February 20, 2006

THE FALL

Healthy chocolate a dream come true? (MSNBC, February 20th, 2006)

It’s every chocolate lover’s wish that their favorite indulgence could somehow be healthy for them. Now, chocolate makers claim they have granted that wish.

Mars Inc., maker of Milky Way, Snickers and M&M’s candies, next month plans to launch nationwide a new line of products made with a dark chocolate the company claims has health benefits.

Called CocoaVia, the products are made with a kind of dark chocolate high in flavanols, an antioxidant found in cocoa beans that is thought to have a blood-thinning effect similar to aspirin and may even lower blood pressure. The snacks also are enriched with vitamins and injected with cholesterol-lowering plant sterols from soy.

But researchers are skeptical about using chocolate for its medicinal purposes and experts warn it’s no substitute for a healthy diet.

“To suggest that chocolate is a health food is risky,” said Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Recent research has not established a link between flavanols and a reduced risk of cancer or heart disease, she said. And with obesity already a serious health problem, “the last thing we need is for Americans to think they can eat more chocolate.”

Properly understood, the doctrine of original sin holds that man is born trying to avoid brussels sprouts and is condemned to a life struggling futilely to escape them.

Posted by Peter Burnet at February 20, 2006 9:42 AM
Comments

Er... I like brussel sprouts.

Suddenly, I'm worried about the state of my soul...

Posted by: Patrick Phillips at February 20, 2006 10:47 AM

Brussel sprouts are as good a medium for melted butter as any other vegetable.

Posted by: ted welter at February 20, 2006 11:03 AM

Dark chocolate seems to be all the rage.

Check out the Hershey, Cadbury, etc. labels for sugar content. When fat content goes down, refined carbs always seem to go up.

Posted by: John J. Coupal at February 20, 2006 12:14 PM

I feel the same way about broccoli, unless you hit it with a tsunami of cheese sauce.

Posted by: John at February 20, 2006 12:49 PM

This campaign will fizzle because dark chocolate, formerly called bittersweet chocolate, tastes awful.

Posted by: erp at February 20, 2006 12:50 PM

erp:

I used to think dark chocolate was awful, until I sampled some of quality. The best I've had comes from a local shop:

www.legacychocolates.com

Other people I know who have dissed dark chocolate have changed their tune after a truffle from Legacy.

Posted by: ted welter at February 20, 2006 2:58 PM

Ted, boiled a bit and then fried in olive oil and garlic, a la espanola. Not a hint of brsp taste remains.

Posted by: ed at February 20, 2006 3:46 PM

Ted, I tried a dark chocolate Dove bar and didn't like it. However, I'm willing to be convinced. Send me a couple of dozen truffles and I'll do some scientific testing. Don't forget to send me an equal amount of milk chocolate truffles for the, err, control group. Yeah, that's the ticket, the control group.

Ed, Boiling chocolate turns it into a liquid, how then can it be fried? Again in the interests of pure science, send me a batch and I'll perform some research upon it. Also please send me whole bunches of milk chocolate almond turtles from Russell Stover, so I can make a taste comparison.

Posted by: erp at February 20, 2006 4:09 PM

If you've a Trader Joe's nearby, try some of their house-brand dark chocolate. The wife and I have found none finer at any price.

Posted by: ghostcat at February 20, 2006 5:12 PM

This place has a dark hot chocolate that has to be tasted to be believed. It is the Platonic ideal of hot chocolate for adults.

Posted by: David Cohen at February 20, 2006 6:19 PM

If anyone lives near a Cost Plus World Market, they tend to have a great selection of fantastic dark chocolate. I prefer it 70% cacao or higher. I've always prefered dark chocolate, and if it's popular right now, all the better. Though I expect it will go back to being unpopular at some point in the future, which will make it harder to find, but possibly less expensive...

Posted by: Timothy at February 20, 2006 10:14 PM

erp: If you don't want to take my recommendation about Legacy dark chocolates (Lindt dark truffles aren't too bad either), it's your loss. More for us.

David Cohen: I will be ordering some of that there.

Posted by: ted welter at February 21, 2006 2:22 PM
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