Have you ever been standing in the chocolate aisle at the supermarket staring at all the chocolate and been overwhelmed by choice?
This happened to me recently. I was in the chocolate aisle and I was just standing there staring at all the chocolate. I knew exactly which one I wanted to buy and put it in my basket, but I kept standing there, just looking at it all – there was so much of it. Then it struck me: so many of you love chocolate and feel guilty about eating it, so I thought I’d share with you what I look for when choosing a good quality chocolate.
So let’s talk about CHOCOLATE!!!!!
Yes, that’s right, the stuff we turn to when we are stressed, happy, or for no reason at all except that we feel like it, because let’s face it, it’s pretty darn yummy.
So guess what? Chocolate can be good for you… if you eat the right kind!
Now I am not talking about your regular sugary milk chocolate here. I am talking dark chocolate. The higher the percentage of cacao, the better it is. It will also have a lot less sugar and other additives than the milk chocolate variety.
I like to look at food in stages, where you have good, better, and best, it’s the same when choosing chocolate.
So here are my top tips when choosing chocolate:
Good: Regular dark chocolate
Always choose dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate as it’s very high in sugar and other additives. Be mindful that some bars will say dark chocolate on the packet, but they contain milk solids and are high in sugar.
Better: Dark chocolate with 70%+ cacao
Cacao is high in antioxidants & magnesium, and basically leaves you feeling happy and revitalized
There are so many boutique chocolate brands out there but I use this as a guide and try and tick as many of these as possible.
- 70% cocoa or higher
- Fair Trade
- Non GMO – some manufacturers use GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms), which often is Soy Lecithin. This is an emulsifier which prevents water and fat separating.
- Sugar should NEVER be the first ingredient on the list.
My Top ShopSwaps for 70%+ chocolate are:
Alter Eco Dark Blackout, Green and Blacks 70% and 85% cacao or Lindt 70% & 85%. Available from the supermarket.
There is also Moser Roth, from Aldi.
Best: Raw chocolate, either bought or made yourself
So the best type of chocolate is raw chocolate. You can buy this from the Health food store or online, or make it yourself at home, I’ll be sharing some of my own recipes in a later post.
These are my two favourite raw chocolate brands. You can buy these online or find them in your local health food store.
Loving Earth www.lovingearth.net
I am a big fan of all the Loving Earth products because they have a beautiful philosophy. Their principles are Healthy, Sustainable and Fair. They care about the environment and where and how their ingredients are grown. They are also an Australian company, which is very important to me.
Pana Chocolate www.panachocolate.com
My favourite would be the Sour Cherry which has coconut sugar in it, which I find preferable to Agave syrup used in some of the other flavours.
Above all please enjoy and take pleasure in eating your chocolate. I find that I can only eat small amounts of dark chocolate, and I love putting a small square in my mouth and sucking it till it melts and really savouring the feel and flavour. Seriously, give it a try! Also remember that it is still a sweet treat, so just because cacao has lots of health benefits, it still needs to be eaten in moderation.
I would love to hear from you, so did you find this helpful? Do you have a favourite brand of chocolate? I am always on the look out for better options to share with my community so if you find one that you love, please jump over to my Facebook page and share it with everyone.
Do you sometimes feel like the day is slipping away, and before you know it, it’s nearly lunchtime?
I know what raw food is I hear you say “It’s food that hasn’t been cooked, right? Well, I love my cooked food so I m not going down that route.”