by Annette Bromley

Created on: February 20, 2009   Last Updated: February 22, 2009

CHOCOLATE: The Good and the Bad of it.

CHOCOLATE is the most popular flavor in America if not in the world. You can't make Ganache without dark, rich chocolate and what fun is a winter sliding party without steaming cups of hot chocolate to drink to help you warm up. There is nothing better than a dark, rich chocolate cake, chocolate cream pie, or a box of chocolates with pretty flowers and a fancy bow to make the heart go pitter pat, physically as well as emotionally but like all good things it is only good in moderation. Chocolate, should children be limited in the amount of chocolate they eat? Of course they should and so should all of us. A little chocolate is very good for you but too much is hazardous to your health so children should be limited in the amount of chocolate they are allowed to consume. The fats and sugar in chocolate can lead to obesity which may lead to other problems like heart, lung, kidney and liver problems. A chocolate treat once-in-awhile however is just fine and won't hurt them one bit unless they have other physical conditions that chocolate would have an adverse effect on like diabetes. When we over indulge, too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing.

Chocolate is the product that comes from the bean and nibs within the huge pods that grow on the cacao tree, a large tropical plant. It is an edible plant but not palatable in its natural state being extremely bitter so we ad other things to it to make it taste good. Because it tastes so good it becomes a very desirable food and one that we sometimes say is habit forming. It is not. Here is what happens: The flavor of chocolate is tongue tantalizing to say the least once combined with sugar and other ingredients. All that sugar added to it makes it very tempting to indulge in. It is not the chocolate but the sugar that gives you that feel good feeling, the high, that sense of euphoria as your blood sugar levels rise but it is the flavor that keeps you coming back for more. It tastes good. It tastes very good. Chocolate like other good things should be used in moderation. Chocolate is one of those cases where less is more.

On the other hand, chocolate is actually good for you, a little bit of chocolate. Chocolate is high in antioxidants that help to lower cholesterol which is a good thing. There is as much antioxidant in one ounce of chocolate as there is in a cup of steeped tea, especially the black tea and it also reduces the platelets that bind together to form blood clots in the bloodstream that may lead to stroke or heart attack. The other good news about chocolate is that the primary fat in chocolate is stearic acid which does not elevate the LDL but chocolate also contains fair amounts of other saturated fats that are not healthy for us. One ounce of chocolate on the average contains 150 calories plus ten or more grams of fat as well as small amounts of caffeine and other chemicals that raise the serotonin levels in the brain which cause mood swings (highs and lows) and an over indulgence may cause you to become jittery and nervous. The theobromine, another chemical in the chocolate may irritate the digestive tract in some people causing diarrhea or constipation. It is very harmful to other animals because they can not digest the bromine chemical in it.

Should we limit the amount of chocolate our children have. That would be a good thing and it would be equally wise if you as the parent set a good example by limiting your own consumption of chocolate as well. In the case of chocolate, less is more. So go ahead, have your chocolate treat but don't over indulge. A little goes a long way towards good health but too much can make you sick.

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