Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1 The Condensed History of Chocolate 7
2 From Cacao Tree to Chocolate Bar 17
The Cacao Tree and Where It Grows 18
Transforming Cacao Pods into the Food of the Gods 20
3 Healthy Investigation 23
Antioxidants 25
Vitamins, Minerals, Fiber, and Protein 28
Fats in Chocolate: Good or Bad? 29
Conflicting Research? 31
Your Overall Eating Strategy 33
4 Selecting the Proper Chocolate 35
Cocoa Percentages 37
White Chocolate Lovers Take Note 38
Wrapper Reading 101 39
Organic Chocolate 41
Fair Trade Chocolates 42
Are Your Assorted Boxed Chocolate Days Over? 43
Ingredient Dictionary 43
Finding Great Chocolate 53
The Final Concept 54
5 Proper Chocolate Consumption 55
Cultivating Your Chocolate Palate 56
Bean Flavor Profiles 59
6 Chocolate Remedies 61
ADD/ADHD 64
Allergies 65
Alzheimer's Disease 67
Andropause (Male Menopause) 68
5 Anemia 70
Antioxidant Assistance 71
Antiwrinkle Assistance 73
Anxiety 75
Arthritis 77
Asthma 78
Blood Sugar Control: Hypoglycemia 79
Caffeine Withdrawal 81
Cancer 83
Cataracts 84
Cavities 85
Chronic Fatigue 86
Constipation 87
Cough 89
Cramps 90
Depression 91
Diabetes 92
Doggy Danger 94
Emphysema 95
Energy Loss 97
Fiber Shortage 98
Fibromyalgia 99
Flatulence 100
Food Cravings 101
Gluten Intolerance
Going to the Dark Side 102
Headache 104
Heartbreak 105
Heart Disease 106
High Blood Pressure/Hypertension 108
High Cholesterol 109
Hyperglycemia/Hypoglycemia 112
Immune Deficiency 113
Impotence 114
Infertility 115
Insomnia 117
Lack of Sexual Desire 118
Lactose Intolerance 120
Life Expectancy 120
Macular Degeneration 121
Memory Loss 122
Menopause 124
Mental Performance 126
Mood Swings 128
Nausea/Speaking in Public 129
Osteoporosis 130
PMS 131
Pregnancy 133
Prostate Cancer 134
Sassy Kids 135
Smoking Cessation 137
Sniffles 138
Spousal Discord 139
Stress 140
Stroke 141
Sugar Overload 143
Vitamin Deficiency 145
Weight Gain 148
7 Where Do You Hide Your Chocolate? 151
Hilarious Stories from Chocolate Hiders 152
8 Chocolate and Wine Pairing 169
Wine and Health News Breaks 170
Similarities between Chocolate and Wine 171
How to Eat Chocolate Properly 172
Selecting the Proper Wineglass 174
How to Taste Wine 175
Putting It All Together 177
Red Wine and Chocolate Pairings 178
White Wine and Chocolate Pairings 201
Reference Guide 213
Wine Shopping Ideas 213
Chocolate and Wine Pairing Guidelines 214
Wine Information Web Sites 215
9 Recipes 217
How to Microwave Chocolate 217
Appendix A The Chocolate Bible: Everything You Need to Survive 233
Appendix B Glycemic Index and Weight Loss Summary 241
Appendix C Chocolate Dictionary 245
References 247
Index 269