During the week before Valentine’s Day, about 1.1 billion boxed chocolates — that’s about 58 million pounds of chocolate candy — will be sold in the United States.

A pound of milk chocolate packs 2300 calories, 140 grams of fat, 270 grams of carbohydrates, and 31 grams of protein. Although a lot has been reported about the heart healthy benefits of chocolate, especially dark chocolate, it’s important to remember that it is still a high calorie, high fat treat. And, it has caffeine.

Isn’t Chocolate Good For Me?

Depending on the type and the amount, the answer is yes. Chocolate’s health benefits come from cocoa and dark chocolate has a higher concentration of it than milk chocolate. White chocolate, without any cocoa in it, is not really chocolate.

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, contains flavonols which have antioxidant qualities and other positive influences on heart health. But typical Valentine’s chocolates are caloric and moderately high in fat, one-third of it the type of saturated fat that is not heart healthy. Extra ingredients like crème and caramel fillings can add lots of extra fat and calories.

And Then There’s The Caffeine

You’ve finished dinner – perhaps you’re stuffed to the gills – and some chocolate arrives along with the check. It could be those squares nicely wrapped in shiny foil or it could be some chunks of the really dark stuff artfully arranged on a plate.

Somehow there magically seems to be some room for the chocolate to fit in your already full belly. And, just maybe, this chocolate follows a chocolate dessert that tasted so fantastic that you wanted to lick the bowl. All of that was washed down by a wonderful cup of coffee.

Is it coffee or chocolate that’s keeping you awake?

Then you get home and sleep is just downright elusive. You wonder why you’re wide awake since you’ve been on the go all day.

Here’s a thought – it might be the caffeine found in the coffee, tea, and even some soda you’ve drunk and from the chocolate you nibbled (or devoured). There isn’t a huge amount of caffeine in chocolate, but perhaps enough – especially if you’re a chocoholic – to help tip the insomnia scales when it’s combined with a day’s worth of other caffeinated food and drinks.

Caffeine And Chocolate

Here are a few facts about chocolate and caffeine that most people don’t know:

Chocolate contains caffeine – not enough to give you a big time boost, but — depending on the type of chocolate, enough to register — especially if you’re working your way through some of those oversized bars or you’re a little kid stuffing in a bunch of fun-sized bars.

It would take about 14 regularly sized (1.5 oz) bars of milk chocolate, and fewer bars if they were dark chocolate (see stats below), to give you the same amount of caffeine that you’d get from an 8 ounce cup of coffee. Along with that little caffeine buzz you’d also be shoving in about 3,000 calories and more than 300 grams of sugar.  If you’re looking for caffeine, coffee seems like a better bet at about two calories for an 8 ounce cup (black, no sugar).

Something To Think About

The next time you find yourself reaching for those foil wrapped chocolate squares after dinner you might consider the caffeine if you want a restful sleep.

It’s also worth it to remember that getting kids (and some adults) to sleep on Halloween, Easter, and other chocolate heavy holidays might have a whole lot to do with both the sugar and the amount of caffeine in the chocolate candy.

Caffeine In Chocolate

• Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, 1bar/1.55 ounces:  9 mg caffeine

• Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Bar, 1 bar/1.45 ounces:  20 mg caffeine

• Hershey’s Kisses, 9 pieces:  9 mg caffeine

• Hershey’s Special Dark Kisses, 9 pieces:  20 mg caffeine

• Scharffen Berger Milk 41% Cacao, ½ bar:  17 mg caffeine

• Scharffen Berger Extra Dark 82% Cacao, ½ bar:  42 mg caffeine

• Dagoba Milk Chocolate 37% Cacao, ½ bar:  9 mg caffeine

• Dagoba Dark Chocolate 73% Cacao, ½ bar:  36 mg caffeine

Caffeine In Coffee

• Coffee, generic brewed, 8 ounces: 133 mg caffeine (range: 102-200; 16 ounces, 266 mg caffeine)

• Dunkin’ Donuts regular coffee, 16 ounces:  206 mg caffeine

• Starbucks Brewed Coffee (Grande), 16 ounces:  320 mg caffeine

• Coffee, generic instant, 8 ounces:  93 mg caffeine (range 27-173)

• Espresso, generic, 1 ounces:  40 mg caffeine (range 30-90)

• Starbucks Espresso, solo, 1 ounces:  75 mg caffeine

• Coffee, generic decaffeinated, 8 ounces:  5 mg caffeine (range 3-12)

If you are a traditionalist and just want a big old chocolate kiss on Valentine’s Day, here’s one already to go — just don’t eat it all at once or you’ll have a nice caffeine buzz!

