Chocolate Good for the Soul
We all know that chocolate is comforting to the soul, but it may also be just as good for your body and mind. In this episode, we discover the good news about this yummy treat!
Episode Transcription
Speaker 1
Good Saturday morning to everybody and welcome to your next chapter, a production of Avery Heights Senior Living Community. Avery Heights is a 43-acre senior living community with a full continuum of care, including independent and assisted living, memory care, and a whole lot more. Now, this show will provide helpful tips and resources for older adults that will empower and encourage you in your life’s journey.
Speaker 1
From topics related to physical and emotional health, to financial health, senior living communities, and a whole lot more. Javon. Hey.
Speaker 1
Good morning. Good morning. How are you?
Speaker 1
I’m great. How was your Thanksgiving?
Speaker 2
It was amazing. Was it really good?
Speaker 1
Turkey, of course.
Speaker 2
Yes, and I cooked. I cooked, yeah.
Speaker 1
Is this something normal that you do in a Sephorella household?
Speaker 2
We’ve been catering it for a while. Oh, pardon me. We used to cook. My son is an amazing cook, but now he’s got kids, you know, grandkids. So now he doesn’t come over to cook.
Speaker 1
They all come over because they want you to cook.
Speaker 2
Now I got to cook. So I’m like, ah. But it’s okay because I used to be the cook, and then he took over for quite a few years. So we did the whole nine yards, the stuffing, the sweet potatoes, the turkey.
Speaker 1
So is it just now your kids and grandkids? Do you bring like cousins over?
Speaker 2
Yeah, my nephew, my sister, my husband’s sister. It was like 17 people. Wow.
Speaker 2
It was crazy. And we have a little house. It’s only 1,100 square feet.
Speaker 2
Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah.
Speaker 1
Where do they all go?
Speaker 2
Well, we do like a buffet. And then so some people are in the living room, some people are in the kitchen. Some people are right near the food.
Speaker 2
Watching the game. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So it’s awesome.
Speaker 2
Yeah, it’s fun. We always play like – I think last year we played like Family Feud. This year we didn’t. We just had like music on and stuff like that.
Speaker 2
But it’s fun.
Speaker 1
Yeah, we do stuff like that as well. I was at my mom’s. She loves hosting Thanksgiving. I did one year.
Speaker 1
Oh, my goodness. This has got to be over 10 years ago. How did it go?
Speaker 1
I didn’t know. This is before I got married. I didn’t know what I was doing.
Speaker 1
I had a girlfriend at the time. She helped. We kind of helped each other out and did it.
Speaker 1
It was okay. Not bad. But I noticed that quickly, my mother, I’ll take Thanksgiving back over again.
Speaker 1
I think that was her nice way of saying. Nice try, but no seagull.
Speaker 2
Did you have an apartment or a house?
Speaker 1
No, it’s still my house. Oh, very nice. Nice. Yeah? Just, what can I say?
Speaker 2
Yeah. It’s fun. I love to cook. I do.
Speaker 1
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, by the way.
Speaker 2
Yes. Actually, fall holidays, Halloween as well. Those are both my favorite.
Speaker 2
You’re a Halloween person. I love Halloween. I mean, when I was a kid, I liked it, of course.
Speaker 2
Well, I got my daughter. She’s 13. That’s right.
Speaker 2
Of course, this Halloween, you know, it’s like, you know, I didn’t, you know, she went out with her friends. They all met at my house. And luckily I’ve got the Life 360 and I’m watching this thing.
Speaker 2
Like where’s, you know. I told her. Life 360 is the app where you can, as long as she has her cell phone on, I can see where she is.
Speaker 1
Really? Yeah. I never heard of this.
Speaker 2
Actually, I was on a tour yesterday and the gentleman, all of a sudden I heard the bloop and I’m like, you have Life 360. He goes, yeah. And then we started talking about his kids and stuff.
Speaker 2
Yeah. It’s a great way. Like I can tell when she gets home.
Speaker 2
Does she know that it’s on there? Like do they have to be aware? She suggested it actually.
Speaker 2
Yeah.
Speaker 1
Wow. I could have put one on my little guy’s phone. Yeah. But he’d have to be aware of it, right?
