A little worse for the wear, I got some Heart Chocolate in the mail the other day. It might look a little broken hearted, but it's a filling, rich, dark chocolate which comes in handy servings wrapped in hyperbole.I'm not saying I disbelieve there could be health benefits, but the label gave me nightmares. It did. It literally gave me nightmares that should come with their own warning labels. (If I would have read them I would have gotten the hell out of there and into somebody else's nightmares. Which I can only hope I am already.)
Since the Heart Chocolate Web site has "Worried About Diabetes?" boldly stamped on their home page, let's start there.
Maybe Heart Chocolate with CM-X is a good choice for people with Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and related cardiovascular conditions, but let's face it, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, or skipping the occasional snack and going for a walk would be better.
But some of us must have our snacks, and many of us must have our chocolate.
Here's what I know: I like the taste and actually find it satisfying. There's a pleasant grainy crunch, and the cocoa flavor fills the gaps in my freshly flossed teeth.
Nutrition Comparison Facts (Valeur nutritive)
Heart Chocolate 14g, 60 Calories/SD Chocolove 30g, 160 Calories
HC 5g Fat/Chocolove 12g Fat
HC 7g Carbs/Chocolove 15g Carbs
HC 0mg Sodium/Chocolove 23mg Sodium
HC 6% Iron/Chocolove 10% Iron
The Strong Dark Chocolove isn't too far off for the serving size, with Heart Chocolate the clear sodium winner. Chocolove's sonnets contain no calories.Heart Chocolate 14g, 60 Calories/SD Chocolove 30g, 160 Calories
HC 5g Fat/Chocolove 12g Fat
HC 7g Carbs/Chocolove 15g Carbs
HC 0mg Sodium/Chocolove 23mg Sodium
HC 6% Iron/Chocolove 10% Iron
Heart Chocolate is made with CM-X, a compound made with extracts of cinnamon and *bitter melon. I don't know what else is in CM-X, but here's why the label could keep you up at night.
In the first place it's in English and French. I know, it's manufactured for Innovative Life Sciences in Toronto, but still. (Am I the only one who assumes all Canadians speak French?)
More strikingly, there's a Warning listed above the Non-Medical and Medicinal Ingredients which says "KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. DO NOT USE IF YOU ARE PREGNANT OR NURSING..." It also says something about consulting with your physician if you take prescription medications. I've never seen this on a bar of Snickers.
Heart Chocolate contains Peruvian balsam, which sounds like something I had at a party during the summer of '77 in a flat near the Mississippi.
Is it the Peruvian balsam, cinnamon, bitter melon, or the enigmatic connection to the cucumber family which compels you to clear the room of children and pregnant women before unwrapping a 60 calorie square?
Just one more bite. Then a carrot and a nice walk in the snow.
Addendum (from Cathy Wong of About.com):
*Bitter melon may decrease blood sugar and insulin levels, so it shouldn't be combined with diabetes medication or any other medication that affects blood sugar unless under a doctor's supervision.
Happy belated V Day! I'm waiting for the ice to thaw off my windshield and then off to get some eggs and hash browns!
ReplyDeleteQuit scaring Roscoe with the snow shovel;)
I'm waiting for more snow to mix with the layers of ice, salt, and sand to create enough traction to get out of the garage.
ReplyDeleteYou're eating the devil's food. Sure sounds good.
Chocolate = the love that never dies. Reading this, for the moment I am glad it doesn't get that cold in Seattle!
ReplyDeleteCakespy, I can't tell you the new depths of horror sending a square of this chocolate to my elderly aunt caused me after I lifted the flap and found those warnings.
ReplyDeleteGet the best chocolate you can afford and learn to love it dark I say.
I'm actually afraid to leave the house right now because I hear it doing "something" and I can't imagine what it is. It sounds like a hail of frozen locusts hitting cracked metal.
Seattle. Sigh.
What an amazing post, Jeanna!
ReplyDelete"KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. DO NOT USE IF YOU ARE PREGNANT OR NURSING" GAH! That's rather...uhhh...SCARY!!!
