CHOCOLATE!

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When we were growing up in the 50's and 60's we were taught there were four food groups.  My husband maintains to this day that all the experts were wrong and that there are actually 5 food groups -  dairy, grains, fruits and veggies, proteins and CHOCOLATE!  Some recent studies are backing him up.

As a pediatrician I routinely advise others on how to feed their children.  I also know that my advice is just that:  advice.  Some of it is followed, and some of it is not.  When it comes to raising my own child, however, I feel strongly that my opinion should not be dismissed out of hand and there needs to be some discussion if my food "rules" are not going to be followed.

For many years, the pediatric party line was not to give a baby foods that were likely to cause allergies until after their first birthday; and more recently if you had a highly allergic child you should avoid the most allergic ones until the age of two.  Chocolate was one of those foods to avoid only until one year of age.  Allergies are rampant on both sides of the family.  Because of this, I did not want chocolate given to my daughter before the age of 1.  I do not think of it as a necessary food group.  At my daughter's first birthday I found out that she had been eating chocolate since 6 months of age.  My husband thought that chocolate chips made a "perfect" finger food.  I was not happy.

 In Dec, 2010, the recommendations about allergy foods changed.  Chocolate, as well as all fruits and vegetables, are no longer listed as allergy foods  to avoid.  And there seems to be no benefit to avoiding any allergy foods past 6 months of age.  One of my basic food beliefs has been challenged.  But I've looked at the studies, and they are good.  I am used to reading the literature and learning new things but rarely do I have to change my whole way of looking at a subject.  That is what has happened with my advice on allergy foods.  It is always difficult to change what one has done for years and recommend something different.   Yet, I always try to put it in perspective by thinking about leeches and how doctors of yesteryear would be amazed if they so how I practiced medicine.  So I now have to eat crow and state that there was no harm done that my daughter got chocolate from an early age.  I still, however, do not believe that chocolate is a basic food group and that babies should use it as a finger food!

There are some interesting studies about chocolate as a health food.  First thing to remember is that chocolate is made from the seeds of the fruit of the cacao tree.  Gram for gram, the antioxidant content of cacao bean powder is higher than acai, blueberry or cranberry powder.  Thus, it can be classified as a "super fruit".  It looks like a daily consumption of a small amount (1 oz) of dark chocolate decreases the risk of inflammation which is associated with many diseases, including heart disease.  It also decreases high blood pressure as well as helps insulin resistance in pre-diabetics.   It improves mood (no great surprise there), but also helps mental processing during sustained intellectual effort.  I particularly like that last finding.  To make standardized testing something that my daughter would look forward to (!), we would always give her dark (her preference) chocolate bars to have during the breaks between tests.  We felt that they gave her a "boost" of energy and helped her concentrate.  I loved finding a study that supported our unscientific beliefs.

There can be too much of a good thing.  And this can happen with chocolate.  As Easter approaches, a holiday that places an undue commercial emphasis on chocolate, it is everything else that is added to the dark chocolate that takes away its label as a health food and gets it into the unhealthy column.  There are many things that you can do with chocolate to keep it in the good column.  Eat small amounts.  Make sure it is dark.  Drink it as cocoa without the excess sugar.  And here is a recipe:

                                CHOCOLATE-COVERED
                                     STRAWBERRIES

Ingredients:  strawberries, molding chocolate.
Melt chocolate over double boiler.  Dip strawberries.  Let dry on parchment paper (or waxed paper).  Eat.

One of the most elegant and easy desserts to make.  I use 70% dark chocolate.   If you are going to any functions you can bring these and actually feel virtuous!