What's Soy Lecithin Doing in My Chocolate?

by POPSUGAR Fitness 11

I've been trying to eat more chocolate, only because it has antioxidants, can lower blood pressure, and can even soothe a cough. Well, I'm also addicted, but that's beside the point. I was checking out the label of a bar I picked up and noticed soy lecithin in the list of ingredients. Is it something I should avoid? To find out read more

Soy lecithin is a food additive extracted from soybeans, and is a by-product of soybean oil. Only a small amount (about one percent of the weight of the food) is added to chocolate to keep the cocoa and cocoa butter from separating. It's not bad for you and actually is high in choline, which is also found in egg yolks, and has been found to be good for brain development, increased memory, and heart disease prevention. Awesome. Another reason to eat chocolate.

Fit's Tips: Soy lecithin is bad if you have an allergy to soy, since it's made from soybeans. So check labels on all products, especially candy bars, breads, cakes and other baked goods. It's used in dough to make it less sticky, and it's added to cake batter to make it spread in the pan more easily.

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