Chocolate

[jhonny]

If you never tasted Belgian chocolate you never tasted chocolate at all :D

.

you're right Tigersoap...I love Belgian chocolate :)

 

[realitybugll]

over the last 3 days i ate 1 large dark chocolate bar. actually I had 2 halfs of two different bars. one 85% cocoa, the other 78%. I don't think my body tolerates chocolate well. if I have for instance more then a 2in by 1in rectangle of chocolate my stomach starts to feel bad. not hurting but gurgly and unpleasant. I do have bits of dark chocolate pretty frequently in these local health/food/oat bars that I buy, so my body is accustomed to chocolate. I don't get what the problem is :(. some people can eat it and they feel fine i guess? well I'm not one of those people.

 

[riccadus]

Researching chocolate making today I came across some information that suggests that cocao/cacao may not be the super food it is claimed to be. I thought I'd share it as it came as news to me. Being a unabashed chocolate addict, I was not surprisingly shocked and saddened.

Firstly concerning so-called 'raw cacao'. Short story is - it's not really raw at all. All cacao beans are fermented first to provide the flavour we know as chocolate, and to neutralise the anti-nutrients present in the bean. So the 'raw cacao' we are buying at inflated prices just means 'unroasted'. Sounds like a great marketing tactic to cash in on the raw food movement. I wasn't aware of this and not sure how common this knowledge is, but I found it quite interesting.

This post provides a good summary of the 'raw' issue: _http://www.choctree.co.uk/about-chocolate/raw-chocolate-fact-or-fiction/

The article above also mentions that, given it comes mostly from third-world countries, the cacao beans are generally fermented in poor conditions. They are left to sit out in the sun for several days, and in the vicinity of animals, and so are prone to significant hygiene risk if no further processes are undertaken.

Further, contrary to the hype around 'raw cacao' there appear to be a lot of sources now claiming that even the fermented cacao may itself be toxic. One source of this is the mycotoxins present as a result of the fermentation process. Quoting from: _http://stirringchange.com/raw-cacao-hype-vs-science/

Upon harvest, cacao beans require fermentation to be edible. 64% of the microbes that facilitate this process create toxins called mycotoxins. Aflatoxin and Ochratoxin A are two such mycotoxins that have the following effects:
Neurotoxic (destroys nervous tissue)
Immunosuppressive (suppresses immune function)
Genotoxic (causes genetic mutations)
Carcinogenic (cancer causing)
Teratogenic (causes birth defects)

Unroasted cacao also apparently contains high levels of Theobromine (_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theobromine).

From _www.fredericpatenaude.com/blog/?p=262:

Cacao is one of the most addictive substances known.
In some cases of long term use there are also psychological effects that range from addictive tendencies, sexual dysfunction, violent outbursts, lack of reasoning, and decreased will.
At mega does of 40 plus beans it acts as a hallucinogen and can cause many effects attributed to LSD or Hashish.
Cacao is super toxic to the liver.
The result of long term use is a high level of liver and blood toxicity which can cause extreme: mood swings, angry outbursts, violence, depression, paranoia, and dizziness.
It is extremely clogging due to the toxins carried in the oils contained within. Plus the fat chains are highly complex and require tons of work to break down.
It acts as a stimulant and agitates the kidneys and adrenal glands this can cause: insomnia, nightmares, waking up in the middle of the night, shakes, and extreme energy shifts.
No animal in nature will eat it unless tricked into it with milk or sugar.
If you can convince an animal to eat it then it greatly shortens their life span if it doesn’t kill them immediately. (as with dogs)
The native people who ate it only ate the fruit of the theobroma (which contains all the benefits and none of the detriments) and only used the cacao seed as an addition to their psychedelic brew ahyuwascaand as a medicine in emergences.
Native people did not eat it as a food nor as a supplement, but only for sacred use.
When Native people did eat it, they only ate the fruit which contained the benefits without the detriments.