Speaker 2
Well, yeah. That’s good. You do. There are other apps that they’re. He’s so smart.
Speaker 1
He know how to disengage it. Yeah. You know.
Speaker 2
No, she suggested it. She was like, you know, because it helps me to know. Because I was always like trying to like she felt sometimes she gets home from school.
Speaker 2
She falls asleep. She wants to call me. Yeah.
Speaker 2
But now I can just look at my app and I know she’s home. It’s like a GPS thing. It is a GPS thing.
Speaker 2
Yeah. But it was good for Halloween. You know, who knew the, you know, how it would come in handy.
Speaker 2
Because it’s scary. it’s dark out there. Dark.
Speaker 2
I mean, we have a good neighborhood, but still, it’s kind of like, what’s a good neighborhood though? I mean, nowadays.
Speaker 1
You don’t know who’s in those houses. I bought all this candy for Halloween. Bags.
Speaker 1
Two bags, but they’re gigantic bags. Yeah. 15 people showed up.
Speaker 1
That’s it. Yeah. And they were in groups.
Speaker 1
I probably had five groups of three or some configuration like that. And the odd thing is only one group I recognize the kids. I’m looking at these other kids.
Speaker 1
I’m like, where are you from? Who are you? And it’s like, oh, no, we live down there and around the corner.
Speaker 1
I’m like, all right. Okay. I don’t think I’ve ever seen these kids before in my life.
Speaker 2
I don’t know where they’re from. Yeah, our neighborhood is, I guess, what you call like aged out. Like when my son, my son’s older.
Speaker 2
He’s 29. And so, I mean, all the houses had kids. And I would recognize all the kids because all the neighborhoods all around.
Speaker 2
But now, you know, they’re all empty nesters. And so I don’t recognize any of the kids, you know, except for my own kids.
Speaker 1
The last group of kids that showed up, this guy looks like he could have been in college. Yeah, probably. I’m looking at this guy.
Speaker 1
I’m like, really? Really, dude? And he goes, well, I go, how old are you?
Speaker 1
And he goes, 14. I go, you’re 14. Well, I’ll be 15 in December.
Speaker 2
Yeah.
Speaker 1
You look like you could be in college, buddy.
Speaker 2
Everyone thinks my daughter’s in high school. I’m glad she’s going to high school next year so I can finally say yes. Yeah.
Speaker 2
I remember we were on the beach a couple years ago. She had a UConn sweatshirt on. And some guy came up and he was talking to her.
Speaker 2
He’s like, oh, yeah, so what do you think of UConn? It’s pretty cool. And I’m looking at him like, walk away.
Speaker 2
Walk quickly.
Speaker 1
I’m like, when I was a kid, I remember it was always cold. And the costumes were different back then. So I’d have to have my winter jacket on.
Speaker 1
And I’m like, Mom, I don’t want to do that. Gary, it’s cold outside. But I’m like, no one’s going to see what I am.
Speaker 1
But now it’s warmer than that.
Speaker 2
And even when it’s not, the kids can wear it underneath. And then you’ve got the thermals now, the 32 degrees thermals you can put underneath.
Speaker 1
I was like the Michelin man. I got puffed up.
Speaker 2
Remember those big jackets?
Speaker 1
Remember them? Oh, you kid. How could I forget? I’m traumatized by them.
Speaker 2
I don’t even wear jackets now. I think that’s why.
Speaker 1
I don’t think they make those anymore.
Speaker 2
They do. Actually, yesterday it was very cold. And one of our residents had a huge one.
Speaker 2
I think it was a North Face. I mean, it was cold yesterday. But he was like, I mean, this is a huge.
Speaker 2
It was a huge coat. But they’re nicer now. They’re not as, you know, yeah.
Speaker 1
They’re more stylish.
Speaker 2
Yeah, very stylish, yeah.
Speaker 1
What’s going on over at Avery Heights?
Speaker 2
So we have a lot of education that we do. We talk about, you know, we had the series on Hollywood. So Hollywood, the beginning, how it began.
Speaker 2
And we had a four-week series on that. Tomorrow we’re doing something on mindfulness and gratitude. We got the national parks we did a series on.
Speaker 2
Next year we’re doing a celebrity. Actually, I should probably have you come judge that. We’re doing a celebrity, you know, cooking demonstration.
