Excerpts from Ellen Byron and Tanya Rivero discussing “When Is It OK to Eat Chocolate?” (along with DK’s reality check):
- Really, it is OK to eat chocolate if it’s the fancy stuff. That’s what we’re telling ourselves. (DK: Not sure I’m telling myself exactly this…I am repeating, “it’s ok, DK, it’s ok, go ahead. It’s ok to eat 4 pieces in one sitting.)
- Nearly half of chocolate eaters say they look for premium ingredients…they say that’s their health-permissibility factor. (DK: More health research that will be overturned in 10 years. Margarine over butter anyone?)
- There’s no point in going to a gym and then downing a huge bar of cheap milk chocolate. There’s every point in going to a gym and then downing a small portion of a nice, deep chocolate. (DK: Come on. There’s every point in downing a huge bar of any kind of chocolate and then ‘thinking’ about going to the gym.)
- Offering portion control also helps chocolate eaters feel good… (DK: Who feels good with portion control? Who? Introduce me to that human.)
- Lindt’s Excellence bars, which are wrapped in foil and white cardboard, are designed for a “ritualistic” experience. “Consumers take care to rip the foil gently, then break a square off, then roll the foil back up…It’s meant to withstand that type of consumption where you might eat one square or two squares a day. (DK: Ritualistic? Yes, like Human Sacrifice. One or two squares a day? Laughable.)
- New $7 chocolate bars from Godiva have indented squares that fit a thumb so eaters can snap off one bite at a time. ‘People love to have a bar of chocolate tucked away in their brief case, backpack or purse. (DK: Who can keep chocolate tucked away for more than three minutes anywhere, and especially in a brief case or purse? Who? As to indented squares to enable portion control? Ha! That’s just for better gripping a $7 Godiva morsel so it doesn’t hit the ground while you are shoveling…)
- The relatively small amount of sugar in a piece of premium chocolate from Godiva doesn’t worry consumers the way other sweets might. “Having a small bit of chocolate isn’t the thing that’s going to kill you.” (DK: Totally right. Expensive Godiva Chocolate is totally exempt from the ills of sugar addiction – absolutely!)
- Ms. Choma avoids buying large bars for her daily chocolate treat, fearing she’ll eat too much in one sitting. Instead (she) keeps individually wrapped chocolate truffles in her pantry. “It’s just the right size, so you don’t feel guilty,” she says. She’s mindful of antioxidants and other health benefits of chocolate, but mostly focuses on how much she likes the taste. “That’s my brain benefit,” she says. (DK: There’s a lot to digest here. But let’s just jump on the close. Antioxidants? Goobledygook. Brain benefit? Ho! Really?!?)
- “We see people looking for little rewards all the time.” (DK: And we deserve it!)
Photo: Joann Hofer from XchocolArt in Carmel, Indiana with Blueberry Truffle Christmas Gift Organic Chocolate made with Blueberries, cream and luscious chocolate. (Source: Etsy.com)
Live & Learn 
Personally, I a, drawn more to,your comments than theirs..and to you I say, “yes, yes, yes”..😉
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Yes!
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damn straight.
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Interesting, I can’t seem to rationalise chocolate consumption at all. In the supermarket I sometimes collide with the chocolate display and have to veer off in another direction immediately. Not possible to even think about it. Good to read this, it helps me to see how hopeless I am 🙂 and the need to focus a bit more on what’s going on in my head…
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Laughing. That’s the word for me too Tiramit: Hopeless! Perhaps that a sign to just enjoy it and roll with it! (more rationalization)
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Bad chocolate is like pad poetry, or bad wine.
Hershy’s is not chocolate. I’m ready for the lawsuit to defend chocolate.
Just had coffee, oranges, and 5 Lindt truffles for brrakfast.
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Wow. A Chocolate Snob. That’s quite a breakfast friend. Sweet.
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If I’m going to indulge, it might as well be worth it!
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Your responses are perfect, DK. And what a silly question.
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Good morning Van. So true. Ridiculous. We’re all Human, right? Have to be the same. :)👍
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Chocolate is its own food group. You must eat some everyday, but make it the good stuff so you don’t short change yourself.
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Darlene, you are genius.
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Enjoyed this post! One of my favorite topics to rationalize, my one and only guilty sugar pleasure.
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Just one? Wow. I admire your discipline. 👍
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I wish I could claim that. Chocolate is a compromise to a life-long sugar addiction. And the perfect compromise it is! :0)
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I’m sure I got into the habit of rewarding myself with a chocolate ball after reading so many convincing posts right here. I’m afraid this post might double it to two….
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Laughing. Ah yes, all my fault. But I’m pleased that you get some pleasure out of the habit…:)
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We will not have white Christmas, but a good stash of white chocolate makes well up for it. You see I have lots of additional rationalizations 🙂
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I like it (the white chocolate and the rationalizations)
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I don’t discriminate. M&M or Godiva . . . whatever is available.
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Oh, so me too Maralee, so me too.
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When it comes to chocolate, why be a snob?
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That’s Right!
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Chocolate. I love chocolate. Sigh. 🙂
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I’m with Mimi, pal, your comments were much more fun than the report. I’m a Green & Black, 85% kinda gal myself. http://bit.ly/2i72m1I And just one or two small squares truly does satisfy…
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Of course you stop at one or two. Of Course you do.
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If it’s any consolation, it pisses my husband off, too. 😉
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It’s no consolation Lori. It pisses all of us off. Grrrrr.
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What a photo… I’m sitting at my desk.. desperatly trying not to drool onto class tests :o). Tempation at its best
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Isn’t it incredible? Want.One.Right.Now.
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Me too, me too…
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Thank you for the chocolate chortle today!
Boy … there must be some somewhere around here. Gotta go find some!!
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Go for it Val!
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Found some … then went out for sushi. Life is good 💛
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Good for you!
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You really are an chocoholic Mr K! Enjoy it all without guilt, and then please write about your running in the snow! 😂😂😂
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Easy for some of us to stack up the bad habits and repeat and repeat, and look up in admiration at those of you, so good. 🙂
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Laughing! No, I’m not so good Mr K, but I do enjoy your stories, because we can all relate to these experiences and the same vulnerabilities. 😉
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😜
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I love your comments, David. They’re almost as satisfying as Lindt Excellence Intense Orange (which I have to keep hidden from my hubby). As I carefully unrolled the foil and broke off the first square, I wondered, what does portion control have to do with chocolate?
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Smiling. Thanks Carolann. I have never tried Lindt Excellence Intense Orange. I love orange-anything. I MUST find these! As to portion control – BAH! Like diets, sound great, rarely work. 😀
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Eating chocolates in moderation is always good. Who can say no to it?
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Not me!
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Me too.
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I’m with you, buddy. I gobble the fancy, fru-fru chocolate just as fast as my peanut M&Ms.
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I eat only the chocolate that is slave-labor free.
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