Now, you might wonder why chocolate would make his heart race? Its due to the caffeine and theobromine, a sister molecule to caffeine, the same chemical that kills many dogs when they eat chocolate! The adrenal glands rev up metabolism so as to quickly eliminate the offensive substance. This is called stimulated energy which is always followed by fatigue, and therefore a desire for more of the stimulant.

Roasting the cacao kills the mycotoxins and reduces the theobromine level significantly. I think I'll definitely be sure to roast my cacao nibs well in future. In fact, given that my metabolism is in overdrive at the best of times, this research has almost convinced me to try and cut down my chocolate intake substantially.

Sorry for being a kill-joy on the thread!

 

[Hope]

Now bad news.

Lead Contamination in Cocoa and Cocoa Products: Isotopic Evidence of Global Contamination

http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/8009/8009.html

[...]chocolate products and manufactured cocoa contain relatively high levels of contaminant lead compared with the baseline value for Nigerian cocoa beans used to make those products. Isotopic composition analyses of the products indicate multiple sources of contamination of industrial origin, which is consistent with the observation that there are numerous sources of lead contamination during the production of cocoa that have yet to be identified (COPAL 2004a, 2004b). Similar lead isotopic composition in contaminated cocoa bean shells from Nigeria, together with the high ability of cocoa bean shells to adsorb lead, suggest that contamination during cocoa processing at each farm may be responsible for some of the contamination in cocoa products; we propose that the ongoing use of leaded gasoline in Nigeria contributes to that contamination.However, the low lead concentration in cocoa beans compared with those of manufactured cocoa and chocolate products indicates that most lead contamination in those products occurs after the beans are harvested and dried, during the shipping of those beans and/or the manufacturing of cocoa and chocolate products.

I am still doing the low carb paleo diet, but dark chocolate is still one of my main weakness. I usually still eat 3oz of 85% dark chocolate a day but sometimes more!. It is organic, gluten free, and soy free. I just cant give it up, I am addicted to it but it also helps me stay away from evil foods. Some sources say that heavy metal contamination, namely lead and cadmium in the chocolate is a concern and others say not so much. Do you guys think there is a real probability of a person getting mild/moderate lead or cadmium poisoning from eating to much dark chocolate? lol Foods like sweet potatoes and berries usually have almost the same amount of lead content as chocolate does I have read so I am thinking this is just blown out of proportion?

I eat this bar if anybody wants to know:
http://www.vitacost.com/alter-eco-organic-dark-chocolate-blackout-85-cocoa

 

[Skyalmian]

Now bad news.

Lead Contamination in Cocoa and Cocoa Products: Isotopic Evidence of Global Contamination

http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/8009/8009.html

[...]chocolate products and manufactured cocoa contain relatively high levels of contaminant lead compared with the baseline value for Nigerian cocoa beans used to make those products. Isotopic composition analyses of the products indicate multiple sources of contamination of industrial origin, which is consistent with the observation that there are numerous sources of lead contamination during the production of cocoa that have yet to be identified (COPAL 2004a, 2004b). Similar lead isotopic composition in contaminated cocoa bean shells from Nigeria, together with the high ability of cocoa bean shells to adsorb lead, suggest that contamination during cocoa processing at each farm may be responsible for some of the contamination in cocoa products; we propose that the ongoing use of leaded gasoline in Nigeria contributes to that contamination.However, the low lead concentration in cocoa beans compared with those of manufactured cocoa and chocolate products indicates that most lead contamination in those products occurs after the beans are harvested and dried, during the shipping of those beans and/or the manufacturing of cocoa and chocolate products.

I am still doing the low carb paleo diet, but dark chocolate is still one of my main weakness. I usually still eat 3oz of 85% dark chocolate a day but sometimes more!. It is organic, gluten free, and soy free. I just cant give it up, I am addicted to it but it also helps me stay away from evil foods. Some sources say that heavy metal contamination, namely lead and cadmium in the chocolate is a concern and others say not so much. Do you guys think there is a real probability of a person getting mild/moderate lead or cadmium poisoning from eating to much dark chocolate? lol Foods like sweet potatoes and berries usually have almost the same amount of lead content as chocolate does I have read so I am thinking this is just blown out of proportion?

