If there is one food people are emotional about it's chocolate. We love it, want it, crave it, fear it. Thoughts of chocolate evoke tender feelings of comfort and self-pampering. We associate chocolate with happy times and consider it a must-have tonic in times of stress and anxiety. With Valentine's Day next week the store shelves are loaded with the "guilty pleasure." Let's take a look at the latest scientific beliefs and establish the facts before we let chocolate be part of our LivingAfterWLS diet.

Chocolate comes from roasted cacao beans, which are mashed into a thick paste, heated to liquid state and then tempered before being shaped into bars. Sugar and vanilla are added during the mashing phase. The result of this process is cocoa butter, chocolate liquor or cocoa.

The cocoa butter in chocolate is a saturated fat. According to recent studies the body is able to turn the cocoa butter fat into monounsaturated fat in a process similar to pressing olive oil. According to Dr. Andrew Weil chocolate appears to be neutral in regard to cardiovascular health and may actually lower serum cholesterol. In addition it contains strong antioxidant activity, equivalent to that of red wine and green tea.

Dr. David Katz, a nutrition expert with the Yale School of Medicine agrees with Dr. Weil. "There are some unique health benefits in chocolate," said Katz. "These include an array of antioxidants that have been shown to give some protection against cancer. In fact, cocoa has more flavanoids - an important antioxidant - than green tea. It's probably the richest source of flavanoids in our diet," he said.

Is this carte blanche to indulge in chocolate? Probably not. Dr. Katz warned "chocolate will never help you lose weight. While chocolate may be high in nutrients, it is also high in calories. Even a new sugar-free chocolate introduced by Godiva doesn't give people a free pass to go overboard."

What is the best chocolate in respect of our WLS?

From a health standpoint for LivingAfterWLS the best choice is high-quality, plain, dark chocolate. Dr. Weil suggests, "Cheaper brands contain less actual chocolate, often replacing expensive cocoa butter with unhealthful hydrogenated vegetable oils. The first ingredient on a bar of high-quality chocolate should be chocolate (also called chocolate liquor, cacao or cocoa. It should never be sugar."

Quality chocolate will bear a "percent" of cocoa. Bitter baking chocolate is 100% cocoa. Most people enjoy and are satisfied by 70 percent cocoa and 80 percent is too bitter than most people enjoy. Remarkably, most people who enjoy an occasional treat of quality chocolate report being satisfied with a very small one-once serving.

Many health oriented stores carry quality organic chocolate. A commonly available organic chocolate, Dagoba New Moon contains 74% dark chocolate. A one-ounce serving contains 159 calories, 7 grams fat, 13 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams protein, 8 grams sugar and 4 grams fiber.

In comparison, a 1-ounce serving of Hershey's Dark chocolate contains 152 calories, 8.6 grams fat (4.6 grams saturated) 2 grams protein, 17 g grams carbohydrate, 15 grams sugar. And the Hershey's Dark Chocolate is only 35% cocoa, which means the flavanoids, and antioxidants are not dense.

Either choice is a gamble. Considering the fat and sugar content of both examples even one ounce of chocolate is a potential dumping disaster for the gastric bypass patient. For the lap-band patient who doesn't fear dumping the potential to eat more than a one ounce serving is a potential weight-gain disaster.

Dr. Katz said dark chocolate is the best choice because it is rich in fiber, magnesium and antioxidants. Moderation is the key. "It's an indulgence," said Katz. "But if you choose wisely, you can get some health benefits."

Kaye Bailey � 2006 - All Rights Reserved

This delicious and easy chocolate cake dessert is great for the special occasion when you allow yourself a dietary splurge. The recipe, provided by reverse Diabetes from Reader's Digest, is made with sugar. Studies suggest that when eaten in small portions balanced with a meal of proteins and fat, the low amount of sugar in a single serving of desserts such as this will not adversely affect blood sugar levels or have long term detrimental affects on weight management efforts. The key here, and always, is deliberate choice and moderation.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound fresh Bing cherries, pitted and cut in half (1 1/2 cups) or 1 1/2 cups canned unsweetened cherries, drained
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Cream Topping Ingredients:
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons cherry preserves

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350�F and line a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep) with parchment paper. Sift the flour, 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, the cocoa, and salt on a piece of wax paper.

Using an electric mixer on high, beat the egg whites in a clean, grease-free large bowl until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, beat in the remaining 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and the vanilla extract. Continue beating until the egg whites are glossy and smooth, and stand up in stiff peaks.

Sift the flour-cocoa mixture over the egg whites and fold in gently with a wire whisk, just until the flour disappears. Do not overmix. Using a rubber spatula, lift the batter into the pan. Smooth out the surface, mounding it slightly in the center, then sprinkle the cherries evenly over the top of the cake.

Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, about 25 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool slightly.

