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Gainesville, FL
Dr. Linda Bobroff - UF Nutritionist
Linda Kubitz Reporting
TRT 1:35
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CHOCOLATE IS A SWEET, HIGH CALORIE VALENTINE'S GIFT THAT CONTAINS A GREAT DEAL OF FAT BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY. YOU CAN SATISFY YOUR CRAVING FOR SWEETS WHILE WATCHING YOUR CALORIES IF YOU'RE CAREFUL. LINDA KUBITZ EXPLAINS HOW YOU CAN DISCOVER, HOW SWEET IT IS!
IF YOUR SWEETHEART OR SWEET TOOTH IS TELLING YOU VALENTINEÕS DAY IS NEAR, YOUÕRE NOT ALONE. SOME PEOPLE DONÕT THINK ITÕS VALENTINEÕS DAY WITHOUT CHOCOLATE. BUT THEREÕS A DOWNSIDE. THATÕS THE FAT AND CALORIES ALL THOSE CHOCOLATE TREATS PROVIDE. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA NUTRITIONISTS SAY YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CHOCOLATE AND EAT IT TOO AS LONG AS YOU KEEP IT LIGHT. ONE WAY TO DO THAT IS TO DIP YOUR FAVORITE FRUITS INTO MELTED CHOCOLATE INSTEAD OF CONSUMING SOLID CHOCOLATE CANDIES. THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO LESSEN THE AMOUNT OF CHOCOLATE YOU CONSUME ON THE HOLIDAY WHILE GETTING ADDITIONAL VITAMINS AND MINERALS AT THE SAME TIME.
BOBROFF "In a way, it's diluting the chocolate. It's spreading it out and spreading it over some foods that are great tasting." (:08)
A FONDUE POT WORKS WELL FOR THIS. SIMPLY BREAK PIECES OF SOLID CHOCOLATE INTO THE POT AND ADD LOW FAT EVAPORATED MILK TO GIVE IT A CREAMY TEXTURE.
BOBROFF "The great thing about dipping a wide variety of fruits into chocolate is you can use strawberries, grapes, bananas, kiwi, oranges, pineapple, or apples so you get vitamin C and beta-carotene, minerals like potassium, fiber, and you get your chocolate too." (:18)
ALTHOUGH CHOCOLATE IS HIGH IN FAT AND CALORIES, UF NUTRITIONISTS SAY IT DOES CONTAIN PHYTOCHEMICALS LIKE THE ONES FOUND IN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. THESE PHYTOCHEMICALS HAVE ANTIOXIDANT EFFECTS SIMILAR TO THOSE OF VITAMIN E. IN GAINESVILLE, I'M LINDA KUBITZ REPORTING.