Chocolate and your Health

Here at Young Audiences, it's pretty obvious that we love chocolate! We also love being healthy. So, we wanted to know if health-nuts and chocoholics could live in harmony. Here's what we found out:

Does chocolate contain any nutrients or is it just empty calories?

Chocolate lovers rejoice! Not only is chocolate scrumptious, it also contains some important nutrients. A 1.5-oz milk chocolate bar contains: 3 grams of protein, 15% of the daily value of riboflavin, and 9% of the daily value of calcium, 7% of the daily value of iron. For a more extensive look at chocolate's nutritional facts look here.

Will chocolate give me pimples?

Nope. That's just a myth. Recent studies at the Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the U.S Naval Academy have shown that eating chocolate does not affect acne at all. In fact, most doctors believe that diet is not linked to acne.

I heard that chocolate is good for your heart. Is that true?

Dark chocolate can definitely do your heart some good in more ways than one. Research has proven that natural compounds in dark chocolate and cocoa can actually help your cardiovascular health by increasing blood flow and reducing blood pressure. It can even reduce LDL levels (bad cholesterol) by up to 10%. For more details and information about your heart and chocolate, look here.

Will chocolate make me fat?

Like almost everything, chocolate should be enjoyed in moderation. Chocolate, especially milk chocolate, is high in calories, fat, and sugar. In fact, doctors used to prescribe chocolate to help malnourished patients gain weight. The good news is that most of the fat within chocolate won't affect your cholesterol. Only about 1/3 of the fat within chocolate is actually bad for you. Want more information? Look here!

So how do I enjoy chocolate in a healthy way?

Again, the trick is enjoying chocolate in moderation. Studies show that you only really need about 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate a day for good heart health. That's less than half of an average Hershey's bar. A typical bar of dark chocolate is 400 calories, so if you eat only half of that, keep in mind that that's still 200 calories. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy your favorite treat. Here are some tips to make eating chocolate as enjoyable as it possibly can be:

1. Taste the chocolate: Chocolate is a complex food with over 300 compounds and chemicals in each bite. Take your time when your tasting it. Chocolate's not for scarfing down; it's for enjoying slowly and lovingly. Use all five senses to get a truly meaningful chocolate experience.

2. Skip Nougat: Avoid anything with cream, carmel, or nougat. That will up your calorie intake. Instead look for dark chocolates with orange peel, nuts, or other natural flavoring.

3. Look for chocolate with higher cocoa percentage: A higher cocoa percentage (they can go all the way up to 99%, although we recommend you start with a slightly lower percentage) means that the chocolate contains more cacao and therefore less sugar.

4. There's nothing wrong with a rich, chocolaty treat every now and then: Don't beat yourself up for indulging. Life's too short. If you're tempted to go for that second or third brownie, just remember that you'll have to give up something else later to make up for the calories and fat. But let's be honest, sometimes it's worth it!

We're sure there are a lot more questions about chocolate and your health (like where's the closest Chocolatier shop?). Check out these websites for even more information:

http://www.facts-about-chocolate.com/about-chocolate.html

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/health-by-chocolate

http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HEALTHbeat_030309.htm

A chocolate memory: Mom's Boyfriend vs. Edwardo

When I was about sixteen, I had been dating my first "real" boyfriend for only a few months. We shall call him Edwardo (that wasn't really his name...I'd like to keep that anonymous. Edwardo just has a nice ring to it don't you think?). My mother, recently divorced and a hot commodity on the market, had been dating hers for about two weeks. We were both pretty giddy about our relationships. To be honest, she didn't like Edwardo very much and I was a little unsure about this new man that my mom was spending so much time with, but we enjoyed swapping stories and comparing the two of them. It almost became a weird sort of competition: Who's boyfriend was better?

It was almost Valentine's day. It was my first VD when I would get something from a boy who I actually liked instead of those generic Valentines that everyone passes out to everyone in third grade. Needless to say, I was pretty pumped. I had spent weeks picking out and planning Edwardo's Valentine's Day present....which to be completely honest, five years later, I can't remember what on Earth it was. My sixteen year-old-self was positive that my 18-year-old boyfriend had put in just as much thought and planning for my gift as I had with his. In retrospect, Edwardo was probably a lot more concerned with how much Taco Bell he could eat in one sitting and how much money he could beg off his dad for new guitar strings than with a present for me.