Or maybe just a bag of pink chocolate kisses will do.

Or some gold milk chocolate kisses filled with caramel — yum!

My posts may contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of the links you won’t pay a penny more but I’ll receive a small commission. I do not get compensated for reviews.

The post How Much Caffeine Is In That Piece Of Chocolate? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Oh those romantic American colonists! They would give gifts of homemade hard candy with messages etched into the surface to their sweethearts.

Years later the founder of NECCO and his brother, who developed the process of printing red vegetable dye mottos on candy, turned this tradition into a business.

The candy’s original shape wasn’t a heart, but a seashell shape called a “cockle,” with a message written on a colored slip of paper wedged into the cockle’s shell. NECCO started producing candy with mottos stamped on them in 1900, but the candy was in shapes like horseshoes and baseballs that allowed for longer printed sayings like “How long shall I have to wait?” and “Pray be considerate.” The candy called Sweethearts wasn’t shaped as a heart until 1902.

Sweethearts And Motto Hearts

NECCO still uses their original recipe, process, and machines they used at the turn of the century. Putting out approximately 100,000 pounds of candy a day, it takes about 11 months to produce the more than eight billion pieces — or about 13 million pounds – of colorful candy sweethearts that are sold in the six weeks before Valentine’s Day. The little hearts with messages account for 40% of the Valentine candy market, just behind – you guessed it – chocolate!

Don’t You Love The Messages – and They’re Low in Calories, Too

“Be Mine,” “Kiss me,”  “Sweet Talk.” The brightly colored hearts with the familiar sayings stamped in red are also known as conversation hearts and sweethearts. The original candies with printed sayings were called “motto hearts.”

The sayings and flavors have been updated over the years and periodically new ones are added. Some of the newer flavors are strawberry, green apple, lemon, grape, orange, and blue raspberry and new sayings include “Tweet Me,” “Text Me,” “You Rock,” “Soul Mate,” “Love Bug,” and “Me + You.”

The candy is quite popular — NECCO sells out of their hearts, 100,000 pounds a day, in six weeks.

Although you’d be hard pressed to call candy conversation hearts nutritious, they are fat free, sodium free, and a caloric bargain at about 3 calories apiece for the small hearts and about 6 calories apiece for the larger “Motto” hearts.

The post How Did Candy Conversation Hearts Get To Be A Symbol Of Valentine’s Day? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Do you remember getting — or giving – those pastel candy hearts and secretly hoping that you’d get one with a special message?  Maybe you still share them with those special to you – or help your kids pick the ones they want to share.

“Be Mine,” “Kiss me,”  “XOXO”

The brightly colored hearts with familiar sayings — known as conversation hearts, motto hearts, and sweethearts — have been a Valentine’s Day treat since 1902. Their manufacturer, NECCO, the New England Confectionery Company in business since 1847, sells more than 8 billion candy conversation hearts a year.

How Did Candy Conversation Hearts Get To Be A Symbol Of Valentine’s Day?

Giving a gift of candy with an inscribed message can be traced back to the American colonists who shared homemade hard candy with messages etched into the surface with their sweethearts.

Years later after developing the process of printing red vegetable dye mottos on candy, the founder of NECCO and his brother turned this tradition into a business.

The candy’s original shape wasn’t a heart, but a seashell shape called a “cockle.” A message was written on a colored slip of paper that was wedged into the cockle’s shell.

NECCO started producing candy with mottos stamped on them in 1900, but the candy was shaped like horseshoes and baseballs that allowed for longer printed sayings like “How long shall I have to wait?” and  “Pray be considerate.” The candy called Sweethearts wasn’t shaped as a heart until 1902.

The original candies with printed sayings were called “motto hearts.”  The sayings and flavors have been updated over the years with new ones added periodically. Some of the newer flavors are strawberry, green apple, lemon, grape, orange, and blue raspberry and new sayings include “Tweet Me,” “Text Me,” “You Rock,” “Soul Mate,” “Love Bug,” and “Me + You.”

