Superfood for Your Teeth
While Americans consume roughly 12 pounds of chocolate each year, the benefit, unlike the chocolate, shouldn’t be in the dark. Yes, dark chocolate may be good for your teeth, and may even prevent cavities.
Dark chocolate, (70 percent cacao or more) is a superfood for the teeth. This is caused by the compound CBH, found in dark chocolate, which strengthens tooth enamel. Some dentists believe CBH is even more effective than fluoride at protecting teeth.
Here’s how it works. When bacteria in the mouth turns sugar into acid, tooth decay begins. The acid eats away at the tooth’s surface, causing cavities. Compounds found in the cocoa bean husk have an anti-bacterial effect and also fight against plaque, which ultimately makes cocoa intake great for your teeth.
The CBH compound, which hardens tooth enamel, makes tooth decay less likely. The compound has been studied and proven effective in the animal testing, but won’t be available for sales until more testing is complete. Until then, CBH can be consumed and its benefits administered via dark chocolate, such as cacao nibs. Raw chocolate is even a better choice, as it is less processed and more of the antioxidants are left in tact. 3 to 4 ounces a day of dark, raw or organic chocolate can potentially lower the risk of cavities, thanks to CBH.
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Perfect For a Rainy Day
Santa Rosa based chocolatiers, Jennifer Daly and Christopher Sund, have watched their chocolate dreams come to life. Specializing in curated chocolate from all over the world and presented in both Belgian and single-origin truffles, Rainy Day Chocolate is awakening the senses of chocolate aficionados in the bay area and beyond, one truffle at a time.
Using a proprietary 69 percent Belgian blend, Rainy Day’s handcrafted and award-winning chocolate truffles are produced from the finest cacao beans around and handcrafted in Windsor. Their Belgian chocolate flavors include: dark, milk, toffee, red wine, dark sarcasm porter, zebra, hazelnut and cherry. Their single-origin truffles are sourced from Guatemala, Madagascar, Belize and Ecuador. Currently, their most popular item is the Belgian variety four-packs made with their award-winning 69 percent dark Belgian blend and includes toffee, hazelnut, cherry and zebra truffles.
On a diet, but can’t resist the urge to indulge in chocolate? Try their chocolate salve. The jar of silkening moisturizer/lotion is made locally by Firefly Chocolate from three ingredients: organic cacao butter, organic coconut oil and peppermint essential oil.
As for the future, you can look forward to Rainy Day’s upcoming creations such as smoothies, dry rubs and chocolate-dipped cacao nib cookies. “We’re incredibly excited for the future, our growth has been quick and we’re working hard and loving it. We will have a production site for sure, and possibly our own retail location within the next year,” says Daly. Their decadent truffles are available at specialty stores and farmers markets throughout Sonoma County.
www.rainydaychocolate.com