So, the big day rolled around. Edwardo and I probably did something vaguely romantic in a high schoolish way, like go to Steak'n'Shake (again, the details are a little hazy). My mother and her boyfriend stayed at home and, in my 16-year-old opinion, were lame old people who never did anything fun. After Steak'n'Shake, Edwardo and I went back to his house for the big gift exchange. We went up to his room ("Keep the door open!" hollered his mother), and got out our pretty Valentine's presents. Or, rather I got out my prettily wrapped present for him, and he got out a grocery store bag for me. We were off to a good start. Edwardo tore into his present like a wildebeest into an unattended pork tenderloin. Naturally, he was delighted by my thoughtful, expensive, and meaningful gift(maybe I bought him a pair of boxers? I have no idea). Then, my heart pounding, fingers tingling with anticipating, I began to open my so...um...cleverly wrapped present. Maybe it would be a gold necklace with my initials engraved on it. Maybe it would be a beautiful diamond ring and a declaration of his undying love, or maybe it would be....a generic heart shape box of chocolates with the price tag still on it ($8.99). Awesome. "My mom picked it out" Edwardo said, obviously pleased with himself. I was speechless. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Instead, I graciously thanked him, neatly tucked the box back in the grocery bag, and suggested we watch a movie, already planning the phone call to my best friend later that night ("He did what!?")

The next day, I was in my mother's room, telling her all about the oh-so-wonderful evening Edwardo and I had the night before. I asked her what her boyfriend got her for Valentine's day, confident that even my cruddy box of chocolates would trump whatever this guy could do. "Oh, nothing special" and she pulled out this tiny bag. Inside, is a Hershey's Kiss melted to a graham cracker. Mom seemed overjoyed with the gift; I was a little confused. It didn't seem like anything great to me. It just seemed sticky and cheap. Then she read me the card: "This is our first kiss! You make me melt!" Darnit. It was super sweet, thoughtful, and sickeningly cute. Everything that Edwardo's gift was not. Admitting defeat, I sulked off to gorge myself on Walgreen's chocolates and pout. You won that round, mother!

To this day, I'm pretty sure mom still has that gift. It's probably completely inedible at this point, but it's the thought that counts. And if any of you out there are thinking of stealing this idea, go for it. I'd hate for any other girl to get a generic heart shaped box from the pharmacy that someone's mom picked out last minute. I didn't even get a card!

-Hanna, the summer intern

Randomly Awesome and Fun Facts about Chocolate!

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a trivia game dedicated entirely to chocolate? The questions would be about chocolate, the microphones would be made from chocolate, and even the host would be a gigantic chocolate man with fantastic hair. Considering some of the bizarre shows on the air right now...we won't name names; you can use your imagination...a chocolate trivia game might not be too far fetched! So, just in case they start holding auditions soon, here are some tasty facts for you to chew over:

-The Latin name for the cacao tree is Theobroma cacao, which translates to "Food of the Gods".

-The Spanish recognized chocolate's naturally high calorie count and nutritional benefits from the very beginning. During the 16th century, chocolate came to play a very important rule in Catholic fasting rituals where solid food was considered taboo. After much debate, the church allowed people to drink liquid chocolate during times of fasting as a source of nutritional sustenance. Fasting never tasted so good!

-No one is quite sure how the secret of chocolate leaked out of Spain and into the rest of Europe (read our post on the history of the chocolate if you want to learn more), but several theories exist: Some believe that a group of English Pirates stole chocolate from a Spanish ship and proceeded to introduce it in England; others believe that Italian merchants purchased the secret of chocolate while on a business trip to Spain; Still others believe that a royal princess of Spain married King Louis XIII of France and "spilled the beans" about the tasty Spanish treat. Who knows what really happened? All we can agree upon is that we're glad it did!

-In his thriller, "Physco", Alfred Hitchcock used chocolate syrup as blood during the infamous shower scene. It's a little gross, but oddly tasty too.

-70% of people prefer milk chocolate. Men prefer dark chocolate more than women do.

-Switzerland is the largest chocolate consuming nations in the world: the Swiss eat roughly 22 pounds of chocolate per person a year. America ranks 12th, eating 11 pounds per person a year.

