Tag Archive: functional chocolate

Chocolate Campaign to Benefit Fukushima Kids

In 2006, a nongovernmental organization in Japan started an annual chocolate-selling campaign to benefit and provide support to pediatric cancer patients and hospitals in Iraqi cities, including Baghdad, Basra and Erbil. This year, some of the proceeds will go to the children in Fukushima Prefecture, where the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is situated.

Minoru Kamata, chief of the Japan Iraq Medical Network, said: "We received many messages of support from Iraqi people (after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami) that made us determine to allocate part of the proceeds for Fukushima." Kamata, a doctor and an author, has also shown his support for Belarus after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster by participating in medical programs. He also said that certain group members have played their parts in the removal of radiation in Fukushima Prefecture.
Read more

Chocolate to Clear Your Head

'Tis the season – to be tired! 

I know the holidays can be stressful and exhausting.  Even if you aren’t in charge of preparing for the parties and family gatherings, you may find yourself having to do something unexpected that requires a tremendous amount of your time and energy.

One of two things usually happens to me in times of stress as it pertains to food; overeat or forget to eat.   Neither extreme is healthy, and neither condition will do anything to keep a body going.
Read more

Probiotic Chocolate Milk

MojoMilk™ is a new product on the market and the first chocolate drink mix to incorporate probiotics.

Probiotics are living microorganisms consumed to promote digestive health and boost immunity.

MojoMilk is classified as functional food and comes in individual stick packs which can be poured into a glass of milk.  It has less sugar than regular chocolate milk mixes and contains 10 times the active cultures found in probiotic yogurt.
Read more

High Flavonol Chocolate

Here's a question that was posed to me recently...

What is the difference between store bought chocolate and the high flavonol chocolate found in all those scientific studies?

The simple answer to this question is found in the question itself.  Store bought chocolate typically has lower quantities of flavonol substances.  OK, that's a weak answer.  Here is some explanation...
Read more

Chocolate Boat

You know, on Fridays, I like to post something about a recent chocolate news story to help round out your overall chocolate experience.

So I ran across this interesting tidbit a couple days ago.  Is it actually news or just silliness?  You decide...

A French chocolatier made a strange creation out of chocolate - a real seaworthy chocolate boat.  I think this redefines the definition of a "functional food."

He did this to win a bet.  I guess necessity is not always the mother of invention.  You have got to check out the video of this chocolate vessel and its maiden voyage. 
Read more

The U.S. Chocolate Market, Part I

The 2009 U.S. chocolate market is considered “recession-resilient.”  Chocolate sales increased 3% in 2009 over 2008.  That translates into record sales of $17 billion! 

Researchers predict that chocolate sales will continue to increase and could exceed $19 billion by 2014.

According to an article on www.marketwire.com, most of the 2009 growth comes from the 75% of Americans who, in spite of increases in chocolate prices, kept buying quality chocolate as an affordable treat.
Read more

Functional Chocolate: Snacking with Benefits

Chocolate for chocolate’s sake is just not cutting it anymore with consumers.  Apparently we are demanding chocolate with more meaning, purpose, and benefit.

The general term for this type of chocolate is “functional chocolate.”   Functional chocolates supply a nutritional benefit and chocolate is a good vehicle for transporting things like vitamins, probiotics, omega-3, and calcium.

In the last couple years, a few companies have introduced functional chocolates and one of them is Maramor Chocolates.  You can find some of their products at Walgreen’s and GNC stores across the nation.
Read more