Speaker 2
And whoever wins, actually that meal will end up on the actual – actually, I should have you cook, I think. Oh, I know. Let me tell you, mother.
Speaker 1
I’ll taste. You need a taster, I’ll do that.
Speaker 2
Yeah. So lots of fun stuff that we have in terms of education. And so just want to let people know that, that there’s – it’s important to work the mind.
Speaker 2
Yeah. Of course. Yeah.
Speaker 1
What do you think? Today’s topic is interesting.
Speaker 2
Yes. Chocolate. Yes.
Speaker 2
It’s part of our promise in the introduction. This is on the physical and emotional health. So chocolate.
Speaker 1
It’s so interesting. I, this is many years ago. I’m divulging now personal story, but it’s kind of funny.
Speaker 1
I had a girlfriend who chocoholic. Yeah. White chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, any kind of chocolate.
Speaker 1
And it really affected her mood. If she wasn’t having a good day, she’d have some chocolate and it would put her in a good mood. Yeah.
Speaker 1
So is chocolate even good for you?
Speaker 2
It is. It’s believed to be high.
Speaker 1
I’m sorry. Let me interrupt you. Does it really also have a psychological effect?
Speaker 2
Yes, it does. Yep. Yeah.
Speaker 1
So it was on the subject.
Speaker 2
Yeah, the serotonin in there. It raises that. That’s why people do it for Valentine’s Day because you give them chocolate.
Speaker 2
They’re eating the chocolate. They get happy and they remember, oh. Is that why?
Speaker 2
Gary gave me these chocolates. I will call him back.
Speaker 1
Make no doubt.
Speaker 2
I won’t ghost him. All right. I will let him come back in the house.
Speaker 1
Flowers, chocolate. Jewelry always does something around Valentine’s Day.
Speaker 2
It does, but I think the chocolate is more longevity to it in terms of remembering it. Because the jewelry, you do, you put it on, you remember, but it’s the psychological effects of it. You say so. Yeah.
Speaker 1
All right. Are there specific types of chocolate that are better for you than others?
Speaker 2
Yes, yes. So it should be 70% Keiko should have it. So the first ingredients on the chocolate should be chocolate or keiko or cocoa.
Speaker 2
If that’s not the first high fructose corn syrup, that’s not the chocolate. Usually, I think it’s, I hope I pronounced this right, Jaredelli chocolate, Godiva chocolate. Those are where you’re going to get, yeah.
Speaker 2
So 70 or above what they say keiko level is what you need to have.
Speaker 1
Godiva is not cheap though.
Speaker 2
No, no. And you don’t need a lot. It’s one to two ounces, one to two ounces. I know it’s like this is all comes from like the blue zones, the blue zones of happiness where you have those places.
Speaker 2
There’s nine places in the world where people live healthy, and these are the things that they do. So it’s going back to that red wine. Sometimes when I do these presentations, they’re like, oh, red wine.
Speaker 2
I’m like, no, no. You’re not partying. You’re not going to wake up the next day and not remember what you did. This is a little shot glass of red wine every day, and that’s it.
Speaker 2
And that helps your blood and your flowing and so forth. So the same thing with chocolate. It’s just one to two ounces.
Speaker 1
I love red wine. I’m craving red wine, and now I’m hungry. I want chocolate. But I don’t want a Hershey bar. No, no.
Speaker 2
You want the higher – and generally it’s not too bad. You can get that at like Big Y or something. It’s not too, too bad.
Speaker 1
Like Munson’s or –
Speaker 2
Maybe. You got to watch. You got to read.
Speaker 2
And I think they have the little ingredients labels where you can see. And you want to have that, again, that high level of Keiko. But the first ingredient should be – it shouldn’t like – you shouldn’t have it with raspberry filling, which they’re delicious by the way, or marshmallow filling.
Speaker 2
That’s not what we’re talking about. But Munson’s does sell chocolate, just the pure chocolate. No, no.
Speaker 1
I want to reach this peanut butter cup right now.
Speaker 2
No, no. No.
Speaker 1
Yeah.
Speaker 2
That is not going to do it.
