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I’m not going to tell you chocolate is bad for you. Because it’s not. Chocolate in moderation can be healthful. But if you’re like me and a mere glance at a chocolate bar has the effect of packing on the pounds, then you’ve got to strategize and be creative. You can have your chocolate and eat it too, all you have to do is dump the high-fat part of the chocolate package.
To do this you need to get an idea of fat grams. It’s recommended that the average woman take in a total of 65 grams of fat a day, and the average man 90 grams. Most people take in these amounts from their three meals a day. So if you also snack on high-fat potato chips and chocolate bars, it’s likely you’re taking in more than the recommended amount of fat. As a result, you’ll probably find that it’s hard to maintain a healthy weight.
How much fat in that chocolate treat? Harriet Roth’s Fat Counter Handbook breaks it down:
Chocolate coated almonds, 1 oz, 10.6 grams of fat
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, 1 oz, 8.8 grams of fat
M&Ms, plain, 1 oz, 6 grams of fat
Peppermint Patties, 1 oz, 2.6 grams of fat
By looking at the different fat grams in each, its apparent that all chocolate treats are not created equally high in fat. Add a few nuts and the fat levels escalate. Add some cool peppermint filling and the fat grams drop. So if you’re just dying for a store bought chocolate bar, check the labels and go for the lower fat option. This is strategy number one.
Strategy number two, check out other chocolate products. Many chocolate ice cream syrups have no-fat or are low-fat. Same for the syrups you add to milk. Nestle’s Chocolate Quik has only 0.5 grams of fat per 2 tablespoons. Most hot chocolate mixes are low in fat, as well, as would be homemade hot cocoa with low-fat milk.
Strategy three involves reorganizing your recipes. Take those owie zowie high fat recipes and throw them out on their keesters (or modify them, using low fat ingredients). Then do a search and find some great new recipes. Here’s one from the book Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Recipes.
1 cup unbleached white flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 ounce unsweetened backing chocolate
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8 x 11 baking pan with a light coating of cooking spray or oil. Sift together the first five ingredients and set aside. On medium-low heat, melt the chocolate and oil in a saucepan. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in corn syrup and applesauce. Add the brown sugar and vanilla. Beat with a mixer or by hand for about 2 minutes, until creamy. Add the egg and egg white and beat for another minute or so, until smooth. Fold in the sifted dry ingredients until just mixed, then pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Makes 12 brownies. One 2-oz serving has 6.7 grams of fat.
And strategy four is to use, instead, those surprisingly low-fat desserts, such as angel food cake, which has no fat at all. Ice up the cake with a low-fat or no-fat whipped cream and chocolate syrup and you have chocolatey cake that’s not going to pack on the pounds. You’re still getting the carbohydrates though, so don’t eat more than a serving and diabetics beware! But compare a slice of this minimal-fat Chocolate Iced Angel Food Cake to a slice of Pillsbury Moist Supreme Chocolate cake (mix) with chocolate icing at 17 grams of fat and you can see what a difference this simple switch will make to your padded areas.
A healthy lifestyle is not about denying yourself the things you love most. It’s about strategizing, so you can be happy living with your choices and with the health effects of your choices. Here’s to the cocoa bean.
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Photo Credit: Dawn Allynn
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