Tuesday July 1, 2008, 12:33 pm
I always eat dark chocolate nowadays, thanks Michael.

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 12:41 pm
GERMANY HAS BEST CHOCHOLATE THEY PUT CONAC IN THEIRS

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 12:55 pm
Oh but michael my mouth so loves choc-o-late...very much so...yep indde-dee...

BIg Gorilly Hugs

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 1:02 pm
Oh, why did you have to tell me that LOL!!!!

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 1:27 pm
Not only is dark chocolate better for you, there are many "green" and socially responcible comapanies out there that sell it....

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 1:31 pm
hi noted and thanks michael. look temping will be eating chocolate tonight lol.thanks mate.

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 1:35 pm
Melissa - Good point. Just as an example, here is a company that markets shade grown, organic, fair traid chocolate - and a portion of their sales goes to saving endangered species:

http://www.chocolatebar.com/

(disclaimer, I own no financial interest in the company LOL )

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 1:50 pm
Thank you Michael! I love chocolate! A real good Sacher Cake is my favourite cake..but you allways need the best possible chocolate!
Many people have never ever tasted real chocolate! And only people who have enjoyed the rich flavour of real good chocolate know why people can become chocoholics! My favourite chocolatebar is from the most genious chocolatemaker in the world. Check that out www.zotter.at real fair trade chocolate real organic and the best and most exotic flavours that you will be able to find!

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 1:54 pm
I'll check that out thanks Hans, Chris and everyone else.

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 2:51 pm
Of course, organic chocolate is the best,
and it's become much more widely available
in the last couple of years, and yes, the
darker the better.
I recently tried some chocolate that was,
I believe, 80% cacao. and it was almost
inedible....*yuk!*.....but my roommate
loved it, so it didn't go to waste!
IMHO, there are two things Americans
have never learned to make well:
Beer and chocolate.
I MUCH prefer the European chocolate!
Now, THEY know how to make BOTH!

Thanks, Mike, from a newly-inducted
Golden Noter to a seasoned-vet!....LOL!
PEACE, my friend!

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 2:54 pm
btw,
Life is too short to eat cheap chocolate!

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 2:55 pm
Michael!
Perhaps in no other place in the world, and certainly no other city in Europe, do so many pastry shops and chocolate-makers roast and blend their own cacao beans. The cafes of Turin, still the world's most sumptuous and beautiful, are famous for serving the city's own hot-chocolate-and-espresso drink called bicerin, a fabulous layered concoction served in glass cups.
http://www.tiscover.it/it/guide/10967de,en,SCH1/objectId,IND37148it,curr,EUR,parentId,RGN9275it,season,at1,selBlk,RBLOCKBLK,selElem,BKE88Xit/intern.html

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 3:02 pm
Cheap chocolate also tastes *sh***y.

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 3:19 pm
Wow that's interesting. I'd like to see more US companies take their time and do chocolate the right way, Giovanni.

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 3:27 pm
I love good chocolate. Thanks Michael.

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 3:58 pm
i love chocolate to bad i am a diabetic

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 5:06 pm
I DON'T EAT MUCH BUT DARK WHEN I DO TY MICHAEL

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 5:17 pm
I never liked dark chocolate until I bit into a Nestle's Rew chocolate bar!!!! I've become addicted to it!!!!!

Plant trees for life......Cocoa trees!

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 6:30 pm
Swiss chocolate and yes a Sacher Torte. My dad was a pastry chef, I adore quality chocolate, I am a connoisseur and believe you can't go past the Swiss chocolate, highly recommend. And of course I don't believe that you eat chocolate for health reasons. It is a sweet and should be enjoyed sparingly, ask your waste. All Chocolates have loads of fat. That is what makes it creamy and smooth. A real Black forest cake, with sour cherries, Hans how about It?

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 7:40 pm
You're making me hungry, Bea!
and waking up my sweet-teeth, too!
(I've got alot more than just one!)
Yes, Swiss chocolate is absolutely
the finest in the world, can't be beat!