Speaker 1
You got your chocolate in my peanut butter. You got your peanut butter in my chocolate. Two great tastes in one. Oh, I’m sorry. I’m going off.
Speaker 2
It has to have, because what this does is that it’s a high levels of antioxidants. And that helps, obviously, to protect your cells. It protects the damage.
Speaker 2
And it helps to help from inflammation. It helps to have your brain function. It beats your immune system.
Speaker 2
Your cardiovascular health. How much?
Speaker 1
How much do you eat of this? I mean.
Speaker 2
One to two ounces. Yeah.
Speaker 1
That’s it?
Speaker 2
That’s it. Every day, though. Every day. just a little bit that’s all you need and it does all that it does all that
Speaker 1
you said there’s some health reasons to eat chocolate yeah definitely
Speaker 2
so it can lower your blood pressure there’s a substance in the chocolate called flavanols or flavonoids and that’s actually the antioxidant it produces antioxidants and that’s the cocoa at work it prevents liver damage it keeps your heart healthy it makes you feel good like we talked about the valentine’s day it has the mood lifting chemicals in the brain that serotonin that kind of lift you up and make you feel good It boosts your brain power. So that improves your blood flow. So a lot of people actually think it helps with mild cognitive impairment because it’s that blood flow that’s getting to the brain and improves your cognitive function in older adults, which is great.
Speaker 2
And it renovates your blood cells. It kind of helps with your cells and all that stuff. I’m not a doctor, so don’t ask any deep questions on any of that.
Speaker 1
You’re justifying no reason for me to go out and have some chocolate, some high-quality chocolate.
Speaker 2
High-quality chocolate. Yeah, just a little bit. Yep, it’s good for you. That’s good for you.
Speaker 1
How about for your teeth?
Speaker 2
Actually, it’s funny. It is good for your teeth. What it does is there are chemicals that help to fight the bacteria and the organisms in your mouth.
Speaker 2
So it can neutralize. And so it helps with bad breath. And it helps with your enabble.
Speaker 2
And it helps with your cavities as well. Believe it or not. I know.
Speaker 2
But again, it’s just a little bit. Come on. You can’t sit there with your Halloween candy bag.
Speaker 2
It’s just a little bit. Yeah.
Speaker 1
It doesn’t cause cavities. You’re saying it helps with cavities.
Speaker 2
Everything in moderation. Just like with the wine. If you’re drinking the whole bottle, that’s not the point.
Speaker 2
It’s just a little shot glass. So don’t go home and go, Saban said, with your bag of chocolate in your bottle of wine. And Saban said.
Speaker 1
I’m going to say, you just justified it for me.
Speaker 2
I’m going to get calls from your family, from your loved ones. What did you tell him?
Speaker 1
I’m believing. I’m taking that ball. I’m running with it as far as I can go.
Speaker 1
Bringing in some chocolates this week. High quality chocolates. The Ghirardellis.
Speaker 1
Yeah. Or Jared Delly. The Godiva.
Speaker 1
Oh, Godiva’s. Oh, that’s number one on my list. Yeah, that store. But Godiva’s, they’re moving out of the United States though, right?
Speaker 1
Really? Yeah, they’re closing down. There’s not a Godiva in the mall anymore.
Speaker 2
Yeah.
Speaker 1
They closed.
Speaker 2
I think it’s all stores. I think it’s challenging. I mean, I think Amazon just makes it super challenging.
Speaker 2
I mean, I try to go to the mall to shop now and you just can’t. And then you go online and you have all the selection. Even like, you know, store, any of the department stores. Like they have the, you know, four or five dresses there.
Speaker 2
And then you go online and it’s all there. I mean, you have it. I just, I really think that shopping in stores is just going to, I mean, retail just struggles.
Speaker 2
You know, so sad when Lord & Taylor closed in the mall. I mean.
Speaker 1
Look at all the jobs that are being lost.
Speaker 2
Yeah. And the mall just has weird hours. You ever go to the mall now? It’s like some stores open at 10, some stores open at 11, some stores don’t, you know, don’t open at all.
Speaker 1
And the leases there are sky high. Yeah.
Speaker 2
Sometimes the clothes, you go there, you know, oh, the mall closed at 930. Well, be careful because you’ll go there and half the stores will be closed.
