How did the idea that you should eat chocolate after an upset become popular?

Cuz of studies mentioned in articles like this one from CNN perhaps.

I see it could be self-defeating if one is chowing on bags of Hershey's minis on a daily basis, but a Kiss or two here and there can't hurt. ;)

I've been really stressed lately, haven't slept well in months. It all got amped up a few notches last week by some rather stressful news completely different from the other stressors of late. My preferred comfort food is ice cream with chocolate in it (not choc ice cream). I tend to not go for 'straight chocolate' that much. But last night I indulged in a healthy sized piece of choc mousse pie (oh man, it was sinfully good). Rich dark chocolate, light chocolate, white chocolate. Figured it might keep me awake. But au contraire! I got 7 hrs of uninterrupted sleep and I can honestly say that since September that has only happened less than a handful of times.

Maybe I need to ditch the ice cream with bits of highly refined/processed brownie chunks in it and go for the full strength, undiluted stuff! ;D

LOL, it was encouraged in my family. My mother always told me that chocolate released endorphins into the brain. Exercise does too, but chocolate is more fun. :O)

I am so bad with chocolate that I just can't keep it around. My NY resolution was to give up chocolate. At first I had to count my success hour by hour, then day by day. Over a month later and I still haven't had any. Whoo hoo!

I think I was eating so many calories in chocolate, it was CAUSING stress. Ahh, but life was good.

In my case -- I can remember Mum telling tales of the wonderful "cars of chocolate" and boxes of "chocs" that they would get at the cinema back in Scotland. Even my Dad LOVED chocolate -- especially chocolate eclairs! I can remember visiting my Grandma in Scotland when I was little -- and she would always buy me "Club" orange-chocolate bars. Yum.

And yes -- I do believe (I do! I do! -- from the Lion in the Wizard of Oz LOL!!) in the magical power of chocolate. Didn't take a scientific study of any kind to convince me!

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

"My mother always told me that chocolate released endorphins into the brain." LOL, I thought that too.

I am not a stress eater, chocolate or whatever. If I'm really stressed, I tend to eat less, not for comfort.

My problem is not chocolate (or anything) because of stress, it's more craving sweets, etc.

tina

*****My NY resolution was to give up chocolate.*****

Whaaat??? I cannot imagine - truly.

If chocolate is consumed in large quantities, then it's a problem, as is wine, or just about anything else. Otherwise, it's one of the indulgences that some people choose as a way to enjoy life. If it's balanced in your food intake calorie wise, then what's the problem?

I didn't read the CNN link yet but would guess that's a relatively recent study. My mother ALWAYS kept a large bar of dark chocolate in her night stand. That habit started long before I was born, possibly in early marriage pre-kids which would put it late 30's. That's certainly long before all the ruckus about chocolate. It was her stash - she could break off a piece at night while she was reading in bed. Was she soothing herself? Maybe. Or maybe she was just pampering herself with two things she really enjoyed in life.

Fast forward to my life. It's a rare day that I don't have chocolate. Most often it's small pieces of really good dark chocolate. I love it in most forms (although chocolate cream pie makes me gag) and always have - it's an inherited trait, I guess. Pure luxury to me - a good cup of coffee, a piece of dark chocolate, great tunes on the stereo and an empty house in the afternoon............. :-)

OK then, so I'm the odd woman out. It must be a holdover from my Spartan upbringing, LOL! I can be a little clueless about stuff like this

"It's a rare day that I don't have chocolate," says DLM.
Roald Dahl ate a chocolate bar every day too. Probably a Cadbury's.

"then what's the problem?"

Moderation. Chocolate was my vice. Seriously. I can't just have a piece. Or two. Or three...

A piece or two of dark chocolate is the perfect way to end a day. Incredibly soothing! My current favorite is York peppermint patties ... the small ones.

I don't know about "you should eat chocolate after an upset"-- some people go for chocolate, others cake, cookies, Ben & Jerry's, a mochacinno (sorry about that spelling! i don't buy those 'cinno' drinks!), a martini.

But there's something about a good piece of chocolate (I like Dove and the Lindt truffles) that refocuses your brain on the luxuriously smooth texture and the exquisite taste and carries you away for the moment.

I think our parents just didn't have really good-quality chocolate! All my mom had was Hershey bars (not that there's anything wrong with them if you're on a desert island!).

I actually eat a piece of chocolate every day. I also keep a little basket of candy on my desk. I have to say that almost everyone in my department stops by for a piece after lunch in varying intervals. Chocolate is their pick me up!

Coincidentally, I actually attended a class, given during work hours as a "benefit", about chocolate. Apparently dark chocolate (not milk or white) has more antioxidants than broccoli! Keep in mind that the more cocao, a piece of chocolate has the better for you it is. Unfortunately the mass market chocolate (hersheys, etc) has too much sugar and oil to be beneficial but as dlm pointed out, nothing wrong with chocolate (whether it made up of 73% cocoa or if its hershey's) as long as its in moderation :)

Here is a link that might be useful: chocolate and antioxidants

Just curious -- do you know any men who like chocolate as a pick me up or stress reliever? In my experience, they prefer beer or chips.

