Comments on: Cacao and Chocolate Recipes http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/cacao-and-chocolate-recipes Wisdom to thrive by Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:08:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: The Chocolate Fudge Cafe » Blog Archive » Chocolate Avocado Pie http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/cacao-and-chocolate-recipes#comment-19595 The Chocolate Fudge Cafe » Blog Archive » Chocolate Avocado Pie Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:12:16 +0000 http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/?p=532#comment-19595 [...] From The Nourisher [...] [...] From The Nourisher [...]

]]> By: Jad http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/cacao-and-chocolate-recipes#comment-15260 Jad Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:31:49 +0000 http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/?p=532#comment-15260 yes I have concerns about any excess fructose, whether its from fruit, corn syrup, cane sugar, rapadura, maple syrup, or honey. Agave is quite high in fructose, but like most natural sweeteners also contains other benefits included some antioxidants and fructans - these can feed beneficial bifido bacteria. Obviously you dont want to go overboard with the stuff, like any sweetener. Because fructose has a higher sweetness than sugar you dont need to use as much. If you look at the packets of agave sweetened chocolates their level of sugar (in this case fructose) is still lower than the average chocolate. Not ideal, but no sweetener is. Any natural sweetener is either going to be high in fructose, glucose, a combo of the two, or sucrose (bound glucose and fructose), unless you use things like Stevia (which doesnt have the right mouthfeel and no binding properties), or Xylitol (which whether from birch or not causes intestinal distress due to so much of it not being absorbed - that which is absorbed may be a problem from diabetics as they have a reduced ability to remove it), or Erythritol - which i have not seen enough research to say how safe it is at all. So in short you need to limit excess sweetness of any sort in food, and agave, raw or not, does fit into that category, but I would still (due to its antiox. and fructans) think it a slightly better choice than more processed sweeteners. yes I have concerns about any excess fructose, whether its from fruit, corn syrup, cane sugar, rapadura, maple syrup, or honey.
Agave is quite high in fructose, but like most natural sweeteners also contains other benefits included some antioxidants and fructans - these can feed beneficial bifido bacteria.
Obviously you dont want to go overboard with the stuff, like any sweetener. Because fructose has a higher sweetness than sugar you dont need to use as much. If you look at the packets of agave sweetened chocolates their level of sugar (in this case fructose) is still lower than the average chocolate.
Not ideal, but no sweetener is.
Any natural sweetener is either going to be high in fructose, glucose, a combo of the two, or sucrose (bound glucose and fructose), unless you use things like Stevia (which doesnt have the right mouthfeel and no binding properties), or Xylitol (which whether from birch or not causes intestinal distress due to so much of it not being absorbed - that which is absorbed may be a problem from diabetics as they have a reduced ability to remove it), or Erythritol - which i have not seen enough research to say how safe it is at all.
So in short you need to limit excess sweetness of any sort in food, and agave, raw or not, does fit into that category, but I would still (due to its antiox. and fructans) think it a slightly better choice than more processed sweeteners.

]]> By: kate http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/cacao-and-chocolate-recipes#comment-15244 kate Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:39:55 +0000 http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/?p=532#comment-15244 There is alot of info online concerning agave at the moment revealing that it is a very unhealthy and dangerous form of fructose (Gary Taubes, lots of other sources etc). Also, info regarding manufacturers and deception regarding processing of raw agave. Have a look on the internet, very interesting stuff! There is alot of info online concerning agave at the moment revealing that it is a very unhealthy and dangerous form of fructose (Gary Taubes, lots of other sources etc). Also, info regarding manufacturers and deception regarding processing of raw agave. Have a look on the internet, very interesting stuff!

]]> By: Jad http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/cacao-and-chocolate-recipes#comment-15077 Jad Sun, 16 Nov 2008 03:22:45 +0000 http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/?p=532#comment-15077 Tried the choc avocado pie recipe (minus the pie base) so it turned into an amazing chocolate mousse. Tasted fantastic but so so rich. really nice with strawberries or mangoes dunked into it. i left it in fridge and it went very firm, so been having it on sourdough bread like a healthy version of nutella! Tried the choc avocado pie recipe (minus the pie base) so it turned into an amazing chocolate mousse. Tasted fantastic but so so rich.
really nice with strawberries or mangoes dunked into it.
i left it in fridge and it went very firm, so been having it on sourdough bread like a healthy version of nutella!

]]> By: Jad http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/cacao-and-chocolate-recipes#comment-14810 Jad Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:18:08 +0000 http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/?p=532#comment-14810 correction - just had a good look at Loving Earths website and they are supporiting Australian indigenous community foods as well. yay correction - just had a good look at Loving Earths website and they are supporiting Australian indigenous community foods as well. yay

]]> By: Jad http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/cacao-and-chocolate-recipes#comment-14808 Jad Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:37:41 +0000 http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/?p=532#comment-14808 Loving Earth did a presentation at my work a few weeks back. They were really lovely guys, intensely passionate about making a product thats good for the people that eat it, produce it and sell it. Very ethical. Fit right in with many nourishing principles, even the nuts they use are raw and activated by soaking first! Their pecans tasted amazing. I totally recomend them. Just a suggestion to any healthy chocolate manufacturers out there. There are a lot of superfoods added to many of these chockies, all of which seem to be from overseas. Would be cool to see someone use some indigenous australian foods as well. Wild rosella/hibiscus flower is really high in antioxidants, quondong has a great tart taste, and macadamias are high in lauric acid. Im sure theres plenty of others - lemon myrtle coconut cream centered ones perhaps?? Maybe i should start my own company lol. Loving Earth did a presentation at my work a few weeks back. They were really lovely guys, intensely passionate about making a product thats good for the people that eat it, produce it and sell it. Very ethical. Fit right in with many nourishing principles, even the nuts they use are raw and activated by soaking first! Their pecans tasted amazing.
I totally recomend them.
Just a suggestion to any healthy chocolate manufacturers out there. There are a lot of superfoods added to many of these chockies, all of which seem to be from overseas.
Would be cool to see someone use some indigenous australian foods as well. Wild rosella/hibiscus flower is really high in antioxidants, quondong has a great tart taste, and macadamias are high in lauric acid. Im sure theres plenty of others - lemon myrtle coconut cream centered ones perhaps??
Maybe i should start my own company lol.

]]> By: Rebecca http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/cacao-and-chocolate-recipes#comment-14807 Rebecca Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:42:24 +0000 http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/?p=532#comment-14807 May I also bring you to the attention of a new chocolate brand called Rawganic. It is a raw chocolate made by a Gold Coast company of which is owned by Swami. Her chocolate is amazing. She has peppermint, dark, and orange chocolate and the ingredients are: raw organic cacao butter raw organic cacao powder raw organic argave nectar (has the GI of an apple) raw organic Mesquite powder (contains may beneficial properties) pink himalayan crystal salt (c0ntains many beneficial trace minerals) This chocolate has been heated less than 42 degrees. This is done to maintain the valuable enzyme content. This is the website http://rawganic.com.au/index.html enjoy... May I also bring you to the attention of a new chocolate brand called Rawganic.
It is a raw chocolate made by a Gold Coast company of which is owned by Swami.

Her chocolate is amazing. She has peppermint, dark, and orange chocolate and the ingredients are:
raw organic cacao butter
raw organic cacao powder
raw organic argave nectar (has the GI of an apple)
raw organic Mesquite powder (contains may beneficial properties)
pink himalayan crystal salt (c0ntains many beneficial trace minerals)

This chocolate has been heated less than 42 degrees. This is done to maintain the valuable enzyme content.

This is the website
http://rawganic.com.au/index.html

enjoy…

]]>