研究表明，吃適量的黑巧克力可能對你有好處。黑巧克力富含鎂和鐵等礦物質，同時具有高水平的抗氧化劑。但巧克力對你的健康越好，它的味道就越苦。本期 “隨身英語” 討論巧克力是否可以被看作健康食品。

詞匯：chocolate 巧克力

When you think of foods that are good for you, chocolate may not be high up on your list. But, there has been a lot of research into dark chocolate, which shows that it does, in fact, have health benefits.

Chocolate is made by roasting cacao seeds, which come from the cacao tree. After being processed into cocoa solids, cocoa butter and combined with sugar and sometimes dairy, chocolate is the result. To know how dark the chocolate is, and to determine the potential health benefits, we need to look at the level of cocoa solids it contains.

If dark chocolate has a high cocoa content, labelled as a percentage, it may be dense in minerals such as magnesium and iron. According to a 2011 study comparing cacao seeds to ‘super fruits’ such as cranberries and pomegranates, dark chocolate may have high levels of antioxidants. Other research includes a 2018 study which found that dark chocolate could significantly reduce inflammation in people with type 2 diabetes. 

But companies trying to market dark chocolate as a healthy snack may have a difficult time – the higher the cocoa content, the more bitter the taste. Plus, commercial dark chocolate tends to be high in calories, saturated fat and can contain significant amounts of sugar. On top of that, during the actual manufacturing process of cleaning, fermenting and roasting the cacao beans, the natural benefits may be lost.  

All in all, it seems that consuming a moderate amount of dark chocolate can’t do you harm – just look for a high cocoa solid percentage!

詞匯表

dark chocolate 黑巧克力
roast 烤，烘
cacao seeds 可可種子
cocoa solids 可可塊
cocoa butter 可可油，可可脂
cocoa content 可可含量
dense 密度大的
magnesium 鎂
iron 鐵
cranberry 蔓越莓
pomegranate 石榴
antioxidants 抗氧化劑
inflammation 炎癥
type 2 diabetes 二型糖尿病
market 推銷
bitter 有苦味的
commercial 市面上的
calorie 卡路里
saturated fat 飽和脂肪
manufacturing process 生產過程
ferment 發酵
moderate 適量的

測驗與練習

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. What minerals may chocolate with a high cocoa content have?

2. What did a 2011 study compare cacao seeds with?

3. True or False? Dark chocolate can stop people getting type 2 diabetes.

4. Why is it difficult to market dark chocolate?

5. Why can commercial dark chocolate be unhealthy?

2.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. The doctor said I have low levels of _______ in my blood. 

cocoa solids               iron                             calories                       cocoa butter

2. My mum _______ chicken and vegetables at home every Sunday.

ferments                     markets                       roasts                         contains

3. Fried food has high levels of _______ and is not good for you.

inflammation               antioxidants                 saturated fat               cocoa content

4. I find the taste of black coffee very _______, so I add a lot of milk.

dense                          commercial                  bitter                           moderate

5. If I feel sad, I usually eat unhealthy snacks like crisps and _______.

magnesium                 pomegranate                cranberries                 chocolate

答案

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。 

1. What minerals may chocolate with a high cocoa content have?
It may be dense in minerals such as magnesium and iron.

2. What did a 2011 study compare cacao seeds to?
‘Super fruits’ such as cranberries and pomegranates.

3. True or False? Dark chocolate can stop people getting type 2 diabetes.
False. A study found that eating a small amount of 84% dark chocolate could reduce inflammation in people with type 2 diabetes.

4. Why is it difficult to market dark chocolate?
Because the higher the cocoa content, the more bitter the taste.

5. Why can commercial dark chocolate be unhealthy?
It tends to be high in calories, saturated fat and can contain significant amounts of sugar.

2.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

1. The doctor said I have low levels of iron in my blood. 

2. My mum roasts chicken and vegetables at home every Sunday.

3. Fried food has high levels of saturated fat and is not good for you.

4. I find the taste of black coffee very bitter, so I add a lot of milk.

5. If I feel sad, I usually eat unhealthy snacks like crisps and chocolate.