Barring that minor 'warning', would this be a chocolate that you see yourself purchasing more of in the future? I'm curious. I'm tempted to try it, but then again, you know me and my not wanting to eat things with ingredients that sound like they can kill you ;)
So, now that V-Day is out of the way, it's time to make way for all the Easter chocolate!!! MUUUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! (That was my evil laugh) I can't wait for the Cadbury Mini Eggs to hit the stores! That crunchy candy exterior combined with that milk chocolate inside...*sigh*
Oh, but I'll pass on the Cream Eggs. Those things are nastayyyy! Instant toothache!!
Hey C., more snow coming this way, how about you? Roscoe's mom is headed to Montreal or one of the other four Canadian cities.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't seek it out because people are always pushing sweets on me and this week I've over indulged and feel sick. I rarely buy candy just to eat anymore.
Considering I dreamt I'd killed my aunt with this chocolate—my God, actual death by chocolate— I don't think I'd seek it out. If I was in the mood and it was right in front of me, maybe I'd buy it.
Easter chocolate, now that's a different story all together.
Wow! Why is Roscoe's mom going to Canada? That's cool :)
ReplyDeleteThe body of water behind Hubby in that pic on my last post is Lake Huron. We were at Cater Bay (the beach where we got married). We often bring our nieces and my students there to go swimming and hang out on the beach. When we don't have the kids with us, we often go back to Carter Bay to go for walks at sunset and revisit the early days of our courtship. LOL! *gag* Sappy, eh? My mom thinks we're crazy. She says it looks like we're still newlyweds even though we're going onto our 2nd anniversary in June.
P.S. Let me just clarify the part about going to the beach. We go there in the summer to swim! LOL! It's covered in snow and ice at the moment! Summers are stinkin' hot here, but winters are cool...errr...cold.
ReplyDeleteHey C.,
ReplyDeleteRoscoe's step dad (I'm getting carried away with these analogies) said you lived on Lake Huron as he was tracking Roscoe's mom and brother's route last night. He claims you can drive in Canada for 100s of miles without a turn or sign of humanity.
Huron is swimmable? Lake Michigan is more like a brief dip and some splashing about. It must be a more tolerable temp if it can freeze over.
Why not take advantage of the newlywed feeling as long as you can.
I thought of you today, it crossed my mind that maybe you mentioned the candy place in the Dells for a reason. We passed through today and ate at Famous Dave's :) and I thought about hopping across the street but I was freezing, didn't know what I'd say, so I didn't. Would you have been there?
ReplyDeleteomg...it's good for type two diabetes?? And it comes with a warning label (don't eat this??). It's not chocolate, but it's almost time for peeps...:)
ReplyDeleteHey, Jeanna!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes! The water Carter Bay is perfect for swimming. The water is a turquoise/aqua colour and the beach is a white sand beach. So pretty and the water is so refreshing, clean, clear and just perfect! In July and August, the water is warm (not HOT, but not cold). It's just right for swimming. Not all of Lake Huron is like this though. Carter Bay is sort of sheltered since it's a Bay. The water isn't freezing there! I've gone to other parts of Lake Huron and it was like swimming in a pool full of ice cubes! Luckily, where we are, the water is just right! I can spend hours and hours at the beach in the summer! I take my students swimming almost 7 days a week in the summer! LOL! They love it!
Hey Lisa, how's the bird count going? I mentioned The Candy Corner because I talked about it in one of my first articles after I hadn't written in awhile, and the owner is so enthusiastic. One of the reasons I started a candy blog. I have been wanting to see the new carnival food section, but no, I wouldn't have been there. I really don't need to be around all that fudge.
ReplyDeleteI've seen some cute Valentine's Peeps, Jodi, and as you know, all that stuff is on sale. Yeah, that stuff tastes good, but what the hell?
ReplyDeleteHey C., don't tease me like that, I'm having water dreams again because I haven't been able to go swimming for almost a month. I'm trying to remember if I've ever seen such pristine waters. Back in the 80s, somewhere near Minocqua I think.
ReplyDeleteThere was one place outside of Milwaukee I used to take the kids to where the lake was so cold the beach was covered in fog. And I think Lake Michigan has big problems.
You're living in paradise, aren't you?