I eat this bar if anybody wants to know:
http://www.vitacost.com/alter-eco-organic-dark-chocolate-blackout-85-cocoa

(Disturbing. (I down a lot as a coping mechanism, e.g.
_https://www.google.com/search?q=dark+chocolate+stress ))

/just dug this thread up: DMSA for Heavy Metal Detox

 

[Hope]

(Disturbing. (I down a lot as a coping mechanism, e.g.
_https://www.google.com/search?q=dark+chocolate+stress ))

/just dug this thread up: DMSA for Heavy Metal Detox

Skyalmian,

I think as long as you buy good quality dark chocolate and eat in moderation you should be OK but that's my problem lol. I tend to eat too much of it and what is a moderate level? I will try to cut down and will do a heavy metal detox later on down the road.

Had a couple of articles that I was going to post for information here but can not find them right now, if I find them I will post them.

 

[Cleo]

Interesting, wasn't aware of this link to lead contamination..

Now bad news.

Lead Contamination in Cocoa and Cocoa Products: Isotopic Evidence of Global Contamination

http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/8009/8009.html

[...]chocolate products and manufactured cocoa contain relatively high levels of contaminant lead compared with the baseline value for Nigerian cocoa beans used to make those products. Isotopic composition analyses of the products indicate multiple sources of contamination of industrial origin, which is consistent with the observation that there are numerous sources of lead contamination during the production of cocoa that have yet to be identified (COPAL 2004a, 2004b). Similar lead isotopic composition in contaminated cocoa bean shells from Nigeria, together with the high ability of cocoa bean shells to adsorb lead, suggest that contamination during cocoa processing at each farm may be responsible for some of the contamination in cocoa products; we propose that the ongoing use of leaded gasoline in Nigeria contributes to that contamination.However, the low lead concentration in cocoa beans compared with those of manufactured cocoa and chocolate products indicates that most lead contamination in those products occurs after the beans are harvested and dried, during the shipping of those beans and/or the manufacturing of cocoa and chocolate products.

I eat this bar if anybody wants to know:
http://www.vitacost.com/alter-eco-organic-dark-chocolate-blackout-85-cocoa

I developed a sort of addiction to that same chocolate bar as well. I would buy it, thinking it's one of the healthier options as it is gluten and soy free as you mentioned, GMO free, and has a lot less sugar with a higher percentage of cocoa than many other dark chocolate bars. I also liked the butter chocolate bar by the same brand but that has, I think almost twice the amount of sugar.

I haven't had any of the chocolate since the past several weeks because of a tooth infection. It seemed like for awhile there I would constantly have a bar on me, and if I ran out I would be thinking of getting to the store soon to get another

 

[lainey]

Hello all, not sure if you are planning to begin the iodine protocol but I thought I should bring this post to your attention,

Cross posting this here:

Notice that it is based on 5% lugol's. It seems that each drop contains around 50mg of iodide, what most papers quote as the reference.

5% Lugol's doesn't have 50mg of iodide per drop--each ml (about 20 drops) of Lugol's 5% contains 50mg of iodide. Each drop (I think specifically each vertical drop, as a horizontal drop will be a different size) contains 3.75mg of iodide and 2.5mg of iodine. From the link:

2 drops 5% Lugol’s Solution - contains 5mg iodine and 7.5mg iodide
(5% Lugol’s solution contains 50 mg iodine and 75 mg iodide / ml; above calulation based on 20 drops/ml)

The link does mention a SSKI (Super Saturated Potassium Iodide) solution that contains about 50mg of iodide per drop, but that's way more than 5% Lugol's.

The link also specifies a couple other interesting things:

Don’t take iodine at the same time as Vitamin C - which will negate disinfectant effect of iodine; Take vitamin C at least 2 hours before or after taking Lugol’ solution.

