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What candy-makers won’t tell you

August 04, 2011 By: bozobouffe Category: Uncategorized

Their clever way of reducing calorie counts also gets you to pay for it.

1. “You’re Paying More For Less.”

In May, Nestle introduced two new candies under its new Skinny Cow label: nut clusters and a chocolate-covered wafer crisp, each under 120 calories, the latest to join the candy industry’s rush keep calorie-conscious snackers in the fold. Many major candy companies now offer low-cal treats, including Mars’ 3 Musketeers Truffle Crisp Bars (34% fewer calories than a 3 Musketeers) and Hershey’s 100 Calorie Crisp Wafer Bars (50% fewer calories than a Kit Kat).

But the candy companies’ secret to keeping the calories down doesn’t come from a new miracle cocoa bean. They’ve simply done what weight-loss experts have advocated for years: They’ve cut the portion sizes — but not the prices, meaning health-conscious candy buyers are paying proportionally more for less candy. The Mars Truffle Crisp bar and its regular 3 Musketeers bar, for example, each cost $1, but at 1.1 ounces, the lower-calorie bar is half the size of the more caloric treat.

Mars and Hershey’s declined to comment, but Gary Stibel, founder and CEO of the New England Consulting Group says this is just smart marketing on the candy companies’ part. “People will pay a premium to take calories out of the package,” he says. “And it takes away a reason why people don’t eat candy.”


Read more: 5 Things Candy Makers Won’t Tell You

Schools look to ban chocolate milk

May 11, 2011 By: bozobouffe Category: Uncategorized

Major school districts are taking action, but many nutritionists question the crackdown.

Chocolate milk has long been seen as the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down, but the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic has a growing number of people wondering whether that’s wise.

With schools under increasing pressure to offer healthier food, the staple on children’s cafeteria trays has come under attack over the very ingredient that makes it so popular — sugar.

Some school districts have gone as far as prohibiting flavored milk, and Florida considered a statewide ban in schools. Other districts have sought a middle ground by replacing flavored milks containing high-fructose corn syrup with versions containing sugar, which some see as a more natural sweetener.


Read more: Schools may ban chocolate milk over added sugar

The most delicious chocolate bars

April 10, 2011 By: bozobouffe Category: Uncategorized

In a test of 180 luxury chocolate bars, seven emerge as truly delectable.

Willy Wonka, eat your heart out: Real Simple staffers selflessly tasted more than 180 luxe bars to determine which ones deserve a golden ticket.


Read more: The best chocolate bars

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10 extreme chocolate chip cookies

March 27, 2011 By: bozobouffe Category: Uncategorized

New twists on an old favorite include treats made with potatoes — and even bacon.

This week is officially Chocolate Chip Cookie Week. Don’t ask why, it just is, okay? And we’re celebrating by eating lots of cookies as we comb the web for the wackiest, weirdest or most indulgent interpretations of sweets staple—starting with this cookie-cake-ice-cream threesome.


Read more: 10 extreme chocolate chip cookies

Why you should stock up on chocolate

February 15, 2011 By: bozobouffe Category: Uncategorized

The sweet treat is a great way to boost your overall health — if it is eaten correctly.

If there is one item to stock up on this month it’s chocolate. I’m talking about pure, dark, raw, 100% cacao. Nothing beats the pleasure that comes from a dose of chocolaty goodness. Indulging in this decadence is even better because, in case you didn’t already know it, chocolate is actually good for you.

The purest form of raw chocolate is known as cacao, which comes directly from a bean or pod. Here is why it is so good for you:

1. Cacao provides your body with a host of nutrients including antioxidants, iron, chromium, and zinc. It even contains vitamin C.

2. Cacao contains extremely high levels of magnesium, which help to support the heart, increase brainpower, build strong bones, relax muscles, and increase alkalinity.

3. Cacao has a low glycemic index and therefore doesn’t cause your blood sugar levels to rise and crash. A square of dark chocolate everyday can actually help to bring you into balance and reduce cravings for other forms of refined sweetness.


Read more: Five reasons to eat more chocolate!

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The best and worst Valentine chocolates

February 12, 2011 By: bozobouffe Category: Uncategorized

A single Fannie May Cappuccino Truffle packs 140 calories and 8 grams of fat.

Valentine’s Day: Celebration of love, or calculated plot to destroy romance?

Think about it: There’s nothing more romantic than a spontaneous outpouring of love. But that’s one thing you can’t have on V-day, when we’re all supposed to move in lockstep formation down to the jewelry/flower/stationery store. How about cozying up over an intimate dinner for two? Fugghedaboutit: Every restaurant in town is packed to the gills and about as romantic as the mosh pit at a Green Day concert. And what about being fit, healthy, and ready for lovin’? Good-bye, sexy body: There’s nothing like an enormous cardboard heart filled with carbohydrates to ruin the way your belly looks, and feels.


Read more: Best and Worst Valentine’s Day Candy

America’s best places for hot chocolate

December 26, 2010 By: bozobouffe Category: Uncategorized

A San Francisco chocolatier serves a dark chocolate cocoa with a handmade marshmallow.

We’ve all had powdery hot cocoa—watery, only vaguely chocolaty, and occasionally crunchy with undissolved marshmallow clumps. Still, cocoa was—and is—the best thing to stir into a mug on a winter afternoon.


Today’s hot chocolate has come a long way from little packages with gritty marshmallows. From sipping chocolate flavored with secret Caribbean spices to house-roasted cocoa beans and celebrity truffle shops, America’s best hot chocolate has gone gourmet.

Read more: America’s Best Hot Chocolate

Chocolate Milk Under Siege: Should It Be Banned?

September 30, 2010 By: bozobouffe Category: Uncategorized

If there’s one thing that most kids can agree on, it’s that chocolate milk is awesome.

Turns out a lot of parents, perhaps recalling their own childhood love of Bosco and Nesquik think so too. And most importantly, for many white-milk-averse kids, chocolate milk serves as a highly efficient, state-of-the-art calcium delivery system.

Read more: Chocolate Milk Under Siege: Should It Be Banned?

Armenia’s chocolate bar record

September 15, 2010 By: bozobouffe Category: Uncategorized

Why your chocolate may soon cost more

July 18, 2010 By: bozobouffe Category: Uncategorized

Cocoa bean prices are on the rise, and some say a hedge fund is to blame

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