Hooked On the Weightloss Shake

I’m not much for junk food candy bars. It’s a rather brutish way to get a chocolate fix. But I do like to keep up with what the major chocolate companies are doing. I always take an interest in Hershey’s new endeavors, or what candy or drink Nestle has altered to market as their own.

Well, it seems the manufacturers are finally catching on.

More and more these days I notice classic candy bars are coming in “Dark Chocolate” flavors. Milky Way, Twix, Kit Kat, and even the original Snickers bar all come in dark varieties. Of course, the Snickers bar isn’t a chocolate bar as much as a nouget and peanut bar coated in a thin layer of chocolate. Nevertheless, this new “dark trend” is certainly a step in the right direction.

And finally, I found several new sites, many a good health blog, and even something about the damage control master formula. Also, if you’re looking for how to deal with stress, this site should help you out.

When I first began with my chocolate obsession, I think many boxes of Godiva chocolates were involved. I had to drive thirty miles to get to the store, but there was a cute sales woman, and they always had at least one free sample. For a couple years I swore by Godiva.

Now I can barely eat them. Once your pallet tunes in with the intricate flavors of cocoa, it’s hard not to see Godiva as the Nestle Crunch of the truffle world. Admittedly there’s much worse out there, and it’s the sentiment that counts, but please don’t buy me Godiva.

I went into a Godiva store the other day just to make sure I was correct. I bought a sample of 8. I pure dark chocolate truffle, one of the holiday specials (egg nog I believe, bad mistake), a caramel, and a few others. The caramel was downright mediocre. The temperature at which the chocolates had been made, caused enough seperation between shell and filling to leave a chalky taste in my mouth. Now, I’m sure these chocolates are very fine and worth the money to many people, but all in all, I’d rather eat fish.

Actually, I really WOULD rather eat fish. Fish oil is one of the best suppements out there (not including the essentials, we’re talking about vitamins now). Omega 3 benefits include everything from brain to heart health. There’s enough omega 3 benefits in one fish to beat the pants off the antioxidants of a whole box of chocolates (unfortunately). I’d also suggest the damage control master formula as a Christmas gift while we’re at it. You can never have too much health.

If you’ve read my previous entries, you’ve probably noticed that I’m something of a chocoholic (cocoa connosoier is the polite term). I eat chocolate almost every day of my life. It’s what I do, it’s what I like. Some people watch television, I taste chocolate.

I have one strict acception, though.

I never eat chocolate on Thanksgiving.

Many people believe this is weird. Thanksgiving is the feasting holiday, it is all about eating, and why not eat the thing you love most?

I’ll tell you why: Eating chocolate is a ritual for me. I cleanse my palate beforehand. I take a moment to relax. I often research the chocolate I’m about to try. Eating the actual bar is the fieldwork of passionate research for me, I have never considered my cocoa affinity to be part of feastery.

Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is all about quantity. It is about the plenty, not the acute. The food may be good, but what’s important is that it is en masse and that we eat as much and as often as our neighbors and family. It is a day when gorging is okay. The rest of the year, such a feast might be repulsive, but not when we are giving thanks for….well for being alive I guess, maybe for living in such times when we can afford such feasts and such friendly company. But I refuse to associate my taste for chocolate with such overabundant and joyous gluttany. Besides, I’ve got 364 other days for cocoa, I’ll live without for just one day.

If you’re planning on filling your belly for Thanksgiving, you might want to get a head start on being healthy beforehand, so take a look at these links as somewhere to begin. The vitamin shop is another health blog, and damage control master formula is a new squidoo page about a multivitamin.