Sprinkle the cake with the confectioners' sugar before serving. If you wish, blend together all of the cream ingredients and serve each slice of the warm cake with a generous spoonful.

Serves Six. Per serving: 195 calories, 6 g protein, 42 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 143 mg sodium.

Recipe provided by: Compilation � 2010 RDA


LivingAfterWLS Sensible Dessert Recipes

Sweets are a real problem for people who have undergone gastric bypass or lap-band weight loss surgery. Patients report feelings of loss for sweets and strong cravings. Yet patients know sweets pose several problems after weight loss surgery including dumping syndrome and weight gain. Patients who indulge in sweets not only get physically ill they also suffer feelings of failure and self-loathing for lack of will power.

According to Dr. David Katz in his book The Way to Eat a sweet tooth is not a matter of will power it is a matter of genetics. Early humans found sugar was a quick source of energy when they consumed it in the form of fruit, honey and sugar cane. So the tendency to like sweet is in our genetic code. But the difference today from then: sugar is now highly processed and in abundant supply.

Dieters consider sugar evil and blame sweets for weight gain. According to Dr. Katz "Sugary foods are often high-fat, calorie-dense foods as well; the pleasant taste of sugar stimulates high intake while the fat does much of the damage in terms of calories, weight gain and adverse health affects."

I like that Dr. Katz's attributes our genetic code for the sweet tooth - in my pre-WLS dieting life I considered myself a weak failure for having a sweet tooth. Unfortunately, my bariatric surgeon didn't fix my genetic code for sweets. But what did happen during the early post-op and the weight loss phases is my interest in sweets waned. I believe once I was off the carb-fat-sugar roller coaster my body adapted to the more nutritional diet without processed sweets.

Limit Sugar For Health:
General health guidelines indicate we should limit sugar intake, particularly processed sugar. Dr. Katz advises "Make some general commitment about the acceptable place of sweet foods in your diet." He adds, "Such a commitment is only as good as your follow-through, of course. But making decisions about tempting foods at a time other than when you are tempted is a good strategy in general."

For WLS people with gastric bypass that commitment is firm - most patients will get sick (dumping) if they consume sugary products. Lap-band patients don't live with that fear, they need some personal resolve to limit or avoid sugar products. For all of us the desire to maintain our weight loss should be a good motivator.

Sugar Substitutes:
So far we have two facts: 1- We are genetically coded to desire sweets and 2- We need to limit sugar intake for our health. Could two facts be more contradictory?

A variety of artificial sweeteners are available from the sugar alcohols (Sorbitol, Xylitol and Mannitol) that cause gas and bloating problems to the non-nutritive sweeteners such as Saccharine, Aspartame and Sucralose (Splenda). Dr. Andrew Weil, author of "The Healthy Kitchen" is concerned about the use of artificial sweeteners. In his book he says, "In the first place, there is no evidence that they help anyone lose weight, although that is why people use them...Second, most of them taste funny. And, most important, the highly popular ones may be harmful." He sites studies that link Saccharin and Aspartamine to health problems.

Dr. Weil recommends sucralose, sold under the band name Splenda. He said, "It tastes better than aspartame and appears safer."

Splenda, Sugar and WLS Diet:
In general nutritionists working with WLS patients agree Splenda is an acceptable sweetener for patients when used in moderation. (Moderation - that word comes up a lot in our WLS food discussions!)

Many recipes can be adjusted to use all Splenda or a blend of Splenda and sugar. Using a blend of sugar and Splenda produces the best results for texture and moistness yet cuts half of the calories and carbohydrates. Using all Splenda eliminates all sugar calories, however, some consumers say using all Splenda results in an unpleasant after taste and unappealing texture. Using all sugar is not an acceptable option for WLS patients for reasons already noted.

Knowledge, Moderation, Occasion
Ultimately, the key to including sweets in the WLS lifestyle is knowledge, moderation and occasion.

Know what is in the sweet product you are eating. Find sweets recipes that contain other nutritionally beneficial ingredients while eliminating or at least decreasing the sugar and fat.

Moderation: a small serving is fine. Scientific studies indicate a craving can be satiated with a modest portion eaten slowly and savored. I have found my occasional chocolate craving can be satiated with one Andes' thin mint - think about it! One mint - 26 calories and 2.6 grams of sugar, 1.6 grams of fat.

Plan your occasions when you know you will indulge and then indulge wisely. Know the kind of sweetener used in your treat, know your serving size and know you will stop when that serving is consumed. At first it isn't easy but with diligence planned occasional treats can be included in your WLS lifestyle.

Love your new diet:
Finally, rather than focusing on all the beloved lost foods spend time enjoying and loving your new way of eating. Dr. Katz said, "Even though you were born to like sugar, if your diet shifts, step-by-step to one richer in nutrient-dense, calorie-dilute, natural foods, there will simply be less place for processed sugar in your diet."

Kaye Bailey © 2006 - All Rights Reserved


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