Will you sell your birth-right for chocolate?

When I think of Valentines Day, I think of red cut-out hearts and....chocolate. "I'm a spiritual soul having a physical experience." That's what I tell myself when I crave chocolate. I love that stuff, but why? All logical, rational thought seems to be expelled from my being when my eyes connect with the substance. Resulting in the complete and total commitment to consume the dark sinfulness and make it's presence known in my system.

It's enough to make you look for Willy Wonka's nearest factory.

A while ago I was in line at the natural food super-market waiting to check-out. There was a really old lady in front of me waiting to buy a large quantity of chocolate bars contained in her cart. I was curious why she was buying so much. As she got to the counter to purchase her choco, the checker behind the counter asked her if she was getting ready for a party with all that chocolate! Her reply... "They said on the evening news that chocolate is good for your health." My jaw dropped. True story.

It's interesting that even researchers try to develop studies that suggest chocolate is necessary for health. Only one problem: Much of the research has been sponsored by Mars, the folks who brought us M&Ms, and Snickers. Almost any time you speak to a chocolate "expert," you're talking with someone who has cashed a few checks from Mars. Any research can be done to prove anything we want (for the most part). I believe that any unhealthy person can eat something that's just as unhealthy, but slightly better than their current state and find that somehow its beneficial in some twisted way.

And of course, don't be misled into thinking that chocolate is a health food. It's not. Chocolate, brimming with fat, is something you should learn to savor in small pieces. No one should add calories to their diet and sugar to their system by eating more chocolate. The secret is that Chocolate, which is laden with sugar and caffeine is NOT good for you. Cocoa in it's raw form, however, have antioxidants which contain flavanols that are extremely beneficial to ones health. This is what the researchers use to prove that chocolate is healthy for us, but they use the word chocolate, rather than the word cocoa. No sane person is going to crave cocoa in its raw form. Not so yummy.

For Valentine's Day, I've settled on the perfect menu. We'll start with a small cup of black-bean soup, then have a kale salad with fresh orange wedges and sliced almonds, organic long-grain brown rice with steamed broccoli and lean chicken, and a nice tall glass of water. After dinner, I'll pour another glass of water and reach for a box of...

When you give food power, it has power over you.

Don't sell your birth-right for chocolate, a healthy body IS your birth-right.

What will you munch on to celebrate this Valentines?!