The FastDay Forum

another in the Is xxxx good for you series.

CHOCOLATE .. now i have your attention


Is it good for you. this article was in our local paper recently

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-an ... 2t5pi.html

the trick is dark chocolate. i love anything 75% cocoa up and woolworths in their gourmet deli area now sells this massive block of very hard Belgian Dark Couverture chocolate (imported from Belgium) - about 1/2 kilo. You need special equipment to break it into edible pieces.

Apparently courveture means its only for cooking but i dont care as its so yum just to eat straight out of the fridge or grated on ice cream. yum.

Anyway can i continue to believe chocolate is good for you?.

Absolutely. And anyone who tells you otherwise needs stringing up from the yardarm!
Now I shall qualify that by saying only dark chocolate not that rubbish fake Cadburys that passes for chocolate but isn't really. Nor those nasty cheap chocolates sold in pound sops, shiploads, crazy clints etc. The only exeption to this rule is Aldi chocolate which generally is ok.
I try to buy fair trade, Green and Black, Montezumas (a heavenly choc range made in Chichester).
On naughty days I adore Lindt milk chocolate and Galaxy. Oh yum yum, now where are those left over chocolate cooking bits again?

I saw something today which went along the lines of "Chocolate comes from cocoa. Cocoa is a tree. A tree is a plant. That makes chocolate a salad."

Previous research has shown that dieters who completely eliminate treats such as chocolate, wine and biscuits are often more likely to put on weight as they ‘compensate’ by eating more of other foods.

They concluded that this was likely to be due to the fact that cocoa contains antioxidants called polyphenols, also found in red wine, which prevent the oxidation of harmful cholesterol.
Antioxidants are also known to protect against cancer


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... z2hfrQWJJf
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

I have had a good relationship with chocolate from a very early age and since starting 5:2,because I am eating more healthily the chocolate cravings have gone. I have a tin of cocoa powder and have 1tsp and that seems to satisfy an immediate need which happens less often now. Sometimes I also eat 1tbs sultanas with the cocoa powder and pretend I am eating chocolate covered raisins. Also saving lots of money as I used to buy a stack of candy bars each month. Cocoa powder is very nutritional, low in calories and makes me feel good.

@Tara, I found this a long time ago (tongue firmly in cheek):

Chocolate is a Vegetable

Chocolate is derived from cacao beans. Bean = vegetable. Sugar is derived from either sugar CANE or sugar BEETS. Both are plants, which places them in the vegetable category. Thus, chocolate is a vegetable.

To go one step further, chocolate candy bars also contain milk, which is dairy. So candy bars are a health food.

Here are a few other "observations" about chocolate:

Chocolate-covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

The problem: How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car. The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite, and you'll eat less.

If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves. (We're testing this with other snack foods as well.)

If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate, is that a balanced diet? Don't they actually counteract each other?

Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger. Therefore, you need to eat more chocolate.

Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Now, isn't that handy?

If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?

If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An entire garment industry would be devastated. You can't let that happen, can you?

Anyone tried raw cacao ? It takes a bit of getting used to ( v dry in the mouth) but it has v high level of antioxidants.

I really want to like dark chocolate because I know it's good for me but I don't (except After Eights and Fry's Peppermint Cream). I do however, love milk chocolate in all its badness and at one time ate the stuff every day. No longer, since 5 2 ness. Sad, really.

I did a full month with no chocolate in any shape or form. I can now take it or leave it. It is a miracle as I used to be able to eat a whole pack of Mars bars in one sitting. I don't generally like dark chocolate but may try a little.

rawkaren wrote: Anyone tried raw cacao ? It takes a bit of getting used to ( v dry in the mouth) but it has v high level of antioxidants.

No but ill look for some. sounds interesting.

debbiejgb, LOL, LOL! So true!Thanks for the laugh!

Enjoyed Debbie's post!!
Yes, I like raw cacao and enjoy the Michel Cluzel 99% and no one else will touch it! I had a chocolate protein shake on my fast day yesterday and put a tablespoon of cocoa powder in (not drinking chocolate). That fixed it!!

Yep. Especially with toffee and sea salt

BTW, I just saw a small article that the price of chocolate may go up due to a not-so-good crop and demand for it! Maybe better stockpile it a bit. Now that I've done 5:2, I don't feel the need to eat it all at once, so it should last a while!

[quote="debbiejgb"]@Tara, I found this a long time ago (tongue firmly in cheek):



If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves. (We're testing this with other snack foods as well.)

They were great thanks Debs...this one made me scream laughing :0))))))
I have high hopes this applies to cake as well x