Candy Heart Facts

NECCO still uses the original recipe, process, and machines they used at the turn of the century to make the candy, producing 100,000 pounds a day. It takes about 11 months to produce the more than eight billion pieces — or about 13 million pounds – of colorful candy sweethearts that are sold in the six weeks before Valentine’s Day.  The little hearts with messages account for 40% of the Valentine candy market, just behind – you guessed it – chocolate!

Although you’d be hard pressed to call them nutritious, the candy hearts are fat free, sodium free, and a caloric bargain at about 3 calories for each small heart and about 6 calories for each larger “Motto” heart.

The post Memories Of Childhood: Heart-Shaped Candy With A Special Message appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different martyred saints named Valentine.  All of the stories emphasize Valentine’s sympathetic, heroic, and romantic appeal.

In one of them, a priest in third century Rome defied Emperor Claudius’ decree outlawing marriage for young men and continued to perform secret marriages — for which he was put to death. Another story suggests that Valentine was killed for trying to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons. In another legend, an imprisoned Valentine sent the first “valentine” message, a letter, to his jailor’s daughter signing it “From your Valentine.”

Valentine’s Day

Some think Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate Valentine’s death around 270 A.D.  Others think the Christian church decided to celebrate Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an attempt to “Christianize” the pagan Lupercalia, a fertility festival, which was celebrated at the ides of February (the 15^th).

At the end of the 5th century, Lupercalia was pronounced “un-Christian” by the Pope — who made February 14th St. Valentine’s Day. The day became linked with love during the Middle Ages, in part because the French and English believed that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season.

But Why Candy – Especially Chocolate?

The idea of Valentine’s Day as a celebration of romance had taken over most of the English-speaking world by the 1840s. The otherwise prudish Victorians liked the idea of celebrating with elaborate cards and gifts.

Around that time, Cadbury, the British chocolate manufacturer, had improved its chocolate making technique for “drinking chocolate.” The process resulted in an excess amount of cocoa butter and Cadbury used it to produce more varieties of “eating chocolate,” which they started selling in beautifully decorated boxes.

Cupid and Heart Shaped Boxes

It was a quick leap to putting images of roses and Cupid, the Ancient Roman god of love, on heart-shaped boxes for Valentine’s Day. The boxes were so pretty that they were marketed for both the candy inside and to store mementos in after the chocolates had been eaten. The boxes became more and more elaborate until World War II when sugar was rationed and Valentine’s Day celebrations were scaled down.

There is now no lack of sugar, chocolate, or candy dressed up for the holiday. In the US, during the week before Valentine’s Day 448 million dollars are spent on candy, 58 million pounds of chocolate are purchased, and 36 million heart-shaped boxes are sold.

The post St. Valentine, Chocolate, and Heart Shaped Boxes appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

1. When Did We Start Exchanging Valentines?

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages. The first commercial Valentine’s Day cards in the US were created in the 1840s. British Valentine’s Day celebrations started around the 17th century and by the middle of the 18th century all social classes exchanged tokens of affection or handwritten notes. Americans probably began exchanging handmade valentines in the early 1700s and mass-produced valentines in the 1840s.

2.  Who was Saint Valentine?

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different martyred saints named Valentine.  All of their stories emphasize Valentine’s sympathetic, heroic, and romantic appeal.

In one, a priest in 3rd century Rome defied Emperor Claudius’ decree outlawing marriage for young men and continued to perform secret marriages — for which he was put to death. Another story suggests that Valentine was killed because he tried to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons. And in another legend the imprisoned Valentine sent the first “valentine” message, a letter, to his jailor’s daughter signing it “from your Valentine.”

Some people think that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate Valentine’s death around 270 A.D.  Others think the Christian church decided to celebrate Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an attempt to “christianize” the pagan Lupercalia, known as the beginning of spring festival.

3.  Why Is The Symbol For Valentine’s Day A Red Heart?

No one seems to be really sure why the heart shape symbolizes love, but there’s some speculation that it might have to do with a rare, now extinct North African plant called silphium which was mostly used for seasoning but also had off-label use as a form of birth control. In the 7^th century BC the city-state of Cyrene had a lucrative trade in it and minted coins that showed the plant’s seedpod, which looked like the heart shape we know today. The theory goes that’s the reason the heart shape first became associated with sex and then with love.

