Composed of cocoa mass, cocoa butter (the natural fat from the cocoa bean) and added sugar, chocolate is the epitome of comfort food. From a chemical standpoint, it is the pinnacle of pleasure. Because it melts at room temperature, cocoa butter enables the intensely satisfying “melt in your mouth” sensation. Chocolate has also proven to interact with numerous neurotransmitter systems, including dopamine, serotonin and endorphins. Serotonin helps stabilize mood and communicate a feeling of calm to the brain, while endorphins create feelings of euphoria and can function similar to painkillers. Dopamine, on the other hand, is naturally present in the brain, and when combined with the phenylethylamine in chocolate, acts as an anti-depressant. Unite these ingredients in a small dark square and out comes a chocolate ecstasy.
However, after the serotonin spike settles down and the last remnants of the rich, creamy goodness slowly dissolve, what often remains is an unsettling and all-too-familiar feeling of regret. America’s reaction to the dynamic relationship between cravings and guilt has been to modify products in order to maximize the ability to fulfill cravings while minimizing guilt. In response to the American health craze and increased nutritional awareness, companies have created low-fat, reduced-sugar versions of the most popular chocolate treats. Marketers are attempting to transform the perception of chocolate from a rich delicacy to an everyday indulgence — from fearfully fattening to liberatingly light. For example, Edy’s famous Chocolate Fudge ice cream comes in a fat free, no sugar added version… but what’s chocolate without fat and sugar? In a similar fashion, Jell-O’s Mousse Temptations are conveniently sugar-free and only 60 calories. Nevertheless, the greatest irony lies in the very name: Chocolate Indulgence…because 60 calories is really splurging.
By depriving chocolate of the two very substances which make it physiologically effective, companies are in fact further contributing to a less healthy America. Blame biology because in times of emotional stress and heightened cravings, humans desire fatty, sugary foods. Stripping these elements from chocolate treats in effect sacrifices the food’s ability to satiate. Nonetheless, due to the cultural quandary surrounding chocolate, women turn to “healthier alternatives,” but these products fail to truly satisfy cravings. Thus, consumers are left feeling unsatisfied and often ashamed. The result: overeating, and even worse, emotional eating.
So, what is one to do? As John Heywood once said, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” Chocolate substitutes may claim it’s possible, and most consumers will fall into the rhetorical ruse of comfort food—however, none have said it better than Heywood himself. While chocolate provides its own hedonistic reward by satisfying cravings, pseudo-chocolate does not. Therefore, when it’s 9:00 p.m. and the impulse strikes for that special treat, rather than reaching for the “healthy” alternative which will only leave you feeling more unsatisfied, allow yourself to indulge in the real thing (in moderation, of course). One brownie for dessert will not result in instant thunder-thighs, but the danger of food restriction combined with the inability to truly satiate will eventually feed into the vicious cycle of emotional overeating… and that guarantees a gargantuan gut!