Chocolate Fudge
A few weeks ago Sue could not find my flourless chocolate cake recipe, mainly because it had not been transferred to my new site. A chat about it remind me that posts about foods have always causes a greater increase in traffic to my site. So, in the name of blatant capitalism, here is another recipe that I use.
Yes it includes links to purchase my brand of gelatin but any setting type should perform well (I prefer to bovine to porcine), but the bulk of my work and articles discuss the impact of caloric restriction and efforts to repair are what we call, pro-metabolic. So, while I said it is a blatant capitalist move to increase sales of my gelatin, it fits the #whatwouldbillysay? ethos of fast, simple foods that have a pro-metabolic effect, taste good, are enjoyed by kids and dispel any myths that good food needs to be nuts, seeds, low calories or reduced sugar. Enjoy and please send in any pictures, if you liked it, or modifications you try. Enjoy.
In the words of my late friend and mentor, Dr. Raymond Peat;
The fat in chocolate comes from the cocoa butter and is composed approximately equal parts of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat, along with stearic acid and palmitic acid which are both saturated fats. So, rather than being consumed with guilt over your desire to eat chocolate, embrace the intuitive intelligence of a body that wants heal and consume that best quality you are able to.
Linoleic acid is a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid (PUFA), that as most are aware is unstable and damaging to the body. In another article by Ray he states that;
"Saturated fatty acids terminate the stress reactions, polyunsaturated fatty acids amplify them....
When cancers are metastasizing, their phospholipids contain less stearic acid than the less malignant tumors, patients with advanced cancer had less stearic acid in their red blood cells, and adding stearic acid to their food delayed the development of cancer in mice."
while most of us avoid linoleic acids and other PUFA, we are often acutely aware of our prior intake, and the occasional consumption in world that is awash with PUFA laden ingredients. As a contributory factor in heart disease, sun damage, viral activation. It also plays a key role in ageing, via inhibition of cellular respiration, making it a factor in not only the fatigue we feel, but also in the inability of cells to enter the relaxation phase…the rigidity as we loose our youthful elasticity. Limiting PUFA is an obvious step, but utilising saturated fats helps repair the damage, and chocolate can play a part in that.
What better way to consume chocolate than with gelatin, and to fully understand the benefits of its use, have a read of Gelatin, Stress, Longevity by Dr. Peat and take note of some key parts;
“Restricting only tryptophan, or only cysteine, produces a greater extension of the life span than achieved in most of the studies of caloric restriction. How great would be the life-span extension if both tryptophan and cysteine were restricted at the same time?
Both tryptophan and cysteine inhibit thyroid function and mitochondrial energy production, and have other effects that decrease the ability to withstand stress. Tryptophan is the precursor to serotonin, which causes inflammation, immunodepression, and generally the same changes seen in aging. Histidine is another amino acid precursor to a mediator of inflammation, histamine; would the restriction of histidine in the diet have a longevity promoting effect, too?
It happens that gelatin is a protein which contains no tryptophan, and only small amounts of cysteine, methionine, and histidine. Using gelatin as a major dietary protein is an easy way to restrict the amino acids that are associated with many of the problems of aging.”
and;
“The 1936 Cyclopedia of Medicine (G.M. Piersol, editor, volume 6) mentions the use of gelatin solution to quickly control nosebleeds, excessive menstrual bleeding, bleeding ulcers (using three doses of 18 grams as a 10% solution during one day), and bleeding from hemorrhoids and the lower bowel, and hemorrhage from the bladder. But since Selye's work relating the thrombohemorrhagic syndromes to stress wasn't known at that time, gelatin was thought of as a useful drug, rather than as having potentially far-reaching physiological effects, antagonizing some of the agents of stress-induced tissue damage.
Skin cells and nerve cells and many other cells are “electrically” stabilized by glycine, and this effect is currently being described in terms of a “chloride current.” A variety of mechanisms have been proposed for the protective effects of some of the amino acids, based on their use as energy or for other metabolic purpose, but there is evidence that glycine and alanine act protectively without being metabolized, simply by their physical properties.
A small dose of glycine taken shortly after suffering a stroke was found to accelerate recovery, preventing the spreading of injury through its inhibitory and antiinflammatory actions. Its nerve-stabilizing action, increasing the amount of stimulation required to activate nerves, is protective in epilepsy, too. This effect is important in the regulation of sleep, breathing, and heart rhythm.
Glycine's antispastic activity has been used to alleviate the muscle spasms of multiple sclerosis. It is thought to moderate some of the symptoms of schizophrenia.
A recent publication shows that glycine alleviates colitis; but the use of gelatin, especially in the form of a concentrated gelatinous beef broth, for colitis, dysentery, ulcers, celiac disease, and other diseases of the digestive system, goes far back in medical history. Pavlov's observation of its effectiveness in stimulating the secretion of digestive juices occurred because the stimulating value of broth was already recognized.”
So, once again those marshmallows you like don’t need to be viewed as a guilty treat. Yes we can cook down bones and make our own gelatinous broths, and we can ensure we eat the more gelatinous cuts of meat at dinner…but supplemental gelatin is a fast and easy way to increase your intake.
Ingredients
2 tablespoon of coconut oil, or butter if prefered
240 grams of sugar
140 grams coco powder or actual chocolate
1 cup of milk (I used skimmed)
2 egg yolks, pastured if possible, but just source your best options.
A splash of vanilla bean extract (I use Taylor and Colledge brand)
1/4th teaspoon of sea salt
Instructions
Allow the HealthChek Gelatin to bloom for around 10 minutes in the milk at room temperature.
Using a low heat, mix all of the ingredients together until melted.
Pour the mixture into a tray, and leave to cool/set.
Slice into separate pieces and enjoy.
