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Young couple eating together one piece of chocolate - in street at night

World Chocolate Day on July 7 got us daydreaming about the biggest chocolate block, and it turns out there’s some pretty impressive Guinness World Records relating to chocolate.

Some even sound easy enough to beat! Plus there's no harm in trying them, since failing still means you get to eat chocolate. That's winning in our books!

Check these five chocolate coated world records out and give them a go:

MONTREAL, CANADA - FEBRUARY 05, 2015: Ferrero Rocher is a chocolate sweet made by Italian Ferrero Spa. Rocher comes from French and means

Most Ferrero Rocher chocolates stacked

The current record is 14, set by Silvio Sabba (from Italy, of course) in 2012. We reckon that having so many Ferrero Rochers stacked would create a chocolate version of the leaning tower of Pisa! Yum!

Winneconne, WI - 22 April 2019: A package of Terrys milk chocolate orange on an isolated background

Fastest time to eat a Chocolate Orange

We're a big fan of Terry's Chocolate Oranges, the orange-shaped and flavoured ball of chocolate divided into 20 segments, making it look like a real orange. The world record for eating this faux fruit is 57.14 seconds and was set by Leah Shutkever in the UK in 2020. We're not sure if that record time includes the tradition of giving the orange a severe whack on a hard surface to separate out the segments, or if she just ate it like an apple. We think the latter would be faster!

 

Chocolate covered strawberries on a white plate

Most strawberries dipped in chocolate in one minute

Now this one really does involve fruit! Melt your chocolate, grab your strawberries and get dipping and see if you can beat the 59 that Benjamin Wilkins from the UK managed to dip in 2013.

 

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Fastest time to drink a cup of hot chocolate

German man André Ortolf holds the record for fastest time to drink a cup of hot chocolate, downing it in 4.32 seconds in 2018. And yes, there is a rule around the temperature - the drink must be over 37°C. No drinking warm milk for this challenge. We're guessing it's a regular cup size too. 

ThankfullyAndré didn't have to drink from the Guiness World Record's largest cup of hot chocolate/cocoa - this record-holding cup held 4,816.6 litres of hot chocolate and was made with more than 600 kilograms of semisweet chocolate!

 

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Tallest chocolate sculpture

If you're feeling artistic, you can try creating something out of chocolate - though you'll have to go for an epic scale to break the current record, which is inspired by the world's tallest building.

The tallest chocolate sculpture is a 13.52 metre tall replica of the Burj Khalifa building in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (which stands at 829.8 metres). The chocolate sculpture was created by Andrew Farrugia of Malta and was unveiled at Dubai International Airport in 2014.

Perhaps we need to make up our own challenges? Most Tim Tams slammed in one minute. Largest number of pineapple lumps held in the mouth for 30 seconds. Quickest time to eat the icing off a lamington. Surely we could win those hands down!

Oh and if you're still wondering about the world's biggest chocolate block? Well the record for the largest chocolate bar by weight came in at a stunning 5,792.50 kg and was created by Thorntons in the UK in 2011. It was 4 metres by 4 metres and 35 centimetres high!

Images: Martin Novak/Shutterstock, Pinkcandy/Shutterstock, Keith Homan/Shutterstock, Lucky Business/Shutterstock

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Attention all chocoholics! Researchers have evidence to prove chocolate for breakfast can help you lose weight and it's the best news we've heard all year.

A recent study published in The FASEB Journal explored the notion that it's not only important to look at what we eat but also when we eat it, with a particular focus on chocolate.

Researchers examined 19 postmenopausal women over a set of two-week sessions (with one-week breaks in between) for 9 weeks.

Each were randomly assigned to either eat 100g of chocolate in the morning (within 1 hour of waking), 100g of chocolate in the evening (within 1 hour of bed time), or no chocolate at all.

Participants wore a wristwatch which monitored their temperature, pulse rhythms and physical activity. Data of sleep patterns, cortisol in saliva and fecal samples were also collected during the trial.

The results were music to our ears! First and foremost, "females did not gain significant body weight with chocolate intake."

Our results show that 14 days of chocolate intake did not increase body weight. 

 

The study also proved that having your chocolate fix in the morning instead of at night can help burn body fat, decrease fasting glucose levels and improve microbiota function.

 

Researchers also concluded that when consumed within an hour of waking up, chocolate can curb cravings later in the day and decreased hunger.

