If I had to dream up my ultimate dream job it would be to eat chocolate AND get paid for doing it. Well, I think I’ll be turning in my 2-weeks notice because a team of British researchers are recruiting participants for a study that involves eating chocolate daily for one full year all in the name of science. The purpose of the study is to investigate any effects gained from consuming flavenoids, the compound found in chocolate since flavenoids have been found to reduce the risk of heart disease among certain people.

Unfortunately for me, two of the requirements for the study are that you must be past menopause with type 2 diabetes. If you know of anyone who fits the profile, loves chocolate and also has the good-hearted intention of furthering medical research, check out this call for study participants.

I would be very curious to speak with these 150 ladies one year from now and see if their love of chocolate has dwindled or stayed steady. You must wonder if the guilt is taken away and the ingestion of each bar is consumed out of necessity rather than free-will, how will our brains and emotions respond to that? Will we derive the same pleasure from it? Or will our sweet, endorphin-releasing indulgence be reduced to a mere required routine that is enjoyed a bit more than the daily habit of brushing our teeth or taking our multi?

What do you predict for these ladies?

Last week I reported on the resistance of chain restaurants in New York to post sensible disclosure of their food’s nutritional information. Well, Health magazine has taken the proactive approach and published a list of 10 top choices, when they could find restaurants willing to divulge their nutritional information.

Backed by a panel of experts, Health magazine went through 43 chains that matched the criteria of having more than 75 locations across the U.S. Here are the top 10 (with some interesting surprises):

1. Uno’s (yeah, the deep pan pizza place)- The home of the deep pan pizza also has a penne bolognese with just 16 grams of fat.

2. Sweet Tomatoes- While all-you-can-eat buffets aren’t normally thought to be healthy, Sweet Tomatoes has all kinds of healthy options at their salad bar, and even some at their soup bar.

3. Ruby Tuesday- While Ruby Tuesday is home to a number of beef burgers and fried food options, you can also order a veggie or turkey burger.

4. P.F. Chang’s- Chinese takeout packs some serious caloric punch. But if you can go to a higher end option such as P.F. Chang’s, you have better options like the carb-free vegetarian lettuce wraps.

5. Bob Evans- The well-known greasy breakfast haven also has plenty of low-carb, low-fat entrees.

6. Mimi’s Cafe- This café-style restaurant has some healthy options, like the chicken & fruit.

7. Romano’s Macaroni Grill- The Italian chain has plenty of refined carb choices, but there’s also the Italian sorbetto and biscotti: just 330 calories and 4 grams of fat.

8. Chevy’s Fresh Mex- High sodium counts are always a concern when dining out, but Chevy’s lives up to the “Fresh” in its name. Grilled Fish Tacos are a better option than a thick cheesy burrito.

9. Olive Garden- Like Macaroni Grill, there are plenty of pasta options to lead you astray. But there are also choices like the low-fat capellini pomodoro (644 calories and 14 grams fat).

10. Denny’s- This is probably the biggest surprise of them all, but the same place where you get sausage and pancakes, offers grilled-chicken-breast salad, or even tilapia with rice and veggies. Each have less than 15 grams of fat.

Check out the article at CNN.com for details as to why these establishments made the grade.t

Wednesday, April 30, be sure to pack comfortable walking shoes for work- and maybe skip the suit. Blue Cross and Blue Shield has announced its annual National Walk @ Lunch Day event- encouraging people across the country to leave their cubes, desks and drawn-out meetings that leave you sitting and stationary for hours on end, to enjoy a walk with co-workers.

“Physical activity is vital to the well-being of all Americans. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, such as a moderate walk, at least five times a week can result in significant health benefits, such as lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and improving the health of muscles, bones, and joints.” - From the BCBS site

Find out if your employer is sponsoring this event- and if not, grab your favorite co-workers for a walk and enjoy the fresh Spring weather outside.

To add insult to injury- Oklahoma City/Tulsa showed up as the number one “junk food obsessed city” on a new Forbes list. Correct me if I’m wrong- but aren’t Taco Bell tacos junk food? Even if they are on a “healthier” menu?

I’m not trying to beat-up on Oklahoma City today. I love that city- I went to college at OU. It’s heartbreaking to see how poor the health is due to obesity, 27% of the population according to this Forbes report.

Also on the list:
1. Memphis
2. Birmingham
3. San Antonio
5. Detroit
9. Kansas City
13. New Orleans
16. Atlanta

While the Oklahoma City Mayor, Mick Cornett, is encouraging his city to lose a million pounds and get off the list of fattest cities in the US, there seem to be a lot of obstacles. Allowing Taco Bell to partner with the OKC Million Pound Challenge seems like one that could have been avoided. Oklahoma City should stand as an example for the many other cities it shares a place with on the obesity list.

What do you think about the cities on the list? Are weight loss efforts taking place in your own hometown? What do you think about Taco Bell partnering with OKC?

Somehow that just doesn’t quite sound right, but it’s true. Today’s Daily Oklahoman has a half-page advertisement from Taco Bell tying into the Mayor’s million pound challenge. Since we don’t really seem to be doing too well (average of 4.02 lbs lost over four months), Taco Bell is offering a little motivation. “When the milestone of 100,000 pounds is reached, we’ll give a FREE Fresco Taco to everyone in OKC!”

Taco Bell offers a Fresco menu with nine items under 9 grams of fat that is advertised on the home page of the OKC Million. If you sign up for the challenge, there’s a coupon to get a Fresco taco now. That would make two Fresco tacos, one now and one when Oklahoma loses 100,000 lbs.

I’ll leave it up to the experts to figure out whether nutritional values of the company’s Fresco menu is good or bad for dieters, but I think I better stay away for now. It’s just too hard to stop at just one!