Lesson {2} The Health Benefits of Chocolate!

There is a lot of new information about the health benefits of chocolate! Yes, health BENEFITS! We’ve read multiple articles on this topic and are highlighting some of the common findings among our sources!

1. Studies have shown that dark chocolate helps lower blood pressure, control blood sugar and act as an appetite suppressant.

2. The cacoa bean is rich with flavonoids which are compounds that act like antioxidants. Flavonoids protect cells from harmful molecules knows as free radicals. Free radicals can cause cell damage that leads to heart disease, aging and cancers.

3. The cacoa bean contains another antioxidant known as polyhphenols. Polyphenols are known to help combat heart disease.

4. The darker the chocolate (60-80% cocoa) the more of the cocoa bean benefits it will contain. Dark chocolate is always best over milk chocolate or white chocolate when considering health benefits.

5. Like all good things, eating EVEN chocolate in moderation is best!

Welcome to Stella Leona Chocolate 101

Welcome to class! This is the first lesson in our new Chocolate 101 series where we will teach you all about chocolate! Lessons will be short, but informative and fun! Let’s get started with 5 facts about how chocolate grows!

Lesson 1 – The Cacao Tree

1. Cacao Tree – Chocolate grows on the cacao tree formally known as Theobroma Cacao. Theobroma is the Latin word for chocolate that means “food of the gods”.

2. Cocoa Pod – The leathery oval pod is the fruit of the tree that contains cocoa beans. It ranges from 8-14 inches long and varies in colors of green, yellow, orange, red purple or maroon, depending on the level of ripeness.

3. Cocoa Bean – The 50-60 seeds nestled in each pods sweet juicy pulp. The seed of the pod is called a cocoa bean once it is removed.

4. Location – Cocoa trees grow primarily in the remote areas of West Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America and South America.

5. Fun Facts – Cacao trees can produce good cocoa pods for 25 years. Seeds are so bitter that only humans will eat them.

13abc Action News All Stars VS Pettisville

Photos Courtesy of Phil King Images

This spring the 13abc Action News team traveled to Pettisville for a basketball game where all proceeds raised benefited the school. We proudly sponsored the Pettisville team. It was an entertaining game that ended with a Pettisville Victory after Mike made two free throw shots! Stella Leona T-Shirts are available for purchase in the shop!