Just about everyone loves eating chocolate and it’s particularly hard to resist the temptation at Easter time. Rosemary Stanton says that nothing is forbidden in a balanced diet and there’s no need to feel guilty if you indulge occasionally. However, when it comes to chocolate, it’s best to go for quality rather than quantity.
Is chocolate addictive?
Chocolate contains anandamide, which is similar to a substance our brains produce and mimics some of the effects of marijuana. It also contains substances that stop the breakdown of the anandamide that our brains produce, so if you eat chocolate when you’re feeling happy it may prolong the happy feeling.
How chocolate is made?
Chocolate is made from cocoa beans, extracted from the pod of the cacao plant. The beans are dried, roasted and pressed to extract cocoa butter, leaving behind a cake of bitter cocoa powder. Good chocolate is made by mixing cocoa butter with cocoa powder and sugar. The higher the percentage of cocoa butter, the better the quality of the chocolate. Cheaper, compound chocolate is made with processed vegetable oil instead of cocoa butter.
What’s in chocolate?
All chocolate is very high in fat and calories. In fact, it has more calories in a small package than almost any other food except oils, butter, margarine and nuts. While chocolate is excellent if you need survival rations, its high fat content means it is digested slowly, so it doesn’t give you a sudden surge of energy. Milk chocolate has added milk. The milk and the fat create a buffering effect for your teeth, so chocolate is less likely than lollies to cause tooth decay. Chocolate contains some antioxidants, which are important to prevent the damaging effects of things called free radicals. However, Rosemary recommends getting your antioxidants from healthier foods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts and anything wholegrain.
What to do
Chocolate is a concentrated food so it’s probably best to keep to a small amount. When shopping for chocolate check the label. If it contains lots of additives give it a miss. The price is also a guide to quality – good chocolate costs more.
(Note: From the end of 2002, product labels will have to specify how much chocolate is actually in foods which use chocolate in their name.) If you go for quality rather than quantity you needn’t feel guilty about indulging in an occasional piece of good chocolate.
Further information
We filmed our segment at:
Dullo Chocolates, 82-84 Portman Street, Zetland, NSW and at
Just William Chocolates, 4 William Street, Paddington, NSW.
