I eat chocolate when I’m happy, sad or pretty much whenever I can get my hands on it. Some experts seem to think this could mean I’m depressed. (Which I don’t understand – -chocolate makes me so happy! Well, that is until I realize how much I’ve eaten … then it makes me sad. Really, really sad.)

A recent study screened nearly 1,000 people for depression. Those who screened positive ate a little more than 8 servings of chocolate a month. (That it?!) People who weren’t depressed consumed only about 5 servings a month. And those who were the most moodiest (a word?), ate nearly 12 servings of chocolate a month. (That’s it?! God, I’d hate to find out how depressed I am!)

Researchers don’t really know why chocolate and depression are linked, but they think it might be that depression stimulates chocolate cravings as a form of self-medication, since it releases chemicals in the brain that produce feelings of pleasure. But chocolate isn’t a long-term solution, experts say, and it may eve leave you feeling worse than before.

Another theory is that chocolate contributes to depression or that stress drives both depression and chocolate cravings.

"It's unlikely that chocolate makes people depressed," said Marcia Levin Pelchat, a psychologist who studies food cravings. "Most people believe the beneficial effects of chocolate are on mood and that they are learned. You eat chocolate; it makes you feel good.”

So, either way, if chocolate makes you happy, chow down! But if you find that you’ve been glum, try ditching the dark stuff. (You might even lose weight in the process!)

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Labels: chocolate, mood

So you OD’d on Easter and you’re ready to drown your sorrows in a vat of chocolate. Don’t let that bunny get the best of you. One day of overeating won’t ruin the rest of your life unless you let it.

For the record, I have a problem with chocolate. (I believe I’ve covered this topic before.) So in order for me to stay on track, I need to get that dark force out of my house. Here are some things I’ve tried.

Freeze it
Chances are you’ll forget you put it in there. Also – when you do want a piece of chocolate, the frozen piece will take longer to melt in your mouth, so you won’t be able to scarf down mounds of chocolates in minutes.

Toss it
That’s right. It’s wasteful. But would you rather store it in your hips? Sometimes you just have to throw the chocolate out. In fact, take that trash to the dumpster right now because in a fit of chocolate haze, I wouldn’t put it past myself to dig through the trash bag for a morsel of chocolate. Don’t look at me that way … you know you would, too, if no one was looking.

Donate it
To a worthy cause. Like your skinny coworkers.

Cook it
Chop up that evil chocolate bunny and make chocolate chip cookies or add them to this Banana nut muffin recipe.



What do you do with your leftover chocolate?

Labels: chocolate, Easter bunny, healthy recipe

So I was delighted to find out the evil Easter Bunny isn’t all that bad. According to a recent study, he’s got our hearts in mind when he fills our baskets with bon bons.

German researchers have found that a bit of chocolate every day may lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke by 40%. They believe flavonols in the chocolate help the muscles in blood vessels widen, which lowers blood pressure.

The key here is “a bit” of chocolate – 6 grams to be exact.

How many grams are in a Cadbury Creme Egg? Or three. Just asking. Not for myself, or anything.

But thankfully these “experts” have also warned us that eating large amounts of chocolate could lead to weight gain.*

"This is not a prescription to eat more chocolate," said Dr. Robert Eckel, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado. Bugger. Eckel knows me too well.

Labels: chocolate, Easter, Easter bunny, health