Chocolate, Weight, Love

When I was a kid I loved Kit Kat bars. They held a special place in my heart since my Father was the gatekeeper for donning out this chocolate treat. At least that’s what I thought. My Mother was in the background giving her nod of approval.

Don’t you wish now we had a benevolent figure in the background giving us the nod when we choose our treats?

In some ways, we do. It’s called research. Clinical studies on chocolate have revealed crowd pleasing results on the food of this month – chocolate. The message – eat chocolate and lose weight – is so appealing that we don’t read beyond the headlines. However, the devil is in the detail.

Chocolate – super food or super easy way to gain weight?

As I sit at a networking luncheon with other women, the mix of mini chocolates strewn in the middle of the table, appear to be taunting us. Finally, one courageous women breaks the spell, reaches over and begins to unfold the silver foil, turns to me and says, “you’re a dietitian, isn’t chocolate good for us?”

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, food aisles are chocked full of chocolates in all variations and price ranges. It’s easy to toss a bag of mini “something chocolate” into your cart – it’s chocolate, it’s good for us, isn’t it?

The “eat chocolate, lose weight” message came about from a less than rigorous cross sectional study supposedly showing that people who eat chocolate weigh less and those who eat less chocolate weigh more.

Cross sectional study sounds impressive but it’s a snapshot in time, therefore; it can’t tell you what lead to what.

A closer look at over 12,000 residents of 4 states aged 45-64 painted a different picture of frequency in eating chocolate and weight gain. The residents were weighed in the late 1980’s and asked how often they ate a serving of chocolate. Six years later, they were weighed and asked about their chocolate servings again.

Results showed that the more frequently someone ate chocolate, the more weight they gained. Those who ate the most chocolate gained the most weight.

We’re not taking about a daily snicker bar either! People who consumed just an ounce of chocolate at least once a week gained an average of 2.4 pounds over the six years. This might not sound like much but combined with the typical yearly 1-2 pound gain most mid-aged adults experience after the holiday season, it’s another way the pounds pack on with little effort.

Why did that cross sectional study show that people who eat more chocolate weigh less? Some participants in the study were eating less chocolate to lose weight as a result of a diagnosis of diabetes or after a heart attack. That makes it look like people who eat more chocolate weigh less. When researchers exclude people who have obesity-related illness, those who eat more chocolate don’t weigh less.

Heart month and chocolate – go together like love and marriage?

February is heart month focusing on prevention of heart disease. Chocolate – minus its high fat, sugary, creamy contents, may actually be good for heart health.

Research has shown that flavanols, a naturally occurring phytochemical, is the ingredient in chocolate that provides the heart and blood pressure benefits. However, with over 100 research papers published on chocolate, not all have been positive.

The differences appear to be in the type of chocolate. Dark chocolate is used in research due to it’s higher flavanol content compared to milk chocolate.

But even dark chocolate varies in its flavanol content. The amount of cocoa solids and how it’s processed affects the content. Research using 70% cacao appears to be the “sweet spot” for heart protecting benefits.

A good rule of thumb: the darker the chocolate, the more bitter the taste the more healthful it is for the heart.

Women and chocolate

I never sought out chocolate candy past the occasional Kit Kat from my Father. That all changed with menopause. Entering my mid years meant that my chocolate radar moved into the sonic zone.

Women appear to be vulnerable to the charms of chocolate. Whether it’s effect on raising the neurotransmitter serotonin (the feel calm brain chemical) or the need to have tiny indulgences as we tackle this chapter of life, it’s hard not to find a women that doesn’t like chocolate.

This susceptibility for chocolate combined with it’s caloric density (i.e. lots of calories provided in a tiny amount) places it as a trigger food that sabotages weight management for women.

I’m not the chocolate czar. I’m not going to say never eat chocolate.

I am going to say – be picky about what type, how much and how often you do eat chocolate.

How can you have your chocolate without sabotaging your weight?

3 Ways to indulge in chocolate without blowing your weight:

Cacao Nibs

The nibs come from the cacao or cocoa bean – which really isn’t a bean at all but seeds of the fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree. The nibs come from the unroasted cacao beans that are hulled to expose the cacao nibs. They are minimally processed with no additives.

Coming in at 20 calories per teaspoon with no sugar this fits nicely for anyone trying to watch their waistline while choosing a food that does provide health benefits.

Tip: Add a few teaspoons to plain Greek Yogurt for a surprisingly crunchy and addictive treat.

Cocoa Powder

To produce cocoa powder, the cocoa solids are pressed, ensuring that around 75% of the original cocoa butter has been removed, and creating a substance called press cake. The press cake is dried, and then ground into powder.

At 10-15 calories per tablespoon this powder provides an excellent source of flavanols at a bargain price for calories. Cocoa powder has a natural bitter taste but when mixed with naturally sweet foods (like strawberries) it taste indulgent when added to any food.

The powder is versatile since it works for both hot or cold beverages. I even add a tablespoon to my home-made ground turkey chili to give it that rich, dark color.

However, don’t use the Dutch processed cocoa powder. The process destroys the flavanols.

Tip: Add up to 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder to smoothie’s. Blends quickly and give a rich chocolate taste.

Chocolate dipped fruit.

At first I was reluctant to use my microwave to melt chocolate. Visions of chocolate spattered needing clean up wasn’t part of my schedule that day. Now that I’ve created several dishes of fruit with my very own melted dark chocolate, I recommend it to others.

Follow the instructions for DIY Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

My final thoughts …

Bottom line dark chocolate is a good source of flavanols, but so are other foods such as fruits, vegetables and even whole grains.

To keep chocolate in the category of “weight friendly foods” keep portions to around 1 ounce (think 5 Hershey Dark Chocolate Kisses) or total calories around 100 per serving.

This Valentine’s Day be picky about your source of flavanols.

You think the ads for dark chocolate covered strawberries on my fridge is a subtle way to tell my husband how to make my heart happy this Valentine’s Day?

Thanks for reading this article.

Happy Valentine’s Day!