Discover The Amazing Powers Of Chocolate! Did you know? . . . Known as Mother Nature's "food of the gods", the medicinal benefits of chocolate were recognized as far back as 4000 years ago. Eating chocolate can help boost the immune system, lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes-even obesity-and increase lifespan. A 1.5 ounce bar of quality chocolate has as much antioxidant power as a 5 ounce glass of wine-without the side effects of alcohol. Chocolate is chock-full of mood-enhancing ingredients, including phenylethylamine (the "love drug") and serotonin. Chocolate can relieve a host of ailments, including depression, fatigue, pain and PMS, as well as rev up your sex drive! Drawing on the latest scientific research as well as interviews with medical doctors and chocolatiers, this fascinating book reveals how to live longer and healthier while indulging in one of nature's most decadent and versatile foods. Explore real chocolate (infused with fruits, herbs, and spices), Mediterranean-style, heart-healthy recipes, plus home remedies that combat everything from acne to anxiety. You'll also discover rejuvenating beauty and anti-aging spa treatments-all made with antioxidant-rich chocolate! "Can dark chocolate boost brain power? This book shows you how regular intake of antioxidant-rich cacao foods is likely to do just that, and more". -Ray Sahelian, M.D, author of Mind Boosters
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"The right kind, the right amount of chocolate may just save your life."
--Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D.
"Can dark chocolate boost brain power? This book show you how regular intake of antioxidant-rich cacao foods is likely to do just that, and more."
--Ray Sahelian, M.D., author of Mind Boosters
"Chocolate is a taste of divine ecstasy on Earth. It is our sensual communion. Orey's journalistic style and efforts share this insight with readers around the world."
--Jim Walsh, founder of Intentional Chocolate
From the Author
Diary of a Chocolate Goddess
By 10 a.m., both Seth and Simon, my Brittanys, are dropped off at my vet-kennel for the day while Mom gets to enjoy a four-star, all-day chocolate treat. My younger sibling Bruce and I are driving from South Lake Tahoe to Reno -- a chocolate lover's haven.
Siena Hotel Spa Casino First stop: Siena Hotel Spa Casino. Next to the Truckee River, Siena is meant to mimic the Tuscany countryside, complete with chocolate beauty treatments. I have no clue as to what this chocolate bath and chocolate manicure will be like, but I am both anxious and excited. One hour later: Spa director Jamie Bell is waiting for me -- and immediately I feel like royalty. I am led inside a cozy private room. Ah, the chocolate aroma. As Jamie opens the door I am greeted by an oversized bear-claw Jacuzzi-style bathtub full of bubbling water (140 jets!), with organic Chocolate Silk Bath Bubbles with a chocolate scent. I am here for the Chocolate Silk Hydrotherapy Bath. The lights are dim (the way I like it). Scented chocolate candles and New Age music permeates the air as I'm shown bottled water, and two handmade truffles by the hotel's chef. I am given a white robe and thongs, and told to enjoy 30 minutes. Like a giddy kid I dip my foot into the warm, swirling water and am elated by the ambiance of it all. I inch my body into the chocolate bath. I cannot believe I am soaking in a bubbly tub (the white bubbles literally overflowing onto the floor) with a chocolate aroma that seems to be making my skin feel soft, silky, and alive. I eat one truffle, light and chocolatey. I never want to leave this place of chocolate bliss.
Thirty minutes later: I am out of the tub, dressed, and off to the get a chocolate manicure. I sit down with my manicurist and there is a tall chocolate milk shake awaiting me. Valerie Brown, my manicurist, removes my clear nail polish and shapes my nails. Then, she soaks my two mountain-woman hands (weathered from swimming in pool chlorine and bringing in firewood) in a Peruvian chocolate syrup to loosen the cuticle. Then, she covers my hands with a chocolate-strawberry masque to rehydrate my hands, followed by a light massage with chocolate butter. I am hoping and believing that this silky chocolate crème full of natural ingredients like organic Theobroma cacao and fruit extracts will work to make my hands and nails look beautiful. The French manicure polish looks nice. Next stop is minutes away ...
The Chocolate Bar We arrive at a hot spot touted in Reno to be a trendy bar-café for the younger set. The atmosphere at The Chocolate Bar doesn't boast plants or fish aquariums -- I get that chocolate is alive and the focus. Chocolate-brown floors and a chocolate cocktail bar are part of the scene. I decide to let the waitress decide for us. Chocolate Lava Cake is described on the menu as "rich chocolate cake filled with molten chocolate center served with vanilla ice cream." And yes, this desert is delightful. Is this café worth the visit? If you like chocolate, yes, yes, yes.
See's Candies Our next stop: See's at Meadowood Mall in Reno. We are greeted by the friendly store manager, who fills a bag full of an assortment of dark chocolates and dark truffles. I am surprised to see a Premium Extra Dark Chocolate Bar, which is made with 62 percent cocoa. (Note to self: Ask a chocolatier to infuse healthful ingredients to mimic See's Key Lime Truffle.) On the way home I think to myself, "How can I get a chocolate Jacuzzi bath on the South Shore?" Sure, I swim and take a hot tub several times a week at a resort spa, but it doesn't have chocolate. We pick up the Brittanys, and by six o'clock we are back home in Bijou Pines. When I walk up to the doorstep I see a big cardboard box with the label Ghirardelli Chocolate. I feel like a goddess who has died and gone to chocolate heaven.
