巧克力要怎樣吃才能健康不發胖
近些年來，黑巧克力對於健康的益處被廣泛宣傳，這讓了巧克力的愛好者有了正大光明的理由，肆無忌憚的成迷其中。
Sales have doubled in the past five years and are worth ?85 million a year in Britain alone. Conveniently forgotten, however, is the fact that a bar of dark chocolate still contains high volumes of fat and sugar.
在英國，過去五年中黑巧克力的銷售增長了一倍，光是每年的銷售額便達到了8500萬英鎊。不過人們常常“選擇遺忘”，單單是一塊黑巧克力便有相當高的脂肪與糖分含量。
So how do you enjoy the health benefits of cocoa without the worry of an expanding waistline?
那麼，在享受黑巧克力爲健康所帶來的好處的同時，應該如何避免由此所帶來的腰圍暴漲的煩惱呢？
Raw-food expert and nutritionist Jessica Fenton says the answer lies in the unadulterated beans of the cacao pod. This, she says, is the real superfood, and it is quite different from its foil-wrapped relative.
食品原材料專家Jessica Fenton表示，黑巧克力健康但又不發胖的關鍵在於純正的可可豆莢。她說，真正的黑巧克力與那些由鋁箔紙所包裝的類似的產品還是有很大的區別的。
Cacao pods, which grow on trees, originated in Central and South America. Ancient South American civilisations prized them so much for their medicinal and aphrodisiacal properties, they even used them as currency.
可可豆莢以樹的形態生長，原產於中南美洲。古代南美文明對於其藥用價值相當推崇，甚至將之作爲貨幣進行交換。
'The modern manufacturing process for chocolate bars involves firstly harvesting the pods, which contain seeds known as cocoa beans,' explains Fenton.
“現代工藝所生產的巧克力會使用新鮮收穫的可可豆豆莢，其中所含有的種子便是大家都很熟悉的可可豆了。”
'The pods are crushed and the beans and surrounding pulp extracted, fermented, then dried – either naturally by the sun or mechanically in a factory.
“豆莢會被搗碎，將豆子和和產生漿汁進行提煉，待到發酵後曬乾，利用自然光照或者機械加工均可。”'The dried beans are then roasted, in a similar way to coffee beans. The length of roasting depends on the type and size of the beans, to form cocoa, which is mixed with sugar and fats to form chocolate.
“曬乾的豆子將被烘焙，這樣的方法就和加工咖啡豆很相似。烘焙的時間取決於豆子的種類與大小，之後便製作出了可可，再與糖和脂肪的混合之後便有了巧克力的‘誕生’。”
'Raw cocoa beans, on the other hand, are fermented and dried but not roasted, which preserves their antioxidant content.'
“製作黑巧克力會將原可可豆在發酵、曬乾，但跳過了烘焙這一步，這便很好的保存了其中的抗氧化成分。”
Dr Sarah Schenker, a registered dietician from the Nutrition Society, says: 'The lower levels of antioxidants in dark chocolate result from the effect of high heat during roasting.
營養學會註冊營養師Sarah Schenker說：“烘焙過程中的高溫會降低黑巧克力的抗氧化成分。”
'This process removes micronutrients that often have antioxidant properties and other health benefits.'
“同時也破壞了其他具有抗氧化效果的微量元素對健康帶來的益處。”
Antioxidants – found in all fruit, vegetables, herbs and seeds in varying levels – are important because they neutralise molecules called free radicals.
抗氧化劑不同程度的存在於水果、蔬菜、草藥和植物種子中，其對於健康非常重要，因爲它能消除加快老化的自由基。
Free radicals are generated by external factors such as sun exposure, pollution and cigarette smoke but are also produced by the body during various metabolic processes, or in response to infection to kill viruses. These molecules can damage healthy body tissue, and antioxidants neutralise them.
自由基外因爲陽光暴曬、污染、吸菸這樣的外部因素所產生，也會在人體自身的新城代謝過程中產生。這些分子有可能會對身體產生傷害，而抗氧化劑徵稿可以阻止減緩這一過程。
Studies have shown antioxidants consumed in the diet can help protect against everything from heart disease to cancers.
科學研究發現，在日常飲食中攝入抗氧化劑有助於防止從心臟病到癌症這樣疾病的發生。
Raw cacao powder has nearly four times the antioxidant content of regular dark chocolate, 20 times more than blueberries and 119 times more than bananas.
原可可粉中氧化劑的含量是普通黑巧克力中的四倍，是藍莓的二十倍，比香蕉中抗氧化劑含量的119倍還要高。
And cacao does more than boost antioxidant levels – studies have shown that it contains a third more essential nutrients than traditional roasted cocoa. Cacao contains protein, calcium, carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, magnesium and sulphur.
可可還可以提高抗氧化的水平，研究表明其中所含有的營養成分要比烘焙過的苛刻高出三分之一。可可富含蛋白質，鈣，胡蘿蔔素，硫胺素，核黃素，鎂和硫。
It is a source of phenethylamine (PEA), a naturally occurring chemical released by our brains in large quantities when we are in love. A study carried out by the University of Maryland showed that PEA is beneficial for depression.
它同時也是苯乙胺的來源，當我們沉浸在愛河之中的時候，大腦會自然釋放出這種元素。美國馬里蘭大學的研究發現，苯乙胺有助於抵抗抑鬱。
It also contains anandamide, a compound that causes feelings of relaxation and satisfaction.
另外，其中所含有的一種化合物還能使我們感到放鬆和滿足。