Men and chocolate? My DH!!! He has chocolate every night. Now, for him, it's often more than a piece or two but even with that, he burns so many calories in a day it doesn't make a dent in his over-all intake. Funny thing is, when we got married he told me he was allergic to chocolate - thought it gave him migraines. Then after suffering for years, he got braces at the same time our oldest did and hasn't had a migraine since. Chocolate came into his life shortly after ;-)

Am I the only woman who just doesn't give a d@mn about chocolate? Seriously. I used to live a stone's throw from the Lindt factory - could see it from my back deck - and I think I visited the factory store twice in two years, to buy gifts for other people! My mother always includes tons of chocolate (commercial or chocolate fudge) in her holiday boxes for me, which I end up giving away. I just can't get her to remember that chocolate simply doesn't interest me. I'm on a cinnamon jag right now, but I prefer lemon, (high quality) vanilla, and caramel flavors to chocolate by far!

DH and chocolate... if we have it in the house he's into it constantly, but that's the case with a lot of other things too. Food in general is a big stress-reliever for him since he quit drinking and smoking (fingers crossed that THIS cig quit actually sticks for longer than six months) - he eats a LOT more when he's stressed, while I tend to have to be nagged into eating at all.

Honestly chocolate doesn't thrill me except...I really, really like Greene's (I think that's the name) 85% dark chocolate. I can easily live without it though. For the most part we try not to keep anything junky around the house as it doesn't last long. If I'm truly stressed I can't eat (rare). If I'm looking for comfort food I go for something doughy and cheesy. Love cheese.

Mari, my MIL is like that - she never eats chocolate and prefers her sweets to be custardy and/or fruity.

Shee, I'm with you on the cheese and comfort thing. Something with melted cheese, browning around the edges..... :-) Chocolate isn't about comfort to me - it's my treat, my acknowledgement that I'm worth indulging.

Doesn't it just figure - the thread I keep returning to is one about chocolate.

Moonshadow, I've found that if you eat chocolate and other sweets before bed time, it really helps me sleep. We get the little "sugar rush" but then the "crash" is what helps us sleep. I used to do that all the time before I became diabetic. lol.

Sugar free hot chocolate helps too.

I definitely believe that chocolate helps with stress. especially when watching something good on TV or reading a good book at the same time.

I like chocolate but only because it tastes good. I don't really consider it a treat unless I buy something special like Valrhona.
It's just a food I eat when I feel like eating it.

I love chocolate and I eat it pretty often. My mother didn't but then, she smoked a pack a day, too.
But candy sales BOOMED in the Depression, as did cigarettes. Far more candy companies were around then than now--candy was a cheap treat.

Here is a link that might be useful: When Economy Sours, Tootsie Rolls Soothe Souls

Mari, if chocolate didn't exist, I wouldn't mind one bit. I never crave it. I'm not that big on sweets in the first place. My downfall is chips and salsa. And if there's queso dip to go along with it, I'm in hog (pun intended) heaven!

Only female I know in close proximity to me that doesn't want or need chocolate is my sister. She'll go for high carb foods every time over sweets.

oakley, I have a wicked bad sweet tooth that I rarely fail to indulge in the evening. (Thank heavens for WWatchers desserts!) Really should do the hot chocolate thing at bedtime tho, any time I have a cup during the day, I get really drowsy. Forgot that I have two cannisters upstairs of Ghirardelli, dark chocolate and white mocha. (The white mocha mix is great on a cold day for anyone out there freezing, but has coffee in it so not good at night.)

Didn't sleep last night, back to the same ole routine. That choc pie I had two nights ago and slept so well had a lot of very dark chocolate in it. Wonder if that's they key? And wonder if small bits/pieces would work? I'll have to experiment. Don't have anything in the house at the moment. As much sinful fun as it would be, can't be pigging out on chocolate mousse pie every night. :o

Before I had my DS, I liked chocolate ok, but never craved it. I actually preferred sour candy or licorice.

Starting in pregnancy, I had huge cravings for chocolate. It has never gone away (sadly). I especially crave it when I am tired or depressed. Oops, I guess that's about every day! :)

M&M's, Symphony bars with toffee, or Hershey's Treasures/Nuggets are the chocolate I love best. I really do think it makes me feel a little happier, for whatever reason. Except for when I think about continually gaining weight...

Oh and how could I forget? Chocolate covered cinnamon bears. My secretary introduced these to me, and I cannot tell you how delicious they are!

My DH likes chocolate too, but it has nothing to do with emotions for him. He just wants a treat. And he still has a 32" waist, same as the day I met him....

Awm03....You're speaking my language when you mention See's Candies, something I've been enjoying since the '50s....their 'dark chocolate bordeaux' is my personal favorite. It's the little things in life all added up together to make the big happy picture....

See's was a late-in-life discovery for me, begoniagirl. A west coast customer of my husband's sent me a couple of boxes several years ago. I think DH told him thanks, but no more please, LOL! I'd rather have a box of See's than any Belgian or Swiss brand.

Anyway, using food to entertain or calm myself is on my list of things to change as I retool for old age :)

On the rare occasion I go to our local mall (I'd rather go to a plant nursery or antique shop), I see a long line at See's Candies and an empty Godiva shop. I see you're in Connecticut, where I love to visit Mark Twain's home or the Atheneum whenever we're in Hartford. I hope you know that See's has a website where you can custom order online during the cooler months....

We don't have See's here, but every time I've been in a Godiva shop the candy has been stale so I can see why people would migrate elsewhere. For what they charge for a single piece it dang well better be fresh-fresh-fresh! (And the boxed stuff they sell at Macy's during the holidays is even worse.)

I've suddenly developed a terrible craving for marzipan, with all this talk about candy. Very annoying because it's virtually impossible to find marzipan here except for the big tubes in the baking section of the supermarket, which is kind of icky.