-Looking for the most expensive chocolate in the world? Look no further than Knipschildt Chocolatier in South Norwalk, Connecticut. At a whopping $250 per truffle, Fritz Knipschildt's creation, the Madeleine, was named the most expensive chocolate in the world. A pound of these babies would cost $2600! Want to order one for that special someone or maybe just bask in its glory? Check out Knipschildt's website.

-The melting point of cocoa butter (a key component of chocolate) is just below body temperature-98.6 degrees. That's why chocolate melts so easily in your mouth...and hand if you're not careful.

-Legend has it that Giacomo Casanova, history's greatest lover, consumed huge amounts of chocolate for its properties as an aphrodisiac. He was even known to drink a mug of cocoa right before his...shall we say...dalliances with the ladies.

-Chocolate contains tryptophan and phenylethylamine, two chemicals that when released in the brain create the sensation of falling in love. Unfortunately, recent discoveries have noted that there isn't enough of either chemical in chocolate to be an effective aphrodisiac.

-Not all chocolate is created equal! A large number of chocolate products on the shelves actually contain very little "real" chocolate. Some inexpensive chocolates are even blended with wax! The quality of chocolate not only depends the quality of cacoa beans, but also the care that was originally given to the cacoa tree and the amount of cocoa butter within the chocolate. Very little sugar is actually added to high quality chocolate.

-Although westerners love chocolate, Asia's not so sure. The Japanese typically only consume about 4 pounds of chocolate per person, while the Chinese eat less than one pound of chocolate per year.

-The world consumes about 600,000 tons of cacoa beans per year. It takes about 400 cacoa beans to make one pound of chocolate. You do the math.

-America's favorite ice cream topping is chocolate sauce and 60% of chocolate lovers also prefer chocolate milk!

Those are just a few scrumptious tidbits to keep you satisfied. Feel free to whip them out at Chocolate Fest on September 15th and wow your friends, families, and our chocolatiers!

Chocolate: A brief version of a very long and tasty history

Chocolate has enveloped the entire world in its decadent embrace. It has captured not only our taste buds, but also our hearts and imaginations. We've all become chocolaholics and we simply can't kick the stuff...not that we really want to. But when you stop to think about it, what do we really know about chocolate? It's like we've been having a love affair with chocolate for years, and suddenly we realize we don't even know its last name! Well have no fear! Young Audiences has been doing some snooping into chocolate's past, and we've got all of the facts for you. There's a lot of history here so we hope you're hungry!

Before we start, we need to learn a new word: Cacao (Ka-KOW). Cacao refers to the plant and beans of the cacao tree, which grows in the tropical rain forests of South and Central America and from which chocolate is made. These little beans, deep inside the jungles of history, are where our story begins.

Chocolate looks pretty good for its age when you consider that its origins date back over 2,000 years. The ancient civilizations of Mexico and South America are considered by most historians the first people to make chocolate. Their version was not quite the sweet treat we know and love today. There were no brightly wrapped candy bars for the Aztecs. Instead, they mushed up cacao beans, mixed it with chili powder and water, and drank it warm (think chunky and spicy hot chocolate without the sugar. Yummy). The Mayans and the Aztecs both believed that chocolate had magical and medicinal properties. It made a man strong, healthy, and irresistible to the opposite sex.

The Aztecs believed that their god Quetzalcoatl had brought the cacao tree from paradise. It was a divine plant and was treated accordingly. Chocolate began to play a huge role in religious ceremonies. Priests would drink xocoatl and offer the beans to the gods in order to win their favor. If an Aztec sacrifice victim felt too melancholy before his grisly contribution to a religious ceremony, he was given a gourd of chocolate tinged with blood to cheer him up. How thoughtful of them!

Cacao beans became so valuable that they actually became a form of currency. According to a 16th century Aztec document, one cacao bean was worth one tamale and 100 beans were worth a good turkey hen. Anything you were going to buy, you bought it with cacao beans. Chocolate was so valuable, that it actually became the key to the Aztec's mighty empire.

Meanwhile, Europe had no idea that chocolate even existed. It wasn't until the 1500s when they were finally introduced to the miraculous bean. Legend has it that the great Aztec ruler, Montezuma, greeted Spanish conquistador Hernandos Cortes with a giant banquet and goblets of chocolate, having mistaken the explorer Quetzalcoatl, a decision that would ultimately doom the Aztec people. Understandably, the Spanish fell in love with chocolate. After defeating Montezuma's tribes in battle, Cortes and his men raided the Aztec treasure, which included massive stores of cacao beans, and took their trophies across the ocean to Spain.