In conclusion, having chocolate in the morning or in the evening/night results in differential effects on hunger and appetite, substrate oxidation, fasting glucose, microbiota (composition and function), and sleep and temperature rhythms. Results highlight that the “when” we eat is a relevant factor to consider in energy balance and metabolism.

You now have permission to swap out those kale and spinach smoothies and sub in a block-of-choc for brekky!

Image Credit: Polina Tankilevitch / Pexels

 

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eye of fire gulf of mexico header

Astonishing footage of an ocean blaze dubbed the ‘Eye of Fire’ has gone viral after the bizarre scene was shared on social media.

The situation has ignited the internet, producing a wave of hilarious memes and we’ve found the best ones.

The fire occurred on July 2nd in the Gulf of Mexico and was reportedly caused by a gas pipeline leak and a lightning strike.

In a shocking chain of events, the underwater pipeline caused natural gas to build up and as it reached the surface. It is believed during an intense storm of rain and lightning, the gas was ignited by a lightning bolt. 

The oil firm Pemex reported no one was injured during the five-hour period the fire was alight. They sent fire control boats to pump water to control the blaze and although the incident was an ecological disaster, the internet has found humour in the situation.

Similar to the scenes of the ship blocking the Suez Canal, the incident mirrors the viral event with a small ship trying to fix a massive ordeal. This of course sparked a collection of hilarious memes.

Here are the best memes of the ‘Eye of Fire.'

 

Image Credit: (@MLopezSanMartin /Twitter)

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PHOTOGRAPH BY NIGEL WRIGHT. WRIGHTPHOTO1@MAC.COMAUSTRALIAN NINJA WARRIOR 5’RECORD BREAKERS’THIS PICTURE SHOWS:.

Fan favourite Zak Stolz, 22, has walked away with $100,000 after being the furthest fastest competitor in the Australian Ninja Warrior Season 5 Grand Final tonight on Channel 9.

Stolz said: “Winning means so much more than just prizemoney to me. To be honest, the feeling is yet to sink in fully, but there’s a massive sense of accomplishment that comes with the title that I believe I’ll be able to reflect upon for the rest of my life and look back on whenever times are tough.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY NIGEL WRIGHT. WRIGHTPHOTO1@MAC.COMAUSTRALIAN NINJA WARRIOR 5GRAND FINALE 2…ZAK STOLZ, WINNER ANW5.

After being conquered in 2020, Mt Midoriyama fought back all season, creating bigger, harder and higher obstacles to try and stop Australia’s toughest Ninjas. It has been an epic journey, leaving just 10 of the best and bravest standing in Grand Final Stage 2.

Zak and stuntman Mike Snow entered the finale with the crucial advantage of a second-chance run and they both needed it. Mike just fell short with his second run, but Zak triumphed and powered through to progress to Stage 3 alongside best friend and last year’s runner-up, Charlie Robbins.

In a suspenseful finish, Zak continued his strong form, falling short of conquering the mountain but going one obstacle better than Charlie, thus claiming the Season 5 title of furthest fastest on the hardest course Australian Ninja Warrior has ever built.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NIGEL WRIGHT. WRIGHTPHOTO1@MAC.COMAUSTRALIAN NINJA WARRIOR 5GRAND FINALE 2…ZAK STOLZ, WINNER ANW5.

(Images Supplied by 9: Shane Crawford, Rebecca Maddern, winner Zak Stolz and Ben Fordham)

Reflecting on the win, Zak paid tribute to his late father, saying: “It is such a surreal moment and I know my father would be so proud of me. Not to mention putting a smile on my mum and other supporters’ faces. That is honestly more valuable than anything to me.”

The Ninja action doesn’t end there, because tomorrow on Channel 9 at 7.30 pm, the best of the best competitors including Zak and Charlie return in a brand new special, Australian Ninja Warrior: Record Breakers.

For the first time ever, Ninjas will compete head to head on a unique Record Breakers course, taking on the Rising Mega Warped Wall, Ferocious Ferris Wheel, Sprinting Steps Showdown, Soaring Sonic Shelf Grab and Super Salmon Ladder, to set their own records.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NIGEL WRIGHT. WRIGHTPHOTO1@MAC.COMAUSTRALIAN NINJA WARRIOR 5’RECORD BREAKERS’THIS PICTURE SHOWS:.

With a total prize pool of $90,000 and the record-breaking Ninjas receiving $15,000 for each obstacle win, the Ninjas will be striving to go further, faster, and higher than they ever have before