How much chocolate is too much?

This week, many of us will be out shopping for Easter.

With that in mind, I asked myself about how much chocolate I should have in the house. There’s something so appealing about these fabulous chocolate creations, wrapped and boxed to temp and entice us! The magic of a shell that opens and colourful, tasty treats spill out. And it’s seasonal, isn’t it? So it’s not so bad. It’s not like we’re eating chocolate eggs and bunnies all year.

Our attitude to chocolate is changing.

Now I love chocolate as much as the next person, possibly more! This week, I picked up three different well-known products from supermarkets. But now I’m looking at the wrappers, I’m wishing I hadn’t! For the first time, I’ve noticed that one brand, Nestlé, has added a clear health warning to the box. This is alarming, but at the same time it’s responsible. It clearly states that in one day I should only eat 1/8 of the egg. And that portion size is for an adult, not a child. The box states, “portions should be adjusted for children of different ages.”

Nestlé’s health warning puts the chocolate egg in the same category as cigarette packets back in the 1970’s! What will it say on a chocolate egg box in 50 years time? Perhaps it will not take so long for chocolate and other sweets to be wrapped in white paper only, and stocked in a locked, plain cabinet.

More likely, the eggs we buy now will be replaced by healthier options.

Out shopping this week, we should choose carefully and buy less. Take time to read the nutritional information on the packet to decide how much chocolate to buy. The three packets I have vary from 50g of sugar per100g to 61.7g per 100g. They are all milk chocolate. Perhaps I should have picked up some organic dark chocolate, even though it’s expensive and I don’t like it quite so much.

Or, for the egg hunt and table surprises, I could spend a little more time, be creative and control portion sizes. Any small things with a chick, bunny or egg theme would do!

How much chocolate can I do without?

Here are just a few ideas:

• decorate real eggs (by far the healthier choice!)
• break up bars of chocolate in portion sizes and wrap them prettily
• pick stickers, note pads, erasers, even soap as gifts
• cute little toys of finger puppets are fun
• carrot and cucumber sticks look colourful  in a glass
• use the bunny shaped biscuit cutter to make cheese biscuits, rather than chocolate chip cookies
• make or buy paper mache eggs

Further reading:

• Children and tooth decay
• Sweet treats?
• Getting Five a Day?
• external link to Country Living – ideas for Easter

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