Cal Orey is a Northern California-based accomplished author and journalist specializing in topics such as health, nutrition, science, and pets. She holds two degrees in English (Creative Writing) from SFSU. Her books include the hugely popular Healing Powers book series translated in 20 languages. The Healing Powers of Vinegar, Olive Oil, Chocolate, Honey, and Coffee attracts a mainstream audience, thanks to her casual writing style via heartfelt storytelling. Orey's reader-friendly prose is lively and created in a down-to-earth first-person narrative.
The veteran health writer has shared her knowledge on Coast to Coast AM Radio, KSFO, The Mancow Show, mnsbc.com, NewsMax, NY Daily News, WSJ.com, Tom Roten Show, msn.com health and fitness, AOL My Daily, Health, The Writer, and Woman's World. Her website is www.calorey.com and blog http://calorey.blogspot.com/ The Writing Gourmet. Update: The Healing Powers of Coffee (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK19iuO6IsE)
The Healing Powers of Chocolate "The powerful polyphenols in dark chocolate are a 21st century health food--your Rx for longevity!" -- Karlis Ullis, M.D., Medical Director of the Sports Medicine and Anti-Aging Medical Group, Santa Monica, CA
The Healing Powers of Honey "The most effective and versatile superfoods of all time! This book will help you stay healthy...for good!" -- Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D.
The Healing Powers of Coffee "A cup or two of Joe every day is a good way to boost mood, energy and overall health." -- Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder of the Whitaker Wellness Institute
The Healing Powers of Vinegar "An intriguing look into the vinegar world. This is a practical, health-oriented book that everyone who wants to stay healthy and live longer should read." -- Patricia Bragg, author of Apple Cider Vinegar and daughter of Paul C. Bragg
Ounce for ounce, dark chocolate has 19 times the amount of antioxidants as blueberries. It contains 2 times the amount of those cancer-fighting chemicals found in red wine and 3 times found in green tea! Who knew? It is indeed a superfood. The ancients knew this and so does Cal Orey. Her new book, `The Healing Powers of Chocolate', is a testament to that which all of the rest of us know merely by a discriminating palate. Her recipe for the writing of this book using the ingredients of eye-opening facts, fascinating subjective observations and superb culinary formulas weave together that which is pure success. She blends all the delectable informational flavors together so well in this work that I felt as though I was blanketed in chocolate mousse for the mind.
Cal Orey has done it again! She's delivered another fabulous "Healing Powers" book (the others are The Healing Powers of Olive Oil: A Complete Guide to Nature's Liquid GoldandThe Healing Powers of Vinegar: A Complete Guide to Nature's Most Remarkable Remedy only this time, it's on a subject near and dear to many hearts (Valentine and otherwise)- chocolate! Orey takes us on a wonderful Willy Wonka adventure in discovering America's greatest chocolates while extolling the virtues and health benefits of the delectably delightful indulgence. In this book, Orey traces the origin of chocolate, from bean to bar, from centuries ago to the present day. In creating this informative and fascinating book, she interviewed America's top chocolate makers and chocolatiers, nutritionists, medical researchers, and chocolate lovers to find out how this ancient "food of the gods" can prevent and fight common ailments and diseases. And she indulged in chocolate (all types, shapes and in a variety of dishes) from the West Coast, East Coast, Midwest, Deep South and even Ireland...
You'll love this book, devour it quickly and go back for seconds! A wonderful gift, but a must have book on every kitchen shelf as well - don't miss it, you'll never eat chocolate the same way again!
Here's what others have said:
"The right kind, the right amount of chocolate may just save your life." --Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., author of New York Times bestseller The Fat Flush Plan
"Fine chocolate is about taste, style, and integrity, and fine chocolate is the medium for our message. It is delightful to find an author who understands all this!" --John Down & Joe Guiliano, founders of Christopher Norman Chocolates
"Chocolate is a taste of divine ecstasy on Earth. It is our sensual communion. Orey's journalistic style and efforts share this insight with readers around the world." -- Jim Walsh, founder of Intentional Chocolate
I have to admit that I didn't finish reading this book. I made it to page 167 of 294 (the last 60 of those pages are recipes and places to buy chocolate). It is so poorly written that I just couldn't read it. My initial impression was that it needed a good editor, but after the first couple of chapters, I realized that what it really needed was a good author.
There is very little original writing in this volume. Most of the material in it was previously published in Ms. Orey's previous two books. It is obvious she merely copied and pasted passages from those books into the manuscript with no regard to narrative flow.
She uses tables of information lifted directly from other sources (with proper attribution) without any discussion. The most egregious fault I found was her description of a tour of a chocolate factory. She was unable to make the tour, so she used the notes of a friend who did go on the tour. Just the notes in raw form, again copied and pasted into her manuscript.
Some of her writing reads likes notes also. I found it very jarring to encounter sentences that were grammatically incorrect or that had no point. She tells the same stories over and over, each time as if it were the first time that the story has been used.
Her tracing of the history of chocolate is marred by her lack of geographical knowledge. Countries wander from Central to South America and back again, depending on which page you are reading.
As for those "healing powers", she is correct in citing the trace nutrients found in chocolate. However, reputable scientists have pointed out that they are found in such minute quantities that you would have to eat 25 pounds of chocolate every day to gain any benefit from them. Ms. Orley smoothly skates past this little detail by recommending a "dosage" of 1 to 2 squares of dark chocolate per day as part of a healthy diet (she recommends either the Mediterranean diet or the French diet) along with regular exercise. She neglects to mention that it is the diet and exercise, not the chocolate, that is providing the health benefits.
She lives in the San Francisco area and takes us on a tour of the chocolatiers in that city, breathlessly describing their incomparable chocolates, recommending that readers choose those chocolates rather than chocolates from anywhere else. She then goes on to admit that she eats plain old Hershey's Dark Chocolate. From Pennsylvania.
