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In a nutshell * Dark chocolate, tea, apples, and grapes can significantly lower blood pressure, especially in people with hypertension, with effects comparable in size to standard medications. * These flavan-3-ol-rich foods also improve blood vessel function, offering heart health benefits beyond just blood pressure reduction. * Whole foods work better than supplements, and they come with minimal side effects, making them a safe, affordable addition to a heart-healthy lifestyle. ================================================================ GUILDFORD, England — Instead of buying the next trendy expensive supplement or exotic superfood, a morning cup of tea could do more for your blood pressure than you realize....

A diet rich in produce such as grapes, strawberries, açaí, oranges, chocolate, wine and coffee can reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome by as much as 23%, according to the findings of a study involving more than 6,000, the largest in the world to associate the effects of consuming polyphenols. Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of metabolic abnormalities and hormone alterations, is the main risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Polyphenols are bioactive compounds with well-known anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The main conclusion was that consumption of polyphenols from different foods at the highest estimated level (469 mg per day) reduced the...

The Food and Drug Administration has reclassified a recall of chocolate products to its most serious level. On Dec. 12, 2024, the Cal Yee Farm LLC of Suisun Valley, California, issued a recall for several of its chocolate and yogurt-covered products, as well as its trail mix and toffee, due to undeclared allergens. "People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk, soy, wheat, sesame, FD&C #6 and almonds run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products," according to a release from Cal Yee Farm that was published on the FDA's website at...

Braga Fresh Recalls Broccoli Florets Sold At Walmart Over Listeria Concerns Federal officials have upgraded a chocolate recall to the highest risk level over fears that consuming the product could “cause serious adverse health consequences or death.” Three products from Cal Yee Farm — Dark Chocolate Almonds, Dark Chocolate Apricots and Dark Chocolate Walnuts — have been given a Class 1 classification for containing undeclared milk, according to the FDA. Undeclared milk in food products can lead to serious health issues for people with milk allergies, including hives, cramps, dizziness, swollen vocal cords and unconsciousness, and cause death, according to...

However, many school districts and parents argue that giving children the option to drink flavored milk is a way to get them the much-needed health benefits that they would miss if they don’t like regular milk. In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, Urban School Food Alliance executive director Katie Wilson criticized the proposal, arguing that the Agriculture Department is considering taking a product that is widely enjoyed by students and includes “nine essential nutrients” and telling them they will have to “drink plain” milk instead. “What are they trying to prove,” Wilson added.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is considering limits on certain food and drink like chocolate milk in schools to “reduce children’s risk of chronic disease.” In February, the USDA first proposed updates to public school nutrition standards that would limit sodium intake and added sugars from students’ diets. Among its proposals included limiting the amount of flavored milk, such as strawberry and chocolate, in high schools while outright prohibiting it in elementary and middle schools. “USDA is proposing to allow flavored milk for high school children only (grades 9-12). This approach would reduce exposure to added sugars and would...

US residents are spending more money to purchase legal cannabis than they are on chocolate, craft beer and topical pain relief. A report from MJBizDaily showed Americans spent roughly $30 billion on legal marijuana in 2022 while only spending around $20 billion on chocolate. The cannabis purchases eclipsed sales of “feel-good” products, including beer, opioid medications and topical pain relief, the report stated. Though the legal purchase of marijuana is becoming increasingly popular, sales still fell behind the tobacco industry, which made around $53 billion last year despite a steady decline.

The Hershey Co. said Tuesday that Reese’s Plant Based Peanut Butter Cups, which go on sale this month, will be its first vegan chocolates sold nationally. A second plant-based offering, Hershey’s Plant Based Extra Creamy with Almonds and Sea Salt, will follow in April. The chocolates are made with oats instead of milk, Hershey said.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are getting the vegan treatment. The Hershey Co. said Tuesday that Reese’s Plant Based Peanut Butter Cups, which go on sale this month, will be its first vegan chocolates sold nationally. A second plant-based offering, Hershey’s Plant Based Extra Creamy with Almonds and Sea Salt, will follow in April. The chocolates are made with oats instead of milk, Hershey said. Hershey has experimented with vegan chocolate before. It sold an oat-based chocolate bar called Oat Made in some test markets starting in 2021. But the new products will be the first sold throughout the U.S. under...

Brad Wolfe, communications supervisor for Lancaster County 911 Dispatch, told CNN that firefighters had to “cut a hole in the side of the tank to get them out.” A spokesperson for Mars Wrigley, which makes M&M’s, Snickers and other candies, confirmed in a statement Friday to The Washington Post that the workers were taken off-site for evaluation. It is still unclear how the workers got stuck in the tank and how much chocolate was in it at the time.

