A few weeks ago, life was a little worrying. There I was, watching CNN over breakfast one morning, when I nearly choked on my cornflakes. Apparently, a drought in West Africa, political unrest along the Ivory Coast and a rising consumer demand for darker chocolate were all contributing to an international chocolate shortage. The 3 billion tonnes of cocoa normally produced annually by cocoa farmers worldwide were under threat. Not only was there a shortage of cocoa, but now the cost was rising dramatically — in fact the price had risen by 44 percent in just over 12 months.

A potential rise in the cost of chocolate didn’t bother me so much - after all, there are a lot of things I can do without (even shoes) if budgeting for rocketing chocolate prices becomes necessary. What worried me most, was the possibility of chocolate supplies running out.

However, fortunately, after only one or two sleepless nights, I realised that this was all just a big mistake. There’d obviously been a misunderstanding between CNN and Reuters, thank god! Because the shortage in chocolate supplies wasn’t due to drought, political unrest or consumer preference— it was actually because over half the world’s chocolate stocks had been bought up by the Phoenix. In fact, this Easter, packed in from floor to ceiling, balanced on top of shampoo bottles and tucked behind the cotton buds, are a mesmerising number of Cadbury’s Cream Eggs, Kinder Surprises and Russell Stover chocolate rabbits.

So with a huge sigh of relief, I’ve come to the realisation that the chances of a chocolate shortage in Bermuda range from slim to none. Even better, the health benefits of chocolate have also recently hit the news again. Good news for me, as being a chocolate-loving nutritionist is slightly dodgy ground.

The feel-good factor of chocolate, especially cocoa-rich dark chocolate, has long been documented. It occurs because chocolate melts at 97 degrees, just below body temperature, exciting the taste buds. As this happens, endorphins are released from the brain, making us feel good. In addition, chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a substance that triggers a feeling similar to “falling in love” and further, chocolate also contains anadamide, which excites receptors in the brain, in a similar fashion to other addictive substances. So if you wanted confirmation that chocolate can actually be addictive, there you have it— but I have wandered off the point.

Clearly, if you are so addicted to chocolate that you eat Dairy Milk for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it’s not going to be good for you. However, aside from the feel-good factor (which is arguably healthy in itself) there is increasing evidence that a moderate chocolate intake>can actually be healthy.

It’s true that chocolate is high in saturated fat, however one-third of that fat comes from something called stearic acid. Although stearic acid is technically saturated fat, unlike other saturated fats, it does not raise bad LDL cholesterol. Stearic acid is instead converted in the liver to heart-healthy oleic acid. In addition, another third of chocolate’s total fat comes from oleic acid itself.

In fact, in a recent study quoted by the Yale New Haven Hospital, volunteers followed a diet where the majority of their fat calories came either from chocolate or from butter. The results? Volunteers who consumed the chocolate fat did not show an increase in their cholesterol levels, whilst those who ate the butterfat developed elevated, bad, LDL cholesterol.

To top it all off, my new-found hero, Norman Hollenberg (Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School) has recently identified the powerful antioxidant capability of a flavanol in cocoa called epicatechin. This is not a new concept — it’s been known for some time that cocoa contains phenols, the same type of antioxidants found in red wine. However, when studying the Kuna people in Panama (who drink up to 40 cups of cocoa a week), he found that their risk of 4 of the 5 most common killer diseases (stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes) was reduced to less than 10 percent. Further research led Hollenberg to identify the protective compound as epicatechin.

But does all this give you a license to sprinkle M&Ms on your cereal? Not quite. Although dark chocolate has become increasingly popular, most chocolate — especially at Easter — is milk chocolate. The problem with this is two-fold: milk chocolate has both a high sugar content and a fairly low cocoa content. It’s crucial to remember here that excess sugar in the bloodstream can be stored in the body as fat. Also, peaks in blood sugar put a heavy demand on the pancreas, which releases insulin. If blood sugar consistently and repeatedly “peaks”, insulin response can become exhausted, leading to the development of type 2 diabetes.

In contrast, dark chocolate has less sugar and a higher cocoa content — this means you will have less to feel guilty about, but you do still need to watch your intake! Fortunately, the higher cocoa content means that it takes less dark chocolate to satisfy a craving, so most people eat smaller portion sizes. Smaller portion sizes are important in order to modify calorie and caffeine intake. Note that the caffeine levels of dark chocolate are fairly low — approximately 10mg for an average chocolate compared to 100mg in a cup of coffee — but it’s probably still enough to disrupt blood sugar levels.

There are two tricks to maintaining a healthy relationship with chocolate. The first is to try and choose smaller portions of dark chocolate over larger portions of milk chocolate, and the second is never, ever eat chocolate when you are hungry. If you are hungry when you reach for a chocolate bar, you will eat the whole thing and probably still want more. However, if you are already full, then just a little tends to go a long way. If you’re new to dark chocolate then try out some of the following brands, all of which are delicious: Lindt 75% and 85% (Miles), Godiva/Valrhona dark chocolate (Miles), Endangered Species Animal Bars (Lindos, Down to Earth), Green & Black’s dark chocolate (Supermart) and Bloomsbury dark chocolate (Miles.)

So it’s clear that in moderation, dark chocolate can form part of a healthy diet. However, Easter is hardly a time of moderation - especially for kids. It’s also quite tricky to get kids eating dark chocolate as it tends to be more bitter, and more of an acquired taste. The answer here probably lies in compromise.

If you can’t persuade your child to eat dark chocolate, then one of the best things you can do is try and cut back on total milk chocolate intake, whilst not cutting back on the fun. One of the best ways to do this is to organise an Easter Egg hunt. Easter Egg hunts have the advantage of getting your child outdoors, exercising. It’s amazing how fast kids will run when they are looking for chocolate! You can also use the plastic Dudley’s Filler Eggs to dilute the calorific value of the day.

The Annex at the Phoenix have huge bins full of colourful plastic filler eggs. The great thing about these, is that you can stuff half of them with small chocolate Easter eggs, and the other half with toys. It’s easy to find small chocolate eggs and toys to stuff the eggs with, but here are some ideas in case you get stuck.

Following the holiday, I’ll be back next Friday as usual with a column about Agave Syrup, a great low G.I. sweetener. That is unless I run off and join the Kuna people, which is fairly tempting!Children’s Easter Egg Hunt:

You will need (per child):

[bul] 6 plastic filler eggs (The Annex at the Phoenix in town.)

[bul] 1 Kinder Surprise ( |0xbd| chocolate, |0xbd| toy)

[bul] 1 tube small chocolate eggs e.g. Cream Eggs, Mini Eggs, Small Lindor Eggs

[bul] 3 small toys e.g. soft toys, stickers, key chains, glitter putty, lip gloss, toy cars.

All you need to do:

[bul] Stuff the eggs, dividing the tube of chocolate eggs betwee plastic filler eggs

[bul] Hide the eggs in the garden, or outdoors in a big open space e.g. the Botanical Gardens

[bul] Unleash your kids!

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted at 291 4725 or clinicalnutrition[AT]gmail.com