My Allergy Friendly Foods

From the Olmec Indians, the Mayans, Aztecs, Milton Hershey to Willy Wonka, we all know that is delicious.  Most of us enjoy the goodness of chocolate in a variety of forms, and in moderation of course.  Some need to be very cautious when eating chocolate.

There’s ongoing research regarding the health benefits of , including;

• Circulation in the body, cocoa contains a good amount of polyphenol antioxidant known to reduce blood pressure
• Cancer fighter
• Cough suppressant
• Anti-diarrhea
• Improve brain function
• An aphrodisiac, who doesn’t enjoy a box of bon bons from that special person during Valentines Day!

 Knowing all these benefits does not mean that you should eat vast quantities.  Moderation is the key to health, and eating large quantities without burning it off can lead to obesity then to cardiovascular disease.

 There are different types of chocolate with varying degrees of , sugar and milk;

• Chocolate Liquor is pure, ground roasted chocolate beans that can be used in baking and cooking.  Mixing chocolate liquor with sugar creats a base for snacks like cakes and cookies.
• Dark chocolate is made by adding fat and sugar to at least 35% cocoa solids.  Some versions can remind you of coffee.
• Milk chocolate contains milk mixed with at least 10% chocolate liquor which was invented by Nestle, and further refined by Hershey.  Probably the most popular version of the chocolate.
• Semisweet chocolate is dark chocolate combined with about half the sugar content.  Mostly seen in chocolate chips.
• Bittersweet chocolate combines chocolate liquor with about a third sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla. 
• White chocolate is the cocoa butter removed from the cocoa solids with sugar added.  Some people do not consider white chocolate as a real .

For those with food allergies, always read the labels to indicate whether the product contains gluten, dairy, nut, or any other allergen.  While chocolate may be made one way on one day, there can be some cross contamination when they switch to milk chocolate or make a confectionary with nuts.  In general, a high quality dark chocolate will be gluten free and dairy free, just watch out for the nuts.  More mass produced manufacturers may use milk or other flour product to keep the chocolate from sticking.

Contact your chocolatier to find out whether there is a possibility of cross contamination, from flour on the bakers table, to stirring in milk, to adding nuts to an treat, or to adding eggs for a cake.  I just visited the Hershey Store on line and searched for Gluten Free and no results were found.  This is most likely because they make so many different thinks that it is impossible to label anything as gluten free. 

Always read the label and question before you munch on that chocolate bar, cake or drink that hot cocoa with tiny marshmallows.  Now go ahead and enjoy!  By the way, my favorite is .