But the Catholic Church contends that the modern heart shape became symbolic in the 17th century when Saint Margaret Mary Alocoque envisioned it surrounded by thorns. It became known as the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the popularized shape became associated with love and devotion.

There’s also a school of thought that the modern heart shape came from botched attempts to draw an actual human heart, the organ the ancients, including Aristotle, thought contained all human passions. It was described as a three-chambered organ with a rounded top and pointy bottom, which might have been the inspiration for medieval artists to create what we now know as the heart shape.

Red is traditionally associated with the color of blood. Since people once thought that the heart, which pumps blood, was the part of the body that felt love, the red heart (legend says) has become the Valentine symbol.

 4.  Where Does “Sweets To The Sweet” Come From?

We have Hamlet’s mother, the Queen (via Shakespeare), to thank. The phrase refers to the funeral bouquets of flowers scattered over Ophelia’s grave (Hamlet’s former flame) — but the candy industry uses it to promote Valentine’s Day candy.

5.  Who Gets And Gives The Most Stuff On Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day is the fourth in line for holiday candy sales after Halloween, Easter, and Christmas. 52.1% of people buy cards, the most popular Valentine’s Day gift. Women buy about 85% of an estimated one billion Valentine cards that are sent each year.

Around 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold and a survey by the Chocolate Manufacturers Association showed that 50% of women most likely will give chocolate to a guy for Valentine’s Day.

If you’ve ever wondered who gets the most Valentine’s Day candy and gifts, you might be surprised to learn that kids are the winners getting 39% of all Valentine’s Day candy and gifts. They’re followed by wives and mothers at 36%, fathers and husbands at 6%, and grandparents at 3%.

And, not to overlook other members of our households, more than nine million pet owners buy their pets gifts with the average person spending $5.04 on them.

The post 5 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Valentine’s Day appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

What Is It About Chocolate That Makes It The “Romantic” Candy?

Chocolate infatuation began around 2,000 years ago. The higher echelon in the Mayan and Aztec societies infused cocoa beans with water which formed frothy chocolate drinks that were both drunk on special occasions and used as sacrifices to the gods.

Montezuma, the Aztec ruler, was of the belief that chocolate was an aphrodisiac.  He routinely drank it before dallying in his harem, which cemented the association of chocolate with love and romance. Years later there is scientific evidence that the chemical phenylethylamine found in chocolate is linked to feelings of excitement and attraction.

Aztec society also used cocoa beans as money and as gifts. In the 16^th century, the Aztec’s reverence of chocolate prompted Christopher Columbus to take some back to Queen Isabella of Spain. The love for chocolate and its mystical powers spread throughout Europe. Chocolate’s power was believed to be so strong that nuns were forbidden to eat it and French doctors used it as a treatment for a broken heart.

In 1822 John Cadbury opened a tea and coffee shop in Birmingham, England and soon began selling chocolates. In 1861 his son Richard created the first heart-shaped box to fill with chocolates for Valentine’s Day. This year more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold.

Chocolate: The Good And The Not So Good

A pound of milk chocolate has 2300 calories, 140 grams of fat, 270 grams of carbohydrates, and 31 grams of protein. Although a lot has been said about chocolate’s heart healthy benefits, it’s still a high calorie, high fat food.

Isn’t Chocolate Good For Me?

In moderation—and, depending on the type—the answer is yes, although there is no “prescribed dosageamount.” The health benefits of chocolate come from cocoa, and dark chocolate has a greater concentration of cocoa than milk chocolate.  White chocolate, without any cocoa in it, is not really chocolate.

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, contains flavonols which have antioxidant qualities and other positive influences on heart health.  But Valentine’s chocolates are often not high quality chocolate and are moderately high in fat, one-third of it the type of saturated fat that isn’t heart healthy. Extra ingredients like crème and caramel fillings can add lots of extra fat and calories.

Oh Those Calories:  Valentine’s Hearts And Kisses

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a treat of some Valentine’s chocolate.  A whole box might be a different story!

Here’s an idea of what the calories might be in some of the more common Valentine’s chocolate:

• Hershey’s Kisses, 9 pieces:  230 calories, 12g fat
• Hershey’s Special Dark Hearts, 5 pieces:  220 calories, 7g fat
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Hearts, snack size:  170 calories, 10g fat
• Russell Stover boxed chocolates, 2 pieces:  150 calories, 4g fat
• Dove Dark Chocolate Hearts, 5 pieces:  210 calories, 13g fat
• Godiva boxed chocolates, 4 pieces:  210 calories, 12g fat

The post Chocolate And Valentines: Like Birds Of A Feather They Stick Together appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Candy hearts, originally called motto hearts, the brightly colored heart shaped candy with the stamped red sayings, have been iconic Valentine’s Day treats since 1902.