She’s cracking. Gov. Kathy Hochul sounded off Wednesday about the “outrageous” price of eggs — jokingly telling New Yorkers to make chocolate cake with applesauce instead. The unprompted recipe suggestion came as Hochul, during a news conference in Midtown, slammed President Trump’s tariffs for driving up prices on everything from avocados to children’s toys. “And I’m done talking about the price of eggs — just give up eating them,” she said, drawing laughter. “It’s just outrageous, outrageous.” “You can make a really good chocolate cake with applesauce,” she added. “I digress, it’s also vegan.”

MrBeast is the latest high-profile figure to attack President Trump’s punitive tariffs, which he says will make it “way cheaper” to produce his ethically sourced chocolate brand Feastables overseas. “Ironically because of all the new tariffs it is now way cheaper to make our chocolate bars we sell globally NOT in America,” the YouTuber, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, wrote on X on Tuesday. Donaldson noted it would be cheaper to produce his popular candy abroad because “other countries don’t have a 20%+ tariff on our cogs.” Feastables products are “designed” in Donaldson’s hometown of Greenville, North Carolina, and...

Once used as offerings to the gods and as a form of currency by the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs, cacao beans have taken on a different value in modern society. Today, these beans are the basis of all the chocolate we love so much, but it has taken centuries for chocolate to become the ubiquitous treat we know it as. In the time when the Mayans drank cacao beans in liquid form, they were considered savory, with the beans being ground with maize and mixed with water. Considering chocolate contains many chemical compounds with a distinctly bitter taste, it's not...

The most extensive study on how dietary polyphenol consumption affects the risk of cardiometabolic issues monitored over 6,000 Brazilians for eight years. A study of over 6,000 Brazilians—the largest of its kind—found that a diet rich in polyphenol-rich foods such as grapes, strawberries, açaí, oranges, chocolate, wine, and coffee can reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome by up to 23%. The findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition, highlight the protective effects of polyphenols against cardiometabolic disorders. Metabolic syndrome is a collection of metabolic imbalances and hormonal disruptions that significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Polyphenols, known for their...

It turns out, your protein powder might not be as healthy as you think. A new report from the Clean Label Project reveals that popular protein powders—especially plant-based, organic and chocolate-flavored varieties—may contain high levels of lead and cadmium. The report highlights an alarming finding: Nearly half (47%) of the 160 products tested exceeded California's Proposition 65 regulatory limits for lead, with 21% containing levels more than twice as high as those allowed under the law. The investigation revealed that: —Plant-based powders, like those made from soy, rice and peas, contained three times more lead than products based on whey,...

Participants who ate at least five servings of chocolate weekly had a 10% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), with dark chocolate showing an even stronger effect—a 21% lower risk. In contrast, milk chocolate consumption was linked to long-term weight gain, which may contribute to T2D, but not to a reduced risk of the disease. Researchers emphasized the health benefits of choosing dark chocolate over milk chocolate and cautioned that these findings may not apply to individuals with very high chocolate consumption. Dark chocolate consumption may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 21%, while milk chocolate does...

Dec. 9 (UPI) -- A California highway was left in a sweet and sticky state after a truck fire caused the roadway to become covered in more than 30,000 pounds of melted chocolate. The California Highway Patrol said firefighters were summoned to the scene on westbound Interstate 580, near Grant Line Road in the Dublin area. Crews were able to extinguish the flames engulfing the truck, but firefighters soon discovered the vehicle's cargo -- 30,000-40,000 pounds of chocolate -- had melted and was spreading across the road. The resulting clean-up operation lasted for several hours. Initial investigations indicated the cause...

New research has found that those who consume more foods rich in flavonoids, such as berries, tea, red wine and dark chocolate, could lower their risk of dementia. Led by researchers, the study, reveals that increasing the intake of flavonoid-rich foods and drinks could help reduce the risk of developing the incurable illness. While age and genetics contribute substantially to the development of the disease, evidence has shown that risk factors such as diet, can play an important role in prevention. Flavoniods, primarily found in plant foods, have a range of health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. They...

Imagine picking up a nice juicy apple - but instead of biting into it you keep the seeds and throw the rest away. That's what chocolate producers have traditionally done with the cocoa fruit - used the beans and disposed of the rest. But now food scientists in Switzerland have come up with a way to make chocolate using the entire cocoa fruit rather than just the beans - and without using sugar. The chocolate, developed at Zurich’s prestigious Federal Institute of Technology by scientist Kim Mishra and his team includes the cocoa fruit pulp, the juice, and the husk,...

NATIONAL GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE DAY On June 11 we celebrate the delicious food holiday known as National German Chocolate Cake Day! We can't think of a better way to learn about a cake with American roots and get our chocolate fix for the day at the same time! #GermanChocolateCakeDay Although the name may sound like the cake originated in Germany, German chocolate cake did not. In fact, the cake's roots can be traced back to 1852 when American Sam German made a type of dark baking chocolate for the American Baker’s Chocolate Company. Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate’s brand was named...