Speaker 1
in the 80s when I was a teen. We used to hang out
Speaker 2
at the mall. Yeah. Yeah. I won’t tell you the restaurant there didn’t do a lot of carting.
Speaker 2
I’m just saying. The restaurant you went to? The restaurant at the mall didn’t do a lot of carting.
Speaker 2
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m just saying. I’m just saying.
Speaker 2
You go to the movie theater and you watch Rocky Horror or Pink Floyd. Yeah. I saw the first Star Wars there. Now I’m dating myself, right?
Speaker 1
Yeah. That was in the late 70s.
Speaker 2
Well, you don’t have to say.
Speaker 1
We all know when Star Wars
Speaker 2
Not everyone.
Speaker 1
Remember Tom McCann and the pie plate?
Speaker 2
Buster Browns.
Speaker 1
Buster Browns. Oh, Brown Derby.
Speaker 2
I was singing Buster Browns to my stepdaughter the other day, and she’s looking at me like she was talking about shoes. And I was like, get a Buster Browns. Like the neatest shoes in the town.
Speaker 2
I do. I do. They’re Buster Browns.
Speaker 2
She had no idea. She’s like, what is wrong with you? She goes, it’s a nice jingle.
Speaker 1
Tom McCann.
Speaker 2
Tom McCann. Yeah. Those are the stores. Yeah.
Speaker 1
There’s probably some non-benefits to chocolates.
Speaker 2
Yes, yes, definitely. So lots of sugar. So that’s why you got to be careful on that content.
Speaker 2
If it says high fructose corn syrup or sugar is the first ingredient, you don’t want that. You want cocoa, cacao, or chocolate to be the first ingredient. Diabetes.
Speaker 2
There are some studies that say that it helps with diabetes. Again, the moderation. But obviously, if you’re eating too much of it, it’s going to hinder you.
Speaker 2
Anxiety. Obviously, it’s got some caffeine in it, so it can cause you to have anxiety. weight gain again but it’s funny because there’s some studies that shows that you can lose weight
Speaker 1
again it’s the way you do it it’s it’s i want to see this i want these studies you want this i want
Speaker 2
the study i will send you the links um and but you should test it out too you know um to see if it’s good for you just because i’m saying all these things i remember someone told me i should drink a coca-cola for my migraines and oh my gosh it made my migraine worse it just it just made it oh it just heightened it so for me that doesn’t work and then someone’s oh drink a cup of coffee Right. I’ve heard that. Doesn’t work for me. Doesn’t work for me. Green tea works for me. That caffeine and green tea is the right kind of caffeine. So what I’m saying is test it out. Try it for a couple of days, a little bit of chocolate. And if you’re having the negative results, don’t get discouraged because there’s all the genetic testing now where you can figure out what medicine is good for you, what is good for you. For me, I know my blood type doesn’t do well with whole wheat sometimes or white flour. So you have to really, we’re all individuals. That’s what we’re learning now.
Speaker 2
We’re not robots. We’re not one size fits all. So be careful and test it out.
Speaker 2
And then if it doesn’t work for you, then chocolate’s not your thing.
Speaker 1
Well, white chocolate. Don’t cry. No.
Speaker 2
You look so sad. I want chocolate to be my thing. Not white chocolate, no. White chocolate? Dark chocolate.
Speaker 1
I love – that’s my favorite.
Speaker 2
Dark chocolate’s the key. Yeah.
Speaker 1
Love dark chocolate.
Speaker 2
I don’t even know who invented white chocolate.
Speaker 1
What is that?
Speaker 2
I like it. I actually like it.
Speaker 1
It’s okay. Look, if I had to eat it, if it was here in front of me, I would eat it. But it would be my first choice if you had all these different chocolates. It would be my last.
Speaker 2
I like white chocolate macadamia and nut cookies, the Petritch Farm ones, the soft ones.
Speaker 1
You have to talk about food. My stomach was growling a long ago.
Speaker 2
I’m always talking about food.
Speaker 1
I know.
Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1
What’s Tim up to right now?
Speaker 2
I don’t recall him.
Speaker 1
Stop there on my way home.
Speaker 2
Yeah. Tim! We should be on Uber Eats, yeah.
