VOA慢速英语2014 Raw Chocolate Is Better For Your Health

 

Raw Chocolate Is Better For Your Health

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.

Chocolate.  Is it good for our health?  Or is it just good?  Many experts warn that the sugar in chocolate is not good for us.  But doctors point to the healthful qualities of chocolate’s antioxidants.  

VOA's George Putic reports that uncooked, organic chocolate may contain the right balance.  

The biggest value in eating cocoa and dark chocolate, besides the taste, may be its ability to lower blood pressure.  This comes from the rich, comforting, almost decadent¹, feeling of cocoa butter melting in your mouth.

That happy feeling may also add to chocolate's anti-depressant qualities, says Kim Hoffman.  Ms. Hoffman is a dietician, a person who advises people about what to eat to be healthy.  She tells how dark chocolate makes us feel better and raises our mood.

“It contains phenethylamines, which is a neurotransmitter that is found in the brain and actually acts as a mood elevator. It also enhances the blood endorphins, which are the happy opiates, and they are basically around when you are on a high.”

Not all chocolate is equal when it comes to those helpful chemicals.  The way commercial chocolate makers² produce chocolate affects its health benefits. 

First, there is the issue of temperature.  The heat required to process commercial chocolate can be as high as 130 degrees centigrade.  Some researchers say temperatures that high can actually lower the effectiveness of those beneficial chemicals.

Anthony Grid³ makes fine chocolates at a store called Honest Chocolate, in Cape⁴ Town, South Africa.  He keeps the temperature of his raw chocolate below 42 degrees. 

The Raw Food Movement

Mr. Grid says that there is a movement in the food world to limit heat when cooking food.  Followers of this movement say that high temperatures lower the health benefits of our food.

“There's a movement for minimal⁵ cooking or minimal heating of food, just to retain the natural antioxidants or whatever, the minerals or whatever it may be.  So cocoa is part of that - you can do it raw, with a very good quality bean.”

Another way chocolate makers decrease its health benefits is by adding sugar.  The taste of cocoa is naturally sharp, or bitter.  This bitterness comes from an antioxidant in cocoa, a chemical called polyphenol.  To reduce cocoa’s bitter taste, makers of chocolate products remove the polyphenol and add sugar.

Food science writer Leonie Joubert notes that sugar is connected to weight-related illnesses.  Ms. Joubert warns that eating too much sugar leads to many health problems. 

“The problem is that overexposure to sugar over a long period of time - it causes this repeated inflammatory response in the body, which now is linked to heart disease.  Obviously it's linked to obesity⁶ and weight problems and the associated diseases.”

Quality Over Quantity

The chocolates at Honest Chocolate are made with agave nectar, not cane⁷ sugar.  And they have a very high percentage of cacao.  This is something buyer (customer) Jessica Bonin enjoys.

“What I find quite remarkable⁸ about their chocolate is that you are not overwhelmed by the sugar so you actually get to taste the chocolate itself, which is really so luxurious⁹ and quite decadent.”

Like many other people who know good chocolate when they taste it -- chocolate connoisseurs¹⁰ -- Ms. Bonin satisfies her craving¹¹ with just one small piece of really good chocolate.  In other words, she chooses “quality over quantity.” And this choice is most likely better for her health.

1 decadent   

adj.颓废的，衰落的，堕落的

参考例句：

• Don't let decadent ideas eat into yourselves.别让颓废的思想侵蚀你们。
• This song was once banned, because it was regarded as decadent.这首歌曾经被认定为是靡靡之音而被禁止播放。

2 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

4 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

5 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

6 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

7 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

8 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

9 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

10 connoisseurs   

n.鉴赏家，鉴定家，行家( connoisseur的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Let us go, before we offend the connoisseurs. 咱们走吧，免得我们惹恼了收藏家。 来自辞典例句
• The connoisseurs often associate it with a blackcurrant flavor. 葡萄酒鉴赏家们通常会将它跟黑醋栗口味联系起来。 来自互联网

11 craving   

n.渴望,热望

参考例句：

• a craving for chocolate 非常想吃巧克力
• She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. 她不吃正餐，以便满足自己吃巧克力和炸薯片的渴望。