QUESTION - What's the difference between chocolate and cocoa?

ANSWER - Both chocolate and cocoa start out from the same source - the seeds inside the bean of the "theobroma cocoa" plant. The name means "food of the gods." The first step in processing both chocolate and cocoa is also the same. The seeds are fermented to reduce the bitter taste, roasted to develop flavor, shelled and cracked. But then the processing methods diverge. The end products differ markedly, and chocolate contains much more fat and calories than cocoa.

In making chocolate, the seeds (also called "nibs") are ground at room temperature to produce a liquor, which by federal regulation must contain between 50 percent and 58 percent cocoa fat. The resulting product is what we know as baking chocolate. In turn, this is used to produce semisweet chocolate, which must contain at least 35 percent chocolate liquor; sweet chocolate with at least 15 percent liquor; and milk chocolate with not less than 10 percent liquor, 3.6 percent milk fat and 12 percent milk solids. All of these, including baking chocolate, have between 135 calories and 150 calories per ounce.

When cocoa is made, some of the cocoa fat is extracted from the ground nibs and made into cocoa butter. The remaining "presscake" is then pulverized into cocoa. How much fat is left in the presscake will depend on the type of cocoa being produced. High-fat cocoa has a minimum of 22 percent fat; medium-fat cocoa between 10 percent and 22 percent fat; and low-fat cocoa less than 10 percent fat. Even high-fat cocoa has only 75 calories per ounce - half the calories of chocolate.

QUESTION - I've never been a fan of the traditional breakfast, such as French toast, cold cereals or scrambled eggs, and in any case I don't have the time to prepare one. But I find that since I generally skip breakfast, I tend to overeat later in the day. What can I eat in the morning that's quick to prepare and suitable for breakfast?

ANSWER - There are no nutritional rules about what foods should be eaten in the morning. As long as a food fits into your diet and contributes to the day's nutrient needs, it's perfectly fine to have it for breakfast. Forget about traditional fare if you dislike it.

A sandwich or hard-boiled egg prepared the night before makes an instant morning meal. You can also have leftovers, such as cold chicken, with a glass of juice. Fruit salad is another refreshing way to begin the day. The same nutritious foods that you eat at other times of the day - whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, poultry and fish, and low-fat dairy products - can get you off to a good start in the morning.

QUESTION - I'm a big fan of pasta, but I'm also trying to keep my cholesterol level under control. When I eat pasta it's usually the dried variety. Am I getting a lot of cholesterol from the eggs used in making it?

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ANSWER - There's no need to give up your beloved pasta. It's an excellent food for a cholesterol-lowering diet. Many sauces can also be made to vary the dishes without increasing the cholesterol count.

Under the federal standard of identity - or official "recipe" for dried macaroni products, including spaghetti - only egg white, not whole egg, is allowed as an optional ingredient. If egg white is used - and it rarely is - the label must say so.

Commercially produced pasta made with whole eggs comes under the standard of identity for egg noodles. These products are clearly labeled "egg macaroni," "egg spaghetti," "egg vermicelli" and so on. Even this type of product is not heavily packed with cholesterol. As with egg noodles, they contain about 50 milligrams of cholesterol per cup - equal to one-fifth of an egg yolk. Thus, you'd need to eat five cups of egg noodles or egg pasta to consume as much cholesterol as you'd get from a single egg.

Homemade pasta, however, is sometimes prepared with a lot of egg. But this doesn't mean you can never have it. If you happen to eat a large helping of egg-rich pasta at a meal, you can compensate by cutting back on your egg intake during the week.

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