Speaker 1
Actually, you could stop there on your way home. I know I could. I live pretty close to it as it is.
Speaker 2
Just call first. Don’t scare me.
Speaker 1
Folks, you are – this is too funny. You’re listening to your next chapter, a production of Avery Heights Senior Living Community, along with Siobhan Seffirelli. I’m Gary Byron.
Speaker 1
Okay. Why then – is there a psychological reason to this? Why do we crave chocolate?
Speaker 2
Yeah, it’s like any kind of craving. It’s something’s lacking in our body. I had a friend of mine that actually used to – she stayed over at my house for a while.
Speaker 2
She used to go outside and eat dirt. And I’m like, what is going on? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2
Her body was craving something because she was lacking in some type of nutrients, iron. I think it’s an iron deficiency. It makes you crave dirt.
Speaker 2
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2
So the same thing with chocolate. It’s something that’s missing in your body. And because of that, you have a strong craving for chocolate.
Speaker 2
Usually, it’s like a magnesium deficiency that you might be having. Yeah.
Speaker 1
I get that with coffee.
Speaker 2
Yeah. Yeah. I crave coffee.
Speaker 2
Yeah. Yeah. And sometimes that is because you’ve had it for so long.
Speaker 2
It’s like anything. So your body, now it needs it. It needs to have it.
Speaker 1
Yeah.
Speaker 2
When did it get so popular, chocolate? So chocolate became popular way back in the 17th century. But it was only for royalty.
Speaker 2
And that’s like anything, right? Anything. It’s like the iPhone, right?
Speaker 2
We didn’t even hear the iPhone until it was iPhone 3. That’s right. Because it’s for people that have money.
Speaker 2
So it was for royalty. And it actually was for medicine back in the day. It wasn’t used for sweets or Valentine’s Day.
Speaker 2
It was actually for medicinal purposes. Yeah. It’s like ketchup.
Speaker 2
Ketchup was invented for medicinal purposes. If you look that up, yeah. Ketchup originally was – I can’t remember what it was for, but it was for medicinal purposes.
Speaker 1
I never even heard that.
Speaker 2
Yeah. Yeah. Ketchup was – that’s how it was – yeah.
Speaker 2
That’s not like an old wives tale, is it? I think it was for your stomach. I think it was for like diarrhea.
Speaker 2
No, it’s not. Yes. What does ketchup have to do with diarrhea?
Speaker 2
It’s something with the mixture of it, with the tomatoes and the vinegar. Talk about sugar. There’s a lot of sugar in it.
Speaker 2
Yeah, yeah. But I think that’s what it was for originally. And now we use it on fries.
Speaker 1
Oh, yeah.
Speaker 2
And our stomach doesn’t hurt after, right?
Speaker 1
No. In fact, I want more ketchup.
Speaker 2
Exactly. Yeah. What about something like hot chocolate?
Speaker 2
No, stop it. With whipped cream and sprinkles? Sure.
Speaker 1
I didn’t say that. You said that.
Speaker 2
You might as well add all that.
Speaker 1
Or chocolate sauce that you put on ice cream. Can you melt this chocolate and can you get the same effects on it?
Speaker 2
Oh, that’s anything that you’re, what is it, compromising the integrity of it. Don’t I sound cool? I sound cool today.
Speaker 2
Compromising the integrity of it can decrease its value. I’m going to start charging you. I’m charging you now.
Speaker 1
Book of knowledge over here.
Speaker 2
I’ve learned a lot in my 21 years of senior living around lots of nurses and doctors. What you know about chocolate alone. I do a whole presentation on it.
Speaker 2
You probably could. Yeah, it’s really fun. You might get hired.
Speaker 2
Yeah, it’s really fun.
Speaker 1
I’m craving chocolate as I sit here talking with you.
Speaker 2
What else can you do with chocolate, though? Well, actually, it’s funny. The other day, what did I make my daughter?
Speaker 2
It actually was really good. I actually melted chocolate, and I made her like this little dish with the chocolate, and I melted it on top of the whipped cream, and she loved strawberries. That’s what I did.
Speaker 2
I cut up a bunch of strawberries, and then I put the whipped cream on top, and then it just looks so plain. But I don’t have a lot of sweets in the house on purpose so that we don’t have it. So she had Halloween candy.
