Anyone for a Hoodia Chocolate Shake?

Great news! They are now making shakes with Hoodia!

With Hoodia Gordonii now generally accepted by everyone in the weight reduction business as the safest weight loss herb ever from the viewpoint of effectiveness and lack of side effects, it was only a matter of time before the massive confectionary industry saw scope for cashing in on its commercial potential.

And why not? With over half the women in the US now labeled as overweight or clinically obese a drink that is both appetite satisfier and appetite suppressor is an interesting concept.
Sadly, the original consumers of the plant did not have the good fortune to have access to flavorsome chocolate shakes in their austere environment. In fact their need to curb their appetite was to render them, not impervious to the temptations of readily accessible confectionary delights, but rather more able to stave off hunger pang consequential to long periods of food deprivation in the desert.

These were the hardy bushman of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa.

It is however hard to imagine the marriage of a herb utilized in such austere and harsh circumstances to the Deep Dark Chocolate and Creamy Chocolate Almond flavors of our present day indulgences. One is left wondering how such shakes are produced, as is claimed, to contain no added sugar, trans fat or lactose, add up to a mere 80 calories, incorporate the somewhat non-flavorsome Hoodia Gordonii herb but still satisfy the cravings of our current generation of shake and chocolate junkies.

Nonetheless, a spokesman of the Duane Reade stores in the New York claims just that. "We expect excellent reception in the marketplace for retail chains that are looking to upgrade their product lines and expect it will soon be available in many more major chains from coast to coast," claims Arthur Low, Vice President, Marketing Communications, Scientific Response.
Tammy Vaserstein, Creative, Principal, MoxieTM adds that the “rich, dark chocolate-brown labels convey premium indulgence and beautiful photography of chocolate bars and almonds reflect taste and flavor,"

Yes, indeed, the marketing expertise of the shake industry will undoubtedly effectively persuade consumers that that they can now continue to enjoy their gastronomic excesses without risk of expanding their waistline yet further, using the established success and general acceptance of Hoodia as a weight reduction tool.

But, one has to wonder, how will this work? The action of Hoodia is to stop you wanting to eat more, not to enable you to eat the same as before but consume fewer calories. Hmmm… If they can really make shakes that taste like creamy dark chocolate and deep chocolate almonds – one salivates at the very thought of it – without added sugar, trans fat or lactose, why add Hoodia?

Do they really want their consumers to realize half way through their shake that their appetite is now satisfied and they don’t want any more? Or does the name Hoodia now conjure up an image of a low calorie food that one can eat as much of as they like and not put on weight?
I hope not, because that is not what Hoodia is all about

Ian Finlayson is the Webmaster and author of a number of websites and innumerable articles on medicinal and culinary herbs. More information on Hoodia effects, side