According to an article put out today by CNN.com relating to maters of the heart “Daily chocolate may keep the heart doctor away” CNN.com seemed to reference health.com frequently in this article, but in digging through health.com I didn’t find out too much real information, which leads me to believe they are just in bed together or whatever.
However, I did find this in the internet fog; Healthy Living: Chocolate. Dr. Jonathan Wood has written a much more informative article with the most classic advice-“A good rule of thumb: everything in moderation!”
I’m all for plugging the health benefits of chocolate but we are not talking about any chocolate, like the famous Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg, or any of your other favorite Easter candies for that matter. We are talking about at least 70% dark chocolate and as I have learned from many tastings, it takes a pretty advanced palate to enjoy chocolate of this strength.
Don’t get me wrong I frequently enjoy a 70%bar, my favorite being Amano Ocumare. This hand crafted chocolate bar is made exclusively from beans coming out of the Ocumare Valley, Venezuela. This small US company has won countless awards, much deserving and I have boasted them since first taste! Here at Lady Chocolatier we are in transition to a Venezuelan dark chocolate because I love it so much. Look for bars to be released in the coming months.
Back to chocolate and our health- We are not talking about large amounts , less than a quarter ounce each day is all it takes. Good luck at stopping after one quarter ounce! Or at least that’s what some studies say ….. I’ve read its healthy to have anywhere from 1 to 3oz per day. A quarter oz. vs 3oz seems like a big difference, but who’s to say? If you’re forcing yourself to eat chocolate for health benefits on a daily basis, my guess is you would rather have the quarter ounce. Then what do you indulge in? Doesn’t the novelty wear off? I think it’s going to get old, pretty fast maybe I will give it a whirl…… probably not. But then again I eat chocolate on mast days anyway.
This news isn’t all that new. The known health benefits of eating chocolate everyday inspired chocolate company TCHO to market a line of “daily dose” portions. These individually wrapped 8 gram bars are slightly over the said quarter ounce, but who’s counting. “Available in 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day prescriptions.”
Below is a look at a quarter ounce vs 3 ounces next to your fav. reese’s egg(to give you scale) I also happened to have a TCHO square laying around that is 5g, (slightly less than their 8g. daily portions). What can I say, I’m a connoisseur. As for you’re daily dose, I would take to Dr’s advice!
3oz of my bulk chips, Reese Peanut Butter Egg(1.2oz.), .25oz. Amano(recommended daily dose), .18oz TCHO square
Interesting side note on Nutrition- The Peanut butter egg has 180 calories and 1.2oz of 70% Amano has 176cal. Read on because labels can be deceiving. The PNB egg label may state that it has less fat calories, saturated fat and total fat than the amano, but it also has way more sugar which converts to fat in our body. The egg also has over 25 times the amount of salt! AND the Amano bar has more fiber, which has many health benefits.
Actual study put out by the European Heart Journal today on effects of chocolate and our health. http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/eurheartj/press_releases/freepdf/pr_chocolate_web.pdf