Ahh, the power of chocolate to boost your energy & mood

Stopping at the halfway house on a recent round of golf, I was looking for a quick energy fix besides Red Bull and a six pack. An admitted chocoholic, I grabbed the chocolate-flavored Performance Energy PowerBar.

Though a bit chewy, it wasn’t bad. Didn’t taste like sawdust or soap and didn’t contain the explosive powers of Fiber One bars. Checking the wrapper stats I learned it was low in fat and packed 45 grams of carbs, 8 grams of protein and 240 calories tallying up to about 4 Weight Watcher points. It also contained a fair amount of other things like iron, calcium, and vitamin C.

All health bars are not equal. Read the fine print. Some have very little besides sugar and sodium. A quick glance at a half of a 3 oz Pro Bar reveals 180 calories, 10% of your daily fat, 7.5% iron, 23 grams of carbs, and 3grams of fiber. Not bad, but who can eat just half a bar?

A package (two bars/1.5 oz) Nature’s Valley Oats ‘N Honey, one of my old staples, also has 180 calories, about the same amount of fat as half a Pro Bar, but a whopping 10 times the amount of sodium (160 mg).

Chocolate on the other hand, besides tasting sinfully like dessert has been called an antidepressant, tonifier, stimulant, euphoriant, even an aphrodisiac. The same amount of a pure Lindt 70% dark chocolate bar, has but 110 calories, about 18% of your daily fat, and not much sodium (10 mg).

Like wine, chocolate has some very interesting properties. For starters it contains theobromine and phenylethylamine which kicks off chemical reactions in the brain, revving up mood-lifting endorphins — kind of the same sense of excitement you have when you are falling in love. Said simply, it lifts your spirits, a good thing if you’re having a god-awful round .

Go for the dark chocolate . It contains antioxidants, which prevent the formation of bad cholesterol and with its high levels of phenolics, polyphenols (including flavonoids), and stearic acid, it may also reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, rheumatism, and arthritis. Scientists even suggest that dark chocolate has a stronger anti-oxidant effect than red wine and tea.

A miracle food.

And here’s an idea. If you’re looking for a great ice breaker for golf outings, why not a chocolate tasting? Chocolate tastings are not only fun, but are terrific for team-building programs as well as conferences, holiday parties or anytime for that matter. Hey, the Mayans knew that some 2,000 years ago when chocolate was revered as the “food of the gods.”

Forest Gump? He also knows things.

For information on tastings: get “Tastings Club” by Dina Cheney (DK Publishing 2006; $22) www.dinacheney.com