The well-publicised health benefits of dark chocolate have given many chocolate lovers an added reason to indulge in recent years。

　　近些年来，黑巧克力对于健康的益处被广泛宣传，这让了巧克力的爱好者有了正大光明的理由，肆无忌惮的成迷其中。

　　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。

　　在英国，过去五年中黑巧克力的销售增长了一倍，光是每年的销售额便达到了8500万英镑。不过人们常常“选择遗忘”，单单是一块黑巧克力便有相当高的脂肪与糖分含量。

　　So how do you enjoy the health benefits of cocoa without the worry of an expanding waistline?

　　那么，在享受黑巧克力为健康所带来的好处的同时，应该如何避免由此所带来的腰围暴涨的烦恼呢？

　　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。

　　食品原材料专家Jessica Fenton表示，黑巧克力健康但又不发胖的关键在于纯正的可可豆荚。她说，真正的黑巧克力与那些由铝箔纸所包装的类似的产品还是有很大的区别的。

　　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。

　　可可豆荚以树的形态生长，原产于中南美洲。古代南美文明对于其药用价值相当推崇，甚至将之作为货币进行交换。

　　'The modern manufacturing process for chocolate bars involves firstly harvesting the pods, which contain seeds known as cocoa beans,' explains Fenton。

　　“现代工艺所生产的巧克力会使用新鲜收获的可可豆豆荚，其中所含有的种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。

　　“豆荚会被捣碎，将豆子和和产生浆汁进行提炼，待到发酵后晒干，利用自然光照或者机械加工均可。”

　　'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。

　　“晒干的豆子将被烘焙，这样的方法就和加工咖啡豆很相似。烘焙的时间取决于豆子的种类与大小，之后便制作出了可可，再与糖和脂肪的混合之后便有了巧克力的‘诞生’。”

　　'Raw cocoa beans, on the other hand, are fermented and dried but not roasted, which preserves their antioxidant content.'

　　“制作黑巧克力会将原可可豆在发酵、晒干，但跳过了烘焙这一步，这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。

　　营养学会注册营养师Sarah Schenker说：“烘焙过程中的高温会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.'

　　“同时也破坏了其他具有抗氧化效果的微量元素对健康带来的益处。”

　　Antioxidants – found in all fruit, vegetables, herbs and seeds in varying levels – are important because they neutralise molecules called free radicals。

　　抗氧化剂不同程度的存在于水果、蔬菜、草药和植物种子中，其对于健康非常重要，因为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。

　　自由基外因为阳光暴晒、污染、吸烟这样的外部因素所产生，也会在人体自身的新城代谢过程中产生。这些分子有可能会对身体产生伤害，而抗氧化剂征稿可以阻止减缓这一过程。

　　Studies have shown antioxidants consumed in the diet can help protect against everything from heart disease to cancers。

　　科学研究发现，在日常饮食中摄入抗氧化剂有助于防止从心脏病到癌症这样疾病的发生。

　　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。

　　原可可粉中氧化剂的含量是普通黑巧克力中的四倍，是蓝莓的二十倍，比香蕉中抗氧化剂含量的119倍还要高。

　　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。

　　可可还可以提高抗氧化的水平，研究表明其中所含有的营养成分要比烘焙过的苛刻高出三分之一。可可富含蛋白质，钙，胡萝卜素，硫胺素，核黄素，镁和硫。

　　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。

　　它同时也是苯乙胺的来源，当我们沉浸在爱河之中的时候，大脑会自然释放出这种元素。美国马里兰大学的研究发现，苯乙胺有助于抵抗抑郁。

　　It also contains anandamide, a compound that causes feelings of relaxation and satisfaction。

　　另外，其中所含有的一种化合物还能使我们感到放松和满足。

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