It’s not often that we discover a food we think of as decadent and indulgent, is actually good for us. This has probably happened less times than I’ve eaten all the spinach set in front me (clue: less than 5, more than 1). Two such examples that spring to mind are fruit – yes, really, and butter – again, yes really.
Until the 19th-Century, raw fruit was regarded with suspicion. It was special occasion food, not for everyday sustenance. Some childrearing manuals recommended children not be given any fruit until they were five-years-old. Other more liberal, less orthodox guides suggested only well-cooked fruit was passable. Today, the USDA recommends feeding 6-month-old babies mashed banana, and 8-month-old babies soft, fresh fruits such as pears and peaches.
As for butter, we only just weaned ourselves off the stuff, when avant-garde nutritionists and health experts started encouraging us to eat it again. The old guard warned us that with all its saturated fat it would lead to high cholesterol, narrowed arteries, and cardiovascular disease. The argument has gone full circle, and advocates today say butter actually contains nutrients that stave off heart disease – including vitamin A, a vital antioxidant, and lecithin, which helps the body metabolize cholesterol and fats.
Now, I’m going to add another bad-food-turned-good to the list: Chocolate spread, or more precisely, Nutella. Ok, I’m not suggesting that you consider Nutella a health food (as much as I would love to), but what I am saying is that it has been unfairly maligned. Fererro claims it comprises part of a healthy and balanced breakfast; hordes of nay-sayers disagree, and two Californian women are actually suing the makers of Nutella for misrepresenting the spread to them as salubrious, when in fact they were told it resembles candy. When considered in the context of other perfectly permissible breakfast fare such as children’s cereals, or jellies and jam on white Wonder bread, a robust slick of Nutella on a slice of wholewheat toast, trumps the lot. For the full story on why you should feed your kids chocolate spread for breakfast, read my article on Slate.com.
Read the Full Article Here: http://blogs.forbes.com/nadiaarumugam/2011/08/05/why-you-should-feed-your-kids-chocolate-for-breakfast/