Speaker 2
So I went and got the Hershey’s and I melted it and I sprinkled it on top. And she was very happy. So they were little kids.
Speaker 2
I love the way they eat. For some reason, they just get it all over their mouths. She’s going to kill me, actually, now that I’m saying this.
Speaker 2
But I go right back to you can’t have much of it.
Speaker 1
Everything is in moderation. Yes. This is a small quantity.
Speaker 2
Yes, very small.
Speaker 1
And now we do a small quantity. It’s the finer chocolates. Yes. Not the Hershey chocolate. No. Or the Nestle chocolate.
Speaker 2
No, no, no.
Speaker 1
No, no.
Speaker 2
And you have to be careful too because like I said, your body type might not be able to handle it. You might not be able to do it.
Speaker 1
Is there any study that seniors gravitate more towards chocolates than the youth or?
Speaker 2
I don’t know. I think for my daughter it’s funny because she struggles like we all do. I struggle with my weight.
Speaker 2
Everyone does. And so I do. I do.
Speaker 1
I do.
Speaker 2
And so she actually, but she moderates herself now. I think kids are different. I mean, she’s 13 and she’ll, you know, she still has her big bag of candy.
Speaker 2
I know when I was her age and if I, you know, trick or treating, that stuff would be gone. I mean, you figure out, you know, this is way back in October 30th. I mean, it would probably be gone the next week.
Speaker 2
But for her, you know, she’ll even say to me, oh, you know, I had a ginger ale today or I had chocolate today or even, you know, the strawberry thing. You know, it’s kind of strawberries are healthy. I didn’t add sugar to the strawberries, which was good.
Speaker 2
So it’s kind of healthy. Oh, I did sprinkle raw sugar on top of it. It was so pretty.
Speaker 2
I took a picture of it with the chocolate serve. But even that, like, you know, she’ll have that one night, but she won’t the next day. She won’t have dessert or even for two days.
Speaker 2
She’ll say, no, I had dessert a couple of days ago. So I think, yeah, I think anything in moderation. And I think we have to teach our kids that.
Speaker 2
I think there’s a lot of, you know, overindulgence, I think. And I think the world, you know, can teach you that. I mean, through commercials and so forth.
Speaker 2
And, you know, it’s, you know, be happy and do whatever you want. I think we have to teach ourselves moderation. I think it tastes better, you know, if you’re not every day.
Speaker 2
You know, after a while, it’s just you’re just eating it. You’re not really even enjoying it. You’re just putting it in your mouth.
Speaker 2
And so I think moderation is key. And to your point, do older adults indulge more? I think so because they didn’t learn moderation.
Speaker 2
See, I brought that full circle. I got a little bit on my soapbox. You’re on fire this morning, Jamal.
Speaker 1
Oh, my goodness. I’m just winding you up and letting you go.
Speaker 2
Exactly. So that’s why older adults, I think, eat more and don’t have as much, I don’t want to say self-control, but in some sense that discipline because they weren’t raised on that moderation and raised on that mentality.
Speaker 1
I want to integrate this now within Avery Heights. Does Tim have this type of chocolate, this high-end chocolate available at his disposal? Is it out in the foyer? In our store.
Speaker 2
Well, we actually have – we do have the other chocolate in our store too.
Speaker 1
That’s not the chocolate you’re talking about. But we do, yeah.
Speaker 2
But we do have the high-end stuff there. And Tim really does pay attention to dietary. It’s all low-sodium, low-sugar.
Speaker 2
Well, that makes sense. Yeah, and he has lots of options. Because it is restaurant style, so a waitress will come over and wait on you.
Speaker 2
So it’s really – it’s nice and it’s fancy. However, that waitress is still aware – a waiter is still aware of the dietary needs of that particular residence. because we have those listed in the back.
Speaker 2
And so it’s more than just a waiter or a waitress. They have to be trained in a way that they can kind of respectfully memorize it but also respectfully tell the person, you know, maybe here’s another suggestion. Maybe this is better for you.
Speaker 2
And people can eat whatever they want. But obviously we want our residents to be healthy and happy at the same time. And so it’s just suggestions.
Speaker 2
You know, they might point out something else on the menu.
