Chocolates For Easter

The treats the kiddies got for Easter are yummy and even some adults like to raid their children's Easter basket (Don't ask me if I did). But now it seems that chocolate Bunny rabbits or chocolate easter eggs just isn't symbolic enough of the Easter holiday. This Easter kids might have gotten the latest in chocolate Easter treats- the chocolate cross.
That's right, the symbol of Easter that sits atop church steeples, dangles from the neck and hangs on walls was also in the kids Easter Basket. Even Jane got a chocolate cross this year, but she declared that she feels "strange eating a cross" and it sits on view in our living room, instead of being in her tummy. Russell Stover Candies (one of my favorite chocolate companies) sold the chocolate cross in about 5000 of it's stores nation wide.
But as one might imagine, some Christians are not happy about making an eatable religious symbol. It seems that some in the church are unhappy. "The cross should be venerated, not eaten, nor tossed casually in an Easter basket beside the jelly beans and marshmallow peeps," said one opponent to the chocolate cross, Joseph McAleer, a spokes person for the Catholic diocese in Bridgeport, Connecticut. is this a good idea or not? Would you eat it? I would, But I think I draw the line on an edible chocolate Jesus. That should be too much for even the most addicted chocoholic.
Just in time for the post Easter chocolate candy treat moments, whether chocolate crosses or anything else chocolate. A new study shows that eating dark chocolate every day will both lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of developing diabetes. The diabetes effect is because the dark chocolate (not white chocolate) improves insulin sensitivity in healthy people. Insulin sensitivity is a major risk factor in diabetes. The study, which appears in the March issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was conducted by several doctors at the University of Cologne, Germany.
It compared the effects of adding 100 grams of dark chocolate or 90 grams of white chocolate to the normal diets of 15 people, for a per a period of 15 days. Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids (they help process glucose and reduce blood pressure) because of their high cocoa content. White chocolate contains no cocoa, and therefore, no flavonoids.
Researchers found that blood sugar metabolism was significantly improved by those who ate the dark chocolate, while no effect was shown with the white chocolate eaters. The dark chocolate eaters also had significantly lower blood pressure. This correlates with other foods, such as tea and wine, that have high flavonoid contents. So grab a chocolate bar or two, a bottle of wine and get healthy.
Bottoms up!