Antidotes for iodine overdose
Chocolate or cocoa - high in bromine which displaces iodine;
Vitamin C – take ¼ tsp. (~2.5g) in juice or water

So perhaps those who've eaten a lot of chocolate have an increased need for iodine?

 

[Galaxia2002]

Hello all, not sure if you are planning to begin the iodine protocol but I thought I should bring this post to your attention,

Cross posting this here:

Notice that it is based on 5% lugol's. It seems that each drop contains around 50mg of iodide, what most papers quote as the reference.

5% Lugol's doesn't have 50mg of iodide per drop--each ml (about 20 drops) of Lugol's 5% contains 50mg of iodide. Each drop (I think specifically each vertical drop, as a horizontal drop will be a different size) contains 3.75mg of iodide and 2.5mg of iodine. From the link:

2 drops 5% Lugol’s Solution - contains 5mg iodine and 7.5mg iodide
(5% Lugol’s solution contains 50 mg iodine and 75 mg iodide / ml; above calulation based on 20 drops/ml)

The link does mention a SSKI (Super Saturated Potassium Iodide) solution that contains about 50mg of iodide per drop, but that's way more than 5% Lugol's.

The link also specifies a couple other interesting things:

Don’t take iodine at the same time as Vitamin C - which will negate disinfectant effect of iodine; Take vitamin C at least 2 hours before or after taking Lugol’ solution.

Antidotes for iodine overdose
Chocolate or cocoa - high in bromine which displaces iodine;
Vitamin C – take ¼ tsp. (~2.5g) in juice or water

So perhaps those who've eaten a lot of chocolate have an increased need for iodine?

It is not the case, cocoa doesn't contain bromine. The confusion seems to come fron the plant's name "theobroma cacao" . Only it can contain traces of bromine if was fumigated with methylbromide. So it is better to eat the organic one.

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,13371.msg617727.html#msg617727

 

[Ben]

Good point. To make things even more confusing is that from the name theobroma is derived the name of a compound found in chocolate - theobromine. This might suggest that the compound contains bromine, but it doesn't.

 

[lainey]

Thanks for sharing that information. I've got a real soft spot for dark chocolate!

 

[ashu]

Thanks for sharing that information. I've got a real soft spot for dark chocolate!

Gosh me too especially of late what with recently starting iodine therapy (day 4 today), maybe combined with it approaching the time of the month & also having dark thoughts :(

Will stop for 3 days (pulse method) and see how I go.

 

[Scottie]

I am a confessed Chocolate Monster. Just imagine Cookie Monster, but purple, and he eats chocolate instead of cookies.

I have found only one thing that reduces my desire for choco.

First, some background... Apparently, domesticated dogs have 2 Most Important Things in the World:

1. Eating
2. Lovies from their humans

In that order.

This makes sense, since if they don't eat, dogs die. As for Lovies, well, that should be kind of obvious. If it's not, get a dog, pet it every day while looking into its eyes, and if both you and the dog do not feel better, I'll eat both my shoes. It's a mutual antidepressant, boosts oxytocin levels, blah blah blah.

Let us now consider humans. I would say it works out about the same:

1. Eating
2. Lovies
3. Sex

Of course, the sex drive seems rather powerful, but ultimately we humans generally tend to use sex to bury or express emotional needs, so I would rate Lovies as higher than Sex. And of course, #1 is food.

Without food, we die. It's the basic biological need. Our brains are wired to reward us in all kinds of fabulous ways when we eat something. Food is more important than Lovies, but naturally emotions play a large role in food.

Recently, I dramatically reduced my chocolate consumption. Note I didn't say "eliminated". I'm taking things step by step because the entire concept of "quitting cold turkey" sounds great on paper, but is nearly impossible given how we're wired in most cases. Plus, a purely biological machine would not have nearly as much difficulty quitting some food as most of us do. But most of us are not purely biological machines... we also feel.

We also know that addiction is rooted in emotion, and emotions are also inextricably linked to our physical machines.

So, how did I reduce my chocolate consumption? Easy! I felt better.

