“Maybe you should say goodbye to Mr. Lindt.”

With that pronouncement four years ago, a registered dietician named Meg pointed me toward improved eating habits and better weight control.

Why did Meg give me that particular bit of advice? I had just described my current diet to her, a regime filled with sweet indulgences. Half of a large Lindt Dark Chocolate Bar was an almost daily afternoon treat.

I mostly followed meg’s recommendation, substituting some string cheese and a piece of fruit for my 2:00 pm snack. But I didn’t give Mr. Lindt a total heave-ho. Instead, I limited my consumption to one square piece from the bar each day, taking 10 days to daintily consume what I had previously devoured in two. I found a way to have my chocolate and eat it, too.

The health reputation of dark chocolate pogos, first up and then down. Are the flavanols it contains heart healthy, or is this counterbalanced by the deleterious effects of the sugar and fats the chocolate contains? Does dark chocolate trigger migraines? Every “pro” has its “con.”

Today I was hit with more chocolatey bad news. If the sugar doesn’t get you, the metal will. An article in today’s New York Times reports on studies indicating that dark chocolate may contain high levels of lead and cadmium.

“So what?” you say. Well, lead and cadmium aren’t particularly healthy, especially for young kids, pregnant women, and nursing moms. Lots of organs can be targets, including bones, kidneys, and the nervous system.

So I got a little nervous. Even though I am not a kid, am not pregnant, and am not nursing, had those years of heavy Lindt consumption done some internal damage? Was my one square a day just adding to my BLCQR (body-lead-cadmium-quantification-ratio)? Was my nervous system going to degenerate before (or behind) my very eyes?

Fortunately, the NYT article included a link to a chart from an organization called As You Sow. The chart lists the amounts of cadmium and lead found in over 450 chocolate concoctions.

I did a search for my favorite Lindt Dark Chocolate with A Touch of Sea Salt bars. My mood was sweetened by the results of my search. The chart indicated that the amount of toxic metal within each serving of my fav was lower than the California Maximum Allowable Dose Level.

Does this mean my present consumption is safe? I’m not sure. I just know that I am going to continue to enjoy my Lindt and forget about the risk of transmuting my kidney, bones, etc. into heavy metal toxic dump sites.

I’m sorry Meg. You were a well-meaning dietician, but I’ll never say goodbye to Mr. Lindt–at least until the next negative article comes along.