You don’t have to give up chocolate to be healthy! This may sound like music to your ears, but before running out for the Valentine’s candy keep in mind that choosing the right type makes all the difference. With February being “heart health” month and Valentine’s Day less than a week away, chocolate is on the mind and shopping list of many. So with a little education you can set out to the chocolate aisle making a delicious choice that may actually benefit your heart in more ways than one. What do we look for?
Good quality organic chocolate containing at least 70% cacao holds nutrients that can include protein, fiber, magnesium, flavonoids, antioxidants, and less added sugar. Even the fat in real cocoa butter has health benefits, as the saturated fats are balanced with oleic acid, which is a heart healthy monounsaturated fat. It’s re-educating ourselves on what to look for in making those delicious healthier choices. Before I discovered there was a healthier version, my favorite was chocolate truffles from the local specialty chocolate Shoppe savoring them one chocolate a day, while trying to keep from eating the entire small box in one sitting.
What I’ve learned since those days… when choosing the right chocolate you can indulge in just a small piece and walk away feeling satisfied. Let’s get clear on which chocolates fit the bill…
The chocolate candy bars that many of us are familiar actually have little real chocolate in them, and are typically filled with various forms of processed sugars, fats, dairy, and artificial flavors (culprits for craving more). Due to increased public awareness, some companies like Hershey, are getting on board with removing the artificial flavors, colors, & GMO’s in the next year or so. This will definitely be an improvement, but having real, 70%+ cacao from the beans as the first ingredient makes a big difