-Organic-Cacao-Butter-16oz/dp/B002US55K0/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1266344333&sr=8-11

Chefshop http://www.amazon.com/Cocoa-Butter-Chips-Germany-ChefShop/dp/B0012ZWHYY/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1266344333&sr=8-15

And this http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Cacao-Cocoa-Butter-Chocolate/dp/B00168GTX2/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_2

FWIW