Chocolate and coffee aren’t that bad for you – honest

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Traditionally, it is a time to indulge in food items that, for a variety of reasons, may be off limits any other day. As a career dieter, I have spent decades assigning food to “good” and “bad” categories.

For instance, I love nuts – I know, you are what you eat – but I rarely give in to temptation because of the high fat content. But an article in the University of California Berkeley Wellness Letter about healthy foods with bad reputations offers great news. A call to Katherine Musgrave, registered dietitian, confirmed the newfound information.

First of all, nuts are good for you. Rich in unsaturated fats, nuts can help prevent heart disease. They also are full of fiber, vitamin E, folic acid and other B vitamins. So choose the salt-free variety and munch away without guilt.

And then there’s coffee, which has been ground to a pulp with bad press. It turns out that the morning cup most of us can’t live without does not cause heart disease, nor does it promote cancer or stomach ulcers. Drinking too much may give you the jitters, however.

You might prefer tea instead. No longer just a pleasant beverage consumed at tea parties and by British folks, tea is a health food – my Mom will be thrilled, as she never goes anywhere without a tea bag.

All tea – green, black and red – contains chemicals that act as antioxidants. Drinking tea regularly may reduce the risk of cancer and protect arteries from plaque buildup.

We have all heard that fresh, unprocessed food is best. This is not necessarily true with tomatoes. Full of vitamin C, tomatoes are also rich in lycopene, which helps prevent prostate cancer. And, ounce for ounce, once these tasty fruits are transformed into sauce or paste, the lycopene readily available to the body significantly increases.

If you’re confused about what to spread on your toast in the morning, you are not alone. The butter-versus-margarine debate has raged for years.

Margarine was considered a healthier choice because it’s made from vegetable oil and has much less saturated fat. But, because the oil used is hydrogenated – containing trans fats – it is just as bad for your heart as the fat in butter.

The bottom line is: If you eat just a little bit and adhere to a heart-healthy diet, it really doesn’t matter whether you choose butter or margarine – providing you don’t have any underlying health problems.

I saved the best for last. Grab any leftover Halloween candy and hang on. Chocolate is good for you; I knew it all along.

Chocolate has large amounts of the plant chemicals that make tea so healthy. In fact, one ounce of chocolate and one cup of brewed tea are neck and neck for these beneficial plant chemicals. Nutritionists do recommend moderation. Right.

I think I’ll invite my mother over for a hot cup of tea and a chocolate bar. After all, eating healthy is its own reward.

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Just in time for Thanksgiving, Partners in Ending Hunger is offering a 10 percent match on all funds raised by Meals for Me during the last week of November. The goal of the organization is to end hunger in Maine. If you would like to participate in this brief fund-raiser and start the giving season early, please make checks payable to Meals for Me Ending Hunger and mail to: Meals for Me, 450 Essex St., Bangor 04401. To qualify for the matching funds, checks must be dated between Friday, Nov. 21, and Monday, Dec. 1.

Carol Higgins is director of communications at Eastern Agency on Aging. For information on EAA, call 941-2865 or log on www.eaaa.org.