Speaker 1
No, Mr. Smith, that wouldn’t abide by your low-sodium diet. Yeah. So they would, wow.
Speaker 2
Yeah, and then you talk about yourself, just like I just did. I was talking about my daughter and how we all struggle, but I struggle too. We all struggle with our weight. And then you guys look at me. You’re looking at me again.
Speaker 1
I’m telling you. Yeah, maybe because you need to put a couple of pounds on. Maybe you need more sugar and more chocolate.
Speaker 1
Eat more sugar. Or not sugar, chocolate. I’m confusing the two.
Speaker 1
Because it’s not sugar that is the chocolate that you’re referring to. No, it’s the cocoa.
Speaker 2
It’s the cacao. Cacao, cacao. Actually, it’s neat because according to my doctor, and this is what I love about nowadays, is that if you get the right doctor, they’re not generalizing.
Speaker 2
So when they look at your labs, they’re not going, oh, you’re this, you’re that, you’re this pound. As a woman who’s in her 50s, who wears your height, you should weigh this. And I got that my whole life, and I could never achieve that weight.
Speaker 2
What I love now is that my doctor looks at me and she goes, you’re good. Or she might say, you need to put on a couple of pounds.
Speaker 1
So you struggled with your weight at one time.
Speaker 2
Oh, yeah. Well, struggling in the other. It was very thin.
Speaker 2
Yeah. And there’s always that. But there was always that thing where every time I went, it was like, oh, you should be 130 pounds.
Speaker 2
You’d be 130 pounds. And I eat. You can ask my husband.
Speaker 2
We went on our first date. And he was just like, oh, this is going to be a nice, cheap date. Because we had this whole table filled with sushi.
Speaker 2
I got appetizers at a Mame. Then we went for dessert. And he was like, and he tells this story all the time.
Speaker 2
He was like, yeah, very, very deceiving. Yeah. He’ll tell people.
Speaker 2
She eats, you know.
Speaker 1
My dentist, same thing. The guy’s about 160 pounds wet.
Speaker 2
Yeah. It’s a metabolism. It’s a different metabolism. And that’s, yeah. He’s bony.
Speaker 1
Yeah. And I see the guy. I’m like, next time I come, I’m bringing you a sandwich.
Speaker 1
And he laughs. Yeah. And his wife works there with him.
Speaker 1
She goes, Gary, you should see him eat every day. eats more than what he burns it off. It’s neat to
Speaker 2
I’m jealous. I love the fact that he laughs about it and it’s neat to be able to laugh about it. That’s what’s nice is that you can laugh. As you get older, you can laugh when people… My metabolism, does it slow down
Speaker 1
your metabolism as you age? Yes.
Speaker 2
Mine is slowed down. Mine is slowed down. Mine is too. I don’t eat any different.
Speaker 2
Breakfast is key. Just a little bit of breakfast. It doesn’t even have to be a lot. People skip breakfast all the time and they shouldn’t.
Speaker 1
You’ve justified me.
Speaker 2
I’m having my chocolate. Dr. Saban.
Speaker 1
Listen, Doc, I’m having more chocolate. Now I have reason to, medically speaking. 1.2 ounces.
Speaker 1
You’re going to get me in trouble. Whatever. Whatever.
Speaker 1
I’m there. Folks, you have been listening to the latest edition of your next chapter, Senior Living with Avery Heights. For more information on today’s topic, chocolate, simply go to your refrigerator and pull out some Ghirardelli.
Speaker 1
Oh, man. Godivas. I’m sorry.
Speaker 1
I’m fantasizing here. Call the number 866-537-1444. I mean it.
Speaker 1
This was… Did you hear my stomach growling? I should take patience.
Speaker 1
I really should. You really should. I want to be your first.
Speaker 1
The first three callers will receive a special chocolate bar with your lunch and a tour at Avery Heights. Again, write this phone number down. 866-537-1444.
Speaker 1
Good stuff. I’m going to have a chocolate right now. Folks, for Siobhan Sefarelli, I’m Gary Byron.
Speaker 1
Thank you so much for listening to your next chapter, Senior Living with Avery Hight. Until next weekend, have a good one, everybody. So long.
Speaker 1
Legenda Adriana Zanotto