I am curious about this and want to get a discussion going. This is one of those subjects that is very confusing. First, the blue SB book says you can have chocolate once in a while -- they advocate dark chocolate, bitter sweet or semi sweet. (And in later versions they tell you to make sure the cocoa content is at least 65%).

But when you go to the store to look for the brands, you will notice that with the exception of unsweetened chocolate (Bakers, Ghiardelli and Lindt 99%) -- all of the brands have over 3 grams of sugar per serving and a ton of fat & sat fat.

My first question is how can chocolate be ok for Phase 2 when the fat and sugar content is over all of the limits? Shouldn't this be an occasional Phase 3 treat?

My second question is - if it is acceptable once in a while what kind should we be eating?

At first I thought Baker's chocolate would be the lesser of all evils because it contains zero sugar and seems lower in fat than some of the other chocolates. But I'm not sure it's necessarily a good one to consume. Baker's chocolate has milk solids in it. But they don't tell you how much is in there. We are not supposed to have milk chocolate, so just how much milk solids are in the bar and is that a problem? Does it make the chocolate equate to milk chocolate?

And the nutritional breakdown says there's only 7 grams of fat per serving and 16 servings in their 8 oz bar. Not too bad. When I melt down a bar of Baker's chocolate and break it down into 3-piece bites/servings, I can get 16 servings out of that. So that is what I stick to for a serving size.

The other chocolate bars show 2.5 servings per 4 oz. bar at a much higher fat content, so you really have to re-jiigger the math to compare the Baker's bar to other chocolate bars.....

OK, so now what chocolate do you consume as a best choice for this plan? For me I am thinking it would be the Ghiardelli unsweetened chocolate bar. It has 23 grams of fat per serving and there are supposedly 2.5 servings per bar.

Baker's chocolate is an 8 oz box and Ghiardelli is a 4 oz box. So, if you get 16 servings out of the Baker's, then you should get 8 servings out of the Ghiardelli. I'm still trying to figure out the math to see what the fat content really is for the Ghiardelli if I eat an 1/8 of a bar. Let's see 23 grams x 2.5 servings = 57.50 divided by 8 servings is 7.19 grams of fat. So now we can compare this to the Baker's chocolate. The Ghiardelli bar only contains chocolate and a "trace" of milk protein. Guess that's those solids again. I hear they are used as stabilizers for baking/cooking. Supposedly the Ghiardelli bar is 100% cacao. Baker's does not list the percentage of cacao to milk solids so there's no way of knowing what you are getting. But the fat gram comparisons are similar so maybe it's only a trace in the Baker's bar too. Baker's is like half the price go Ghiardeli. Think it's ok to eat with the milk solids in it??

Jen has found a way to purchase the Lindt 99% chocolate bars with 2 grams of sugar. I can't find it for purchase here in the US. She is in Canada. That would probably be the best of all worlds, but I can't find it here, can you guys? And I'm not sure how the fat/servings break down. So I just melt down the unsweetened kind and add Splenda. At least I'm not adding grams of sugar this way.

So then where does that leave us for bittersweet and semi-sweet bars? I feel those have too much commercial sugar added and that it is best to still melt down an unsweetened bar and add Splenda to sweeten it.
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What are your thoughts on this!!! Are you eating chocolate? If so what servings sizes, what kind and how much sugar?

I think Chocolate is medicine and "a little bit of sugar helps the medicine go down".
Okay Im being silly, I haven't gotten the courage to try any chocolate, but if I did, I would go for the gold and that aint Hersey. IT would be the most expensive bar in town which would make it an occasional treat just to protect my pocket book.
Great subject Mindy. I wonder how others get their "medicine" fix

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So does that mean you'd eat chocolate with a lot of sugar in it? This confounds me. Like some other things on this plan, I don't know if we are supposed to eat the chocolate with a lot of sugar in it on occasion, or go the extra mile and get the unsweetened kind and doctor it up ourself!

Me, I'm opting to add my own sugar (Splenda). And still have as an occasional treat. And yes, it sure is medicine isn't it!!!! Goes fabulous with a glass of red wine and a soak in a tub!!!!!!!!

The web site says we can have dark chocolate (including semisweet and bittersweet chocolate). Now they also say don't overdo it when eating chocolate. Just an ounce is all it takes to reap the benefits. They recommend selecting a I can't find any other guidelines than that. Someone asked about the cocoa content and they didn't really answer that question. But again, they stress that it can be a diet buster and use it only on occasion and sparingly.

And they talk about one good way to limit intake is to melt a small amount of dark chocolate and use it as a fruit dip. Having these types of treats will make them not "forbidden". Sometimes when things are forbidden, they can lead to over eating. I know some people who know that they can't have something on a diet and that becomes one of the things that they really, really want. The web site refers to studies that have compared children who were allowed to have treats on occasion and those that were not allowed to have treats. Those children that were allowed the occasional treats did not overeat while those that never were allowed treats overate. They say that this also applies to adults. So, the SBD decided to allow dark chocolate on occasion and in small amounts.

I have bought Lindt dark with 70% cocoa, but I haven't found any with a higher content than that around here. This stuff is so smooth and tasty, not to mention satisfying. I also have some Ghiradelli Intense Dark Espresso Escape with only 60% cocoa. I haven't tried that yet. One kind that I shall never buy again is a fruit and nut kind made by Hershey. That one was just TOO good and hard to put down. So, it's going to have to go bye-bye for now! I can't control myself with it.

Has anyone tried the chocolate dipped strawberries? That's my next project! That or the blueberries I have in the fridge right now. :Clap:

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Oh yeah, I've had the chocolate dipped strawberries, and if you ask me they should be illegal!! Now I want chocolate every day! They were so good. Tonight I took another container of that chocolate that I used to dip the fruit in a few nights ago, (when I only had one!) and I melted it, with the intention of dipping a little banana in it...and before I knew it I was scooping it out of the thing with my finger! I made about 3 finger scoops before I could stop myself and finally threw the whole thing in the trash. It was a nightmare. I guess when I screw up, I really make it worth it.
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BTW, the chocolate I used that you should never, ever use because it is so sinful, was Dolci Frutta, hard chocolate shell. It has a whopping 17 grams of sugars, 9 grams total fat, 8 grams sat fat and 151 calories per serving. And a serving they say, is 10 wafers, and there were 8 servings in this container.
I don't know how to measure my "finger scoops" but I'm guessing I had a serving.
:OMG:
Do I need to go back to phase 1?? I don't wanna.

In the SB "Quick & Easy" cookbook - Dr. A. suggests using chocolate with a minimum of 65% cocoa.

So Luv, you are saying even if the chocolate bar says it has quite a few grams of sugar, with just taking 3 bites, then we are limiting the sugar. Makes sense!

But like Dawn, I find portion control with chocolate to be very hard. Man that stuff is addictive. I made the pistachio bark with the unsweetened Ghiardelli bar (sweetened with Splenda), dutifully broke up the servings into 8 portions and put them in individual zip baggies. But I have broken into the zip baggies and have eaten 3 portions in one evening. :hide: Just can't control myself!!!
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I think I'll leave chocolate for Phase 3 or near the end of Phase 2 in self defense!!!! But maybe I'll do the chocolate dipped strawberries sometime...

I think this has been a very helpful discussion guys!!!!!!!

I'm with you, no straight chocolate until phase 3, and even then, it has to be a rare occasion. Man, to think..life without chocolate? :OMG: Will there be a reason to live? LOL~!!

Ahh chocolate...my biggest downfall.:Bang:

Oh, but if only I could stop at 3 measley bites! :Sarcastic:

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Yeah that's my problem too!!!!!!!!:jester: