All You Can Eat Chocolate Party

As part of their 25th anniversary celebration Bellbrook Chocolate Shoppe at Cross Pointe Centre in Centerville will host an “All You Can Eat Chocolate Party” on Sunday, Oct. 25th from 4-6pm, in the store’s kitchen, to benefit Breast Cancer Awareness. Enjoy all of the 95 varieties of chocolate made at the shop.  Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the Shoppe or by calling (937) 436-5066.  I’ll be the one there with my mouth full! 🙂

Owner Betty Blose attributes the popularity of her chocolates to the fact that they are handmade with her “signature” blend of milk and dark chocolate to create varieties that include creams, truffles, enrobed and molded items. It’s the only blend sold at the family’s Centerville store, and they use this rich chocolate to create everything from chocolate heart-shaped boxes filled with strawberries dipped in chocolate and cakes made of layers of shortbread cookies, iced with chocolate, to their Bellbrook pretzel, a pretzel rod dipped in caramel, rolled in toffee pieces and finally dipped in chocolate.

Chocolate is one of the most popular sweet-tasting treats in the world and has been for centuries. But part of the myth surrounding chocolate is that if it tastes so good, it must be bad for your health.

But the surprising news from the scientific community is that this reputedly decadent treat actually has some health benefits:

* Cacao, the source of chocolate, contains antibacterial agents that fight tooth decay. Of course, this is counteracted by the high sugar content of milk chocolate.
* The smell of chocolate may increase theta brain waves, resulting in relaxation.
* Chocolate contains phenyl ethylamine, a mild mood elevator.
* The cocoa butter in chocolate contains oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fat which may raise good cholesterol.
* Drinking a cup of hot chocolate before meals may actually diminish appetite.
* Men who eat chocolate live a year longer than those who don’t.
* The flavanoids in chocolate may help keep blood vessels elastic.
* Chocolate increases antioxidant levels in the blood.
* Mexican healers use chocolate to treat bronchitis and insect bites.
* The carbohydrates in chocolate raise serotonin levels in the brain, resulting in a sense of well-being.