With its long journey to Europe complete, chocolate won the hearts of the Europeans. Originally, they weren't too thrilled with the Aztec and Mayan's bitter drink, but at some point, someone had the brilliant idea of mixing sugar, honey, and cinnamon with the mush of cacao beans, and viola! sweetened chocolate was born. It wasn't until sometime in the 1600s that the rest of the continent learned the Spaniards' secret. Chocolate swept across Europe. The first chocolate house opened in 1657 in London. Much like the coffeehouses of today, it was a place to socialize, get a hot drink, and gamble.

The next few decades heralded in a new age for the sweet treat. Chocolate giants such as Cadbury, Nestle, Godiva, and Hershey's emerged, along with the chocolate bar, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. Eventually, it traveled back across the oceans to North America, finding its way into our hearts. In fact, it became so important, we even include chocolate in our soldiers' war rations!

Today, chocolate production is a 4-billion dollar industry! Chocolate empires like the ones mentioned above have become household names, as have their tasty products. New machines, techniques, and imaginations are constantly improving and recreating our beloved chocolate, making it something that most of us couldn't imagine living without. From just a humble little bean to a cultural phenomenon, there is something truly special about chocolate. Maybe the Aztecs had it right; maybe chocolate really is food from heaven!


If this delicious history wet your appetite, be sure to check out Young Audience's Chocolate Fest on September 15th, 2011!

Want to learn more?


The Field Museum of Chicago's Chocolate Exhibit

Here's what the Smithson has to say

The Best Chocolate in Town

The Best Chocolate in Town is what we promise you at the 2011 Chocolate Fest, the only place in Indiana where you can find an abundance of the most scrumptious chocolates and chocolate desserts around.

BUT it is also the name of one of our favorite specialty chocolate companies. The Best Chocolate in Town has been a part of our Chocolate Fest for almost ten years and has always brought amazing, crowd-pleasing treats.

Yesterday, we took a stroll down to Mass Ave to stop by their shop and pickup some yummy morsels for an in-house taste test.

Self-proclaimed chocolate-experts, the YA staff sampled over a dozen different truffles, claiming each was better than the last.The following are our humble thoughts and opinions:



Asian Spice-This chocolate's unique taste made us want to get out our chopsticks and dig in.

Champagne- This chocolate is as decadent as a bottle of bubbly!

Cinnamon Basil- With its delicate flavor, this chocolate is light and pleasantly sweet.

Cranberry Orange Cinnamon- This chocolate's strong flavor is perfect for fruit lovers.

Fiery Pepper-Sprinkled with a light dusting of paprika, this chocolate packs a punch with its rich, smokey taste.

French Vanilla- After trying so many exotic flavors, this chocolate was a subtle and sweet treat.

Ginger Wasabi- At first we were a little hesitant about this interesting flavor combination, but after one taste, we were pleasantly surprised. The dark chocolate is sweet and savory, with a pleasant note of subtle spice.

Key Lime-This chocolate tasted just like the real thing! Delicious!

Lemon Chiffon-(Staff Favorite) This creamy morsel was greeted with a chorus of delighted mmms and ahhs. Its rich flavor reminded our staff of warm summer days sipping cold glasses of lemonade.

Orange-(Staff Favorite)The citrus flavor blends sweetly with the dark chocolate for a fresh and summery treat.

Port wine and fig-(Staff Favorite) We loved this moist chocolate's complex, deep, and unique flavor!

Rosemary- This chocolate's warm taste reminded us of something straight out of the baker's oven.

Sun King Wee Mac - We love Sun King to begin with, so it stands to reason that we thought this scrumptious morsel was pretty awesome.


While we can't promise any of these flavors will be at our Chocolate Fest on September 15th, we can absolutely promise that whatever delights The Best Chocolate in Town brings they will be delicious.

Welcome to the Chocolate Fest Blog! We hope to update you regularly on chocolate reviews, Chocolate Fest vendors, and other exciting chocolate news.

We look forward to seeing you September 15, 2011 at the Indianapolis Artsgarden!