Also known as conversation hearts, motto hearts, and sweethearts, they’re manufactured by NECCO, the New England Confectionery Company, which has been in business since 1847.

How Did Candy Conversation Hearts Get To Be A Symbol Of Valentine’s Day?

Giving a gift of candy with a message inscribed on it can be traced back to the American colonists who gave homemade hard candy with messages etched into the surface to their sweethearts.

Years later, Oliver Chase, the founder NECCO and his brother Daniel, who developed the process of printing red vegetable dye mottos on the candy, turned this tradition into a business.

The candy’s original shape wasn’t a heart, but a seashell shape called a “cockle.” A message was written on a colored slip of paper that was wedged into the cockle’s shell. NECCO started producing candy with mottos stamped on them in 1900, but the candy was in shapes like horseshoes and baseballs that allowed for longer printed sayings like “How long shall I have to wait?” and  “Pray be considerate.” The candy called Sweethearts wasn’t shaped as a heart until 1902.

Sweethearts And Motto Hearts

The original candies with printed sayings were called “motto hearts.”  The sayings and flavors have been updated over the years with new ones added periodically. Some of the newer flavors are strawberry, green apple, lemon, grape, orange, and blue raspberry and new sayings include “Tweet Me,” “Text Me,” “You Rock,” “Soul Mate,” “Love Bug,” and “Me + You.”

NECCO still uses their original recipe, process, and machines they used at the turn of the century. Putting out approximately 100,000 pounds of candy a day, it takes about 11 months to produce the more than eight billion pieces — or about 13 million pounds – of colorful candy sweethearts that are sold in the six weeks before Valentine’s Day.  The little hearts with messages account for 40% of the Valentine candy market, just behind – you guessed it – chocolate!

Although you’d be hard pressed to call them nutritious, they are fat free, sodium free, and a caloric bargain at about 3 calories apiece for the small hearts and about 6 calories apiece for the larger “Motto” hearts.

The post Are You Ready For Some Conversation (Hearts)? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

There are 2300 calories, 140 grams of fat, 270 grams of carbs, and 31 grams of protein in a pound of milk chocolate. A lot has been said about the heart healthy benefits of chocolate, especially dark chocolate, but it’s important to remember that chocolate is still a high calorie, high fat treat.

But Isn’t Chocolate Good For Me?

In moderation—and, depending on the type—the answer is yes. Chocolate’s health benefits come from cocoa and dark chocolate has more cocoa than milk chocolate.  White chocolate, without any cocoa in it, isn’t really chocolate. German scientists studied 19,357 people for a decade and found that those who ate the most chocolate (average 7.5 grams a day) had lower blood pressure and a 39% lower risk of having a heart attack or stroke than people who ate the smallest amount (1.7 grams a day).

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, contains flavonols which have antioxidant properties. Those Valentine’s chocolates can be caloric and moderately high in fat, one-third of it the type of saturated fat that is not heart healthy. Extra ingredients like crème and caramel fillings can add lots of extra fat and calories.

If you see “Chocolate Liquor” in the ingredients list of chocolate candy, it is not alcoholic but a thick paste of ground cocoa beans, or nibs.  The higher the amount of chocolate liquor, the greater the amount of beneficial flavonoids and in chocolate vocabulary, “cocoa” and “cacao” are synonymous as are “beans” and “nibs.”

Just So You Know

A treat is something that’s usually associated with pleasure and on Valentine’s Day, with love.  To celebrate the occasion it’s just fine to enjoy a piece or two.

• Hershey’s Kisses, 9 pieces:  230 calories, 12g fat
• Hershey’s Special Dark Hearts, 5 pieces:  220 calories, 7g fat
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Hearts, snack size:  170 calories, 10g fat
• Russell Stover boxed chocolates, 2 pieces:  150 calories, 4g fat
• Dove Dark Chocolate Hearts, 5 pieces:  210 calories, 13g fat
• Godiva boxed chocolates, 4 pieces:  210 calories, 12g fat

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