*Sweet chocolate is made from chocolate liquor by adding sugar.

*This type of chocolate has 15-35% of chocolate liquor, and is commonly called dark chocolate or plain chocolate.

*This chocolate has a sweet taste, chocolate flavor, and a creamy consistency, melts easily and easy to work with.

*Sweet chocolate has chocolate liquor, sugar and vanilla. Sometimes soy lecithin is added to the semisweet chocolate to improve the texture.

*It is obtained from grinding the dried partially fermented seeds or beans of the cocoa tree, Theobroma cacao, when the fat (called cocoa butter) in the seeds melts and produces a liquid chocolate called chocolate liquor, and then adding sugar to the chocolate liquor.

*It has less cocoa solids, antioxidants and other phytonutrients.

*It is used for baking purposes, chocolate sauces, coating, or just eating as a dessert.

*Buying and storage: Buy good quality sweet chocolate in small amounts required. Wrap tightly in a foil or paper and store in a cool, dry, dark place, as it will easily absorb other strong flavors that are around.

Is it raw?

No, sweet chocolate is made by adding sugar to chocolate liquor. Other substances like vanilla and soy lecithin are also added. Make sure you read the label.

Health Benefits

1. Sweet chocolate has good amounts of antioxidants and flavonoids.

2. Antioxidants scavenge the free radicals, preserve the integrity of cell membranes and reduce the risk of heart diseases, inflammatory and degenerative diseases.

3. The beneficial cardiovascular effects are lowering the LDL cholesterol level in the blood, reducing the risk of heart attack and atherosclerosis, and promoting a healthy heart.

4. It can also lower and maintain the blood pressure, thus reducing the risk of hypertension, due to the flavonoids in chocolate having a vasodilating effect.

5. The flavonoids, epicatechin and gallic acid, have anti-carcinogenic properties, which are still being studied.

6. Research indicated that theobromine, the alkaloid present in chocolate, may be effective in preventing persistent coughing, soothing and moistening the throat. It is shown to be more effective than codeine, the component in many cough medicines.

7. Good source of Tryptophan, an essential amino acid present, which is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in the modulation of anger, mood, sleep, sexuality, appetite, etc. This amino acid, relaxes the mood, improves the quality of sleep and appetite.

8. Good source of Phenethylamine, an alkaloid, which acts as a stimulant and is sometimes described as a ‘love chemical’.

9. Moderate source of B-group vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B6 and folic acid that are essential to enhance the energy production from the foods.

10. Moderate source of magnesium that helps in relieving fatigue, relaxing the muscles, nerves and blood vessels, thus relieving the symptoms of asthma, migraine headaches, tension and soreness in muscles etc.

11. Moderate source of potassium, this along with low amount of sodium helps to maintain blood pressure, reduces water retention, helps transmit nerve impulses to muscles, and improves muscle contraction.

12. Moderate source of other minerals like calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc and manganese, which play a very important role in maintaining normal metabolic activities of the body.

13. Sweet or dark chocolate also has moderate amounts of protein and dietary fiber.

14. Dietary fiber, though present in moderate amounts, adds roughage to the contents of the intestines, promotes satiety, promotes the health of the colon, and also helps in relieving constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticular disorders, etc. It also reduces the risk for colon cancer.