Healthy Chocolates Make a Lovely Valentine

Planning to buy one of those heart-shaped boxes of candy for Valentines Day?

Choose carefully, because some have antioxidant benefits that will protect your sweetie's heart, while others contain merely fat and sugar.

"We've heard a lot about chocolate being a health food because it contains flavonoids (an antioxidant), but not all chocolate is created equal," explained Gloria Tsang, author of Go UnDiet: 50 Small Actions for Lasting Weight Loss and founder of healthcastle.com.

Two local sweet shop owners also weighed in with relatively healthy choices for valentines. Linda Hills, owner of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, 31 S. Northwest Hwy., Park Ridge, suggested dark chocolate-dipped strawberrries, since the strawberries are also rich in anti-oxidants, as well as Vitamin C and fiber. The store also sells dark chocolate-covered cherries and apricots and dark chocolate with almonds, all with health benefits.

And Subul Baig, who owns the recently-opened Sucre et Sales sweet shop, 6227 W. Dempster St., Morton Grove, suggested the Heart Healthy Mix, which contains raw almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries, and comes with or without gourmet dark chocolate chunks. All of the ingredients have health benefits, she said.

Michael Giglio, co-owner of Kay’s Candies based in Rosemont, said he’s been receiving more inquiries recently about dark chocolate and its health benefits. He said the trend began two or three years ago, and he expects his business to grow another 10-20 percent as a result. The handmade candy company’s production has changed accordingly.

Giglio said they used to only produce buttercreams in milk and white chocolate. Last year they began producing them in dark chocolate as well, and this year production of the dark chocolate buttercreams doubled, he said.

Giglio runs the company with his mother, Kay, and they have been featured on ABC Channel 7. The small candy company sells to Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, the online grocer Peapod and to a gift shop at Midway Airport called Chicago Treasures.

Giglio said while their candy tastes better without preservatives, he wouldn’t necessarily say it’s healthier. Three pieces of their candy contain 190 calories.

“It’s a trade off,” Giglio said. “I don’t really see people buying low fat chocolate.”

Tsang's choices for chocolates that contain the highest amount of antioxidants are, in order:

• Cocoa powder. "Some fancier chocolate shops may dust their chocolates with cocoa powder," Tsang said. You can also bake brownies using cocoa powder and olive oil for a rich taste. Finally, mix a tablespoon of cocoa powder and a teaspoon of sugar into warm milk for a rich drink that's not outlandish in fat and calories, she suggested.
• Dark Chocolate. The higher the cocoa content, the higher the benefits. 71 percent cocoa is still sweet; 85 percent and up are only slightly sweet.
• Milk chocolate. This gets tricky; Tsang advises checking the ingredient list for cocoa solids or cocoa liquor. Without them, you won't get any antioxidant benefits.
• Candy-coated chocolates. These seldom contain cocoa solids or cocoa liquor, so it's unlikely they'll have heart benefits, Tsang said.
• White chocolate. Nope. No heart benefits here.

Hills, of Rocky Mountain, sometimes nibbles on a 91 percent cocoa content chocolate bar.

"It's intense. You can't eat a whole lot of it. But not everybody can handle that," she said.

Tsang made the point, though, that one doesn't need to eat a lot of flavonoid-rich dark chocolates.

"When you eat one piece, you feel satisfied," she said.

Other places to buy Valentine chocolates and treats in the Des Plaines area include:

• , 1460 Miner St. in Des Plaines.
• , 8534 W. Golf Road in Niles.
• Fannie May, 201 S. Main St. in Mt. Prospect.
• Fannie May, 31 S. Prospect Ave. in Park Ridge.
• , 8534 W. Golf Road in Niles.
• , 7425 N. Croname St. in Niles.

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