My recent posts have been so heavy I think they’ve sent me into a downward spiral. As I mentioned when I started the A-Z blogging challenge, I was willing to just see where my thoughts took me each day. I have not planned a single post in advance, so I wasn’t aware how intense my posts would become.

That’s why today I decided to do something a little more lighthearted. The idea for writing on Nutella (yes, riveting subject I’m sure) came after seeing a commercial touting the fantastic benefits of this hazelnut spread. It was your typical American family packing the kids off to school and getting them to eat their “healthy” breakfast by slathering Nutella on their toast before sending them off for the day.

Really? Is that super sickly sweet spread REALLY healthy? Or this is another advertising ploy? Well, according to the ingredients (thank you Google), Nutella contains the following:

Over 50 Hazelnuts per 13 oz. Jar
• Contains No Artificial Colors
• Contains No Artificial Preservatives

Ingredients: sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced minerals whey (milk), lecithin as emulsifier (soy), vanillin: an artificial flavor.

I guess it doesn’t contain an artificial preservative, but it contains an artificial flavour. Oh well. I’m not really a big fan of the stuff. I seem to remember in Australia you could get it in two different colours – it was a swirly effect with dark and light hazelnuts, I think. Don’t know if you can get it in the states.

Nutella, I guess is a better substitute than chocolate spread that appears to be a great staple in many homes. It looks the same too (same colour I guess). In fact chocolate spread is ubiquitous in Israel, with many parents sending their kids off to school with chocolate spread sandwiches. Now that stuff (especially the Israeli version) is indeed awful.

Israeli chocolate spread vs. Nutella

But, it does remind me of a story my sister told me when her twins were very little and in pre-school. They had been learning all about healthy foods and had filled in their worksheets perfectly, touting the benefits of excellent doses of fruits and vegetables. When my sister went to pick them up, the teacher praised her kids for doing so wonderfully on their homework, but then she said to my sister, “I don’t understand why then, you would send your kids to school with chocolate spread sandwiches.”

My sister was horrified. She said “I would NEVER give my kids chocolate spread. Those sandwiches are filled with Marmite!”

NOT something Israelis know too much about, but a huge Brit/Aussie staple (Marmite, Promite, Vegemite). Looks like chocolate spread I guess, but of course isn’t.