Chocolate. Is it good for our health1? Or is it just2 good? Many experts3 warn4
that the sugar in chocolate is not good for us. But doctors point to5 the
healthful qualities6 of chocolate’s antioxidants.
VOA's George Putic reports that7 uncooked8,
organic chocolate may contain9 the right balance10. The biggest value11 in eating cocoa12 and dark chocolate, besides
the taste13, may be14 its ability
to lower blood pressure15. This comes from the rich, comforting16,
almost17 decadent, feeling18 of
cocoa butter19 melting20 in your mouth21.
That happy feeling may also add22 to
chocolate's anti-depressant qualities, says Kim Hoffman. Ms. Hoffman is a dietician23,
a person who advises24 people about what to eat to be
healthy. She tells how dark25
chocolate makes us feel better26 and raises
our mood27.
“It contains28 phenethylamines, which is a
neurotransmitter that is found in the brain29 and actually30
acts as31 a mood elevator. It also enhances32
the blood endorphins, which are the happy opiates33,
and they are basically around when you are on a high34.”
Not all chocolate is equal35 when it comes to36
those helpful chemicals37. The way commercial chocolate makers38
produce chocolate affects its health benefits. The high temperatures
used in making chocolate, like this chocolate fountain39,
may remove its health benefits.
First, there is the issue40 of
temperature. The heat41
required42 to process commercial chocolate can be as high as
130 degrees centigrade43. Some researchers say temperatures that high
can actually lower the effectiveness44 of those
beneficial chemicals. Anthony Grid makes fine chocolates at a store
called45 Honest Chocolate, in Cape Town46,
South Africa. He keeps47
the temperature of his raw chocolate48 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.
Followers49 of this movement say that high
temperatures lower the health benefits of our food. “There's a movement for
minimal cooking or minimal heating of food, just to retain50 the
natural antioxidants or whatever51, the minerals or whatever
it may be52. So cocoa
is part of that - you can do it raw, with a very good quality bean53.”
Another way54 chocolate makers decrease55 its health benefits
is by adding sugar. The taste56
of cocoa is naturally sharp57, or bitter58. This bitterness59 comes from60
an antioxidant in cocoa, a chemical called polyphenol. To reduce cocoa’s bitter taste, makers of
chocolate products remove the polyphenol and add sugar.
Adding sugar61 to chocolate may cut down62 on bitterness, but
it also63 cuts down on health benefits. Adding sugar
to chocolate may cut down on bitterness, but it also cuts down on health
benefits. Food science writer64 Leonie Joubert notes
that sugar is connected to weight-related illnesses65. Ms. Joubert warns66 that
eating too much sugar leads to67 many health problems.
“The problem is that overexposure68
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 obesity and weight
problems and the associated diseases.”
Quality Over Quantity. The chocolates at Honest Chocolate are made with
agave nectar, not cane sugar69. And they have a very high percentage of
cacao. This is something buyer70 (customer)
Jessica Bonin enjoys. “What I find quite
remarkable71 about their chocolate is that you are not overwhelmed72 by the
sugar so you actually get to taste the chocolate itself, which is really so
luxurious and quite decadent.”
Like many other people who know good chocolate when they taste it --
chocolate connoisseurs -- Ms. Bonin satisfies her craving73 with just one small piece of really
good chocolate. In other words, she
chooses “quality over quantity.” And this choice74
is most likely better for her health. And that’s the Health Report. I’m Anna Matteo.
Vocabulary
1.
health = saúde
2.
just = apenas
3.
experts = especialistas
4.
warn = alertam
5.
point to = apontam para
6.
healthful qualities = qualidades saudáveis
7.
reports that = relata que
8.
uncooked = cru, não cozido
9.
may contain = pode conter
10.
right balance = equilíbrio correto
11.
The biggest value = o maior valor
12.
cocoa = cacau
13.
besides the taste = além do sabor
14.
may be = pode ser
15.
lower blood pressure = baixar a pressão
sanguínea
16.
comforting = confortante
17.
almost = quase
18.
feeling = sensação
19.
butter = manteiga
20.
melting = derretendo
21.
mouth = boca
22.
may also add = pode também adicionar
23.
dietician = nutricionista
24.
advises = aconselha
25.
dark = escuro
26.
makes us feel better = faz-nos sentir melhor
27.
raises our mood = eleva nosso humor
28.
contains = contém
29.
found in the brain = encontrado no cérebro
30.
actually = na verdade
31.
acts as = atua como
32.
enhances = melhora, realça
33.
opiates = derivado de ópio
34.
on a high = em um nivel elevado
35.
equal = igual
36.
when it comes to = quando se trata de
37.
helpful chemicals = produtos quimicos uteis
38.
makers = fabricantes
39.
fountain = fonte
40.
there is the issue = existe a questão
41.
heat = calor
42.
required = exigido
43.
degrees centigrade = graus centigrados
44.
lower the effectiveness = baixar a eficiencia
45.
a store called = uma loja chamada
46.
Cape Town = cidade do cabo
47.
keeps = mantém
48.
raw chocolate = chocolate cru
49.
Followers = seguidores
50.
just to retain = apenas para reter
51.
whatever = o que quer que seja
52.
whatever it may be = qualquer que possa ser
53.
bean = feijão
54.
Another way = uma outra forma
55.
decrease = diminuem
56.
taste = sabor
57.
sharp = ardido, forte
58.
bitter = amargo
59.
bitterness = amargura
60.
comes from = vem de
61.
Adding sugar = adicionar açúcar
62.
may cut down = pode cortar
63.
also = also
64.
writer = escritor(a)
65.
weight-related illnesses = doenças
relacionadas ao peso
66.
warns = alerta
67.
leads to = conduz to
68.
overexposure = superexposição
69.
açúcar de cana
70.
buyer = comprador (cliente)
71.
quite remarkable = bastante notável
72.
overwhelmed = sobrecarregado
73.
craving = ânsia, desejo
74.
choice = escolha
