Is chocolate good for you? Here's what the experts say

2/11/2004 4:56 PM

By: Kristi Nakamura (Houston)

http://www.news24houston.com/conten...D=23761&SecID=2

Just walking into The Chocolate Bar in Montrose can feel like an indulgence.

"Very very often, people will just stop at the front door and go 'Oh my God, the smell'. Of course, we tell them smelling has no calories, so it's okay," said Chocolate Bar co-owner Eric Shamban.

Tasting, on the other hand, does have calories -- about 135 per ounce of dark chocolate.

But experts at Baylor College of Medicine say that's okay, too. In fact, eating a few pieces of chocolate may even be good for you.

"It contains actually something called polyphenols, which are antioxidants. So it actually helps protect your body against cancer and heart disease by being an antioxidant," said Baylor College of Medicine Dietician Joan Carter.

And Carter says that even though chocolate is high in fat, that fat is neutral in terms of heart disease. She says it won't raise or lower your cholesterol.

Plus, she says, chocolate tastes good and makes people happy.

"I would say that making people happy is a huge benefit of chocolate. A small pleasure for a small number of calories -- again, if you keep the amount down -- is a wonderful thing. Food should be enjoyed in life," said Carter.

But Carter says the thing to remember about chocolate is that it's something you should eat by the ounce, not by the brick.

"Chocolate has not been immune to the super-sizing. So if you go to the grocery store, take a look at the size of the bar you buy and turn over the label. Most bars are supposed to be two or three servings, not one, so a chocolate bar is not necessarily 130 calories, it's probably significantly more," said Carter.

Carter suggests breaking the bar in half and saving the rest for later. Or since it's almost Valentine's Day, sharing half with a special friend.

One ounce of chocolate is about five Hershey's kisses. Experts say it takes a two-mile walk to burn off the calories from an ounce of chocolate.

I noticed this when I read a similar article. Most of the fat in chocolate is saturated (according to Fitday). But in this case it's ok. Oh! and saturated fat in olive oil is ok too. BUT you'd better stay away from that saturated fat in meat!!!!!

Huh?

I would like to remind all the good readers out there that hershey kisses and all the junk chocolate manufactured by the big corps is as far removed from chocolate as cheap instant coffee is to a cup of good expresso. Look at the label. If cooca butter and cocoa mass is not listed as a first ingredient drop it like it was burning your fingers.

Most manufacturers like to make cheap chocolate by replacing most if not all cocoa butter with some cheap substitute ... usually hydrogenated fat.

When you do find good dark chocolate, you'll find that it's easy to control portions. The intense taste satisfies you in such a way that a small piece goes a long way.