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 10:20 pm
Thanks Michael. I love chocolate.

Tuesday July 1, 2008, 11:20 pm
Hi Bea!
There is only cocoa fat in dark chocolate you can eat real dark chocolate as much as you can without getting fat.....dont try that with any normal chocolate! Chocolate is a good mood food, if you are feeling bad try chocolate and you will soon feel better...Hot chocolate with hot chilli is not only the secret of Maya....
You are right on that one number one on my list is the Sacher Torte number two the Schwarzwaelderkirsch Torte...but not from any kind of factory..
Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:

* Lower Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
* Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.

Other Benefits of Dark Chocolate:

Chocolate also holds benefits apart from protecting your heart:

* it tastes good
* it stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure
* it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant
* it contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants

Doesn't Chocolate Have a lot of Fat?:

Here is some more good news -- some of the fats in chocolate do not impact your cholesterol. The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid:

* Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.
* Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research is shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
* Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.

That means only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you.
Chocolate Tip 1 - Balance the Calories:

This information doesn't mean that you should eat a pound of chocolate a day. Chocolate is still a high-calorie, high-fat food. Most of the studies done used no more than 100 grams, or about 3.5 ounces, of dark chocolate a day to get the benefits.

One bar of dark chocolate has around 400 calories. If you eat half a bar of chocolate a day, you must balance those 200 calories by eating less of something else. Cut out other sweets or snacks and replace them with chocolate to keep your total calories the same.
Chocolate is a complex food with over 300 compounds and chemicals in each bite. To really enjoy and appreciate chocolate, take the time to taste it. Professional chocolate tasters have developed a system for tasting chocolate that include assessing the appearance, smell, feel and taste of each piece. Enjpy!

Wednesday July 2, 2008, 2:24 am
Bette, sorry but I boycott Nestle for their animal testing and their crimes on humanity - look at this!

http://www.babymilkaction.org/pages/boycott.html

Hans, have you got a link to that chocolate site?

I also boycott Mars for testing on animals!

Wednesday July 2, 2008, 4:57 am
Lorraine.....I was not aware of that!!!!!

I will call them on this a.s.a.p.......Thank you!!

PLANT TREES BECAUSE THEY ARE THE LUNGS OF THE EARTH!!

Wednesday July 2, 2008, 5:43 am
Hi Loraine!

I have a few
http://www.callebaut.com/uken/2117
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20030827/dark-chocolate-is-healthy-chocolate
http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/p/chocolate.htm
http://www.zotter.at/4.html Zotter is the most genious and social chocolatier!
Fair Trade
What creates passion for some people, may cause sorrow for others. The aftertaste of chocolate can be very bitter, if you pause and think for a while that cocoa farmers work under extremely hard conditions, while other people profit from the fruits of their labour.
Since 2004 Zotter has been a permanent licence partner of FAIRTRADE Austria. Zotter acquires the basic raw materials such as cocoa and cane sugar from fair trade in organic quality.

Since according to Josef Zotter, “as cocoa processing company we carry the responsibility for the living and working conditions of the cocoa farmers in Third World countries. Fair trade creates opportunities for small farmers and plantation workers in the producing countries. They are able to emancipate themselves from fluctuating world market prices and establish their own self-determined existence in which child labour and environmental exploitation are foreign words.”

Wednesday July 2, 2008, 5:49 am
Tolblerone chocolate isnt it from the Swiss....VERY GOOD...and i know i probably didnt spell right anyways...lol A friend of mine goes there every year and bings me back a shitload of it..and its usually gone within a few weeks...LOL It is sooooooooooooo smooth..

Big Gorilly Hugs

Wednesday July 2, 2008, 6:01 am
Death by chocolate . . . Maybe not such a bad thing!

Wednesday July 2, 2008, 9:03 am
This is why I like Dagobah and Endangered Species Dark Chocolates, as well as Cocovia, specifically formulated to be healthy!

Wednesday July 2, 2008, 10:40 am
Thanks Hans! I do buy a lot of things that are Fairtrade and organic too.