How? Well, I started dealing more effectively with several long-standing emotional issues. After that, the change just sort of happened on its own. Well, it also didn't occur in a vacuum. After all, I've been doing various health stuff, including the iodine protocol now. So, it's a multi-pronged approach.

Being a multi-pronged approach, you can't neglect one or the other prong. If you solely/primarily try to deal with the emotional side, you'll have a hard time of it. If you solely/primarily try to deal with the physical side, you'll have a hard time of it. You must go Full Putin on yourself, keeping in mind that he doesn't seem to be the totalitarian monster that he is portrayed to be in the Western media.

IOW, do the Work! That means less shame, guilt, beating yourself over the head, etc. It also means less shaming of others, guilt-tripping others, and beating others over the head. There again, it's a multi-pronged approach.

And when you do eat chocolate, here's a fun thing to try: enjoy it. I know, right?! That's crazy!!!

If you find that difficult, ask yourself one simple question: "Will anyone die if I eat this chocolate?" The answer is probably NO. Well, there you have it. Note the self-drama inherent in that question, especially the satisfaction you derive from answering it and how you're kind of gently making fun of yourself.

Consider the insanity involved in eating something that gives you a "feel good high", while simultaneously bashing yourself over the head because you're a bad boy/girl, it's bad for you, you shouldn't need it, etc. That's like self-inflicted cognitive dissonance. Who needs psychos when you drive yourself crazy over something as basic as what you munch??

This does not mean you should always just do whatever you feel like doing... That's waaaaay too much on the "emotion only" side, and it total neglects the whole concept of working on yourself.

Well, it's like fighting terrorism...

You can do it the Obama way, or you can do it the Putin way. But even Putin said they don't blame the Turkish people for the death of their soldiers - they blame certain people in the Turkish government. It's not black and white. And of course, there WILL be consequences!

So, ya know... Do it gently. Do it multi-prongedly. Do it Workily.

:D <--- note lack of chocolate smeared on face

 

[Aeneas]

[...]
So, how did I reduce my chocolate consumption? Easy! I felt better.

How? Well, I started dealing more effectively with several long-standing emotional issues. After that, the change just sort of happened on its own. Well, it also didn't occur in a vacuum. After all, I've been doing various health stuff, including the iodine protocol now. So, it's a multi-pronged approach.

Being a multi-pronged approach, you can't neglect one or the other prong. If you solely/primarily try to deal with the emotional side, you'll have a hard time of it. If you solely/primarily try to deal with the physical side, you'll have a hard time of it. You must go Full Putin on yourself, keeping in mind that he doesn't seem to be the totalitarian monster that he is portrayed to be in the Western media.

IOW, do the Work! That means less shame, guilt, beating yourself over the head, etc. It also means less shaming of others, guilt-tripping others, and beating others over the head. There again, it's a multi-pronged approach.

And when you do eat chocolate, here's a fun thing to try: enjoy it. I know, right?! That's crazy!!!


Consider the insanity involved in eating something that gives you a "feel good high", while simultaneously bashing yourself over the head because you're a bad boy/girl, it's bad for you, you shouldn't need it, etc. That's like self-inflicted cognitive dissonance. Who needs psychos when you drive yourself crazy over something as basic as what you munch??

But even Putin said they don't blame the Turkish people for the death of their soldiers - they blame certain people in the Turkish government. It's not black and white. And of course, there WILL be consequences!

So, ya know... Do it gently. Do it multi-prongedly. Do it Workily.

:D <--- note lack of chocolate smeared on face

Thanks Scottie for the Work-out lite on Chocolate. Even if it is early days, I have noticed after being on the iodine protocol for 5 days that I have less chocolate cravings.

And so true, what you write about the insanity of beating ourselves up just for eating. Self-inflicted cognitive dissonance sounds about right. Multi-pronged approach is the way.

PS: Perhaps in the next update to the forum, we will have some chocolate emoticons

 

[Mildain]

http://s3.postimg.org/nihema84j/my_plate_worksheet_joshua.jpg[/url]
[url=http://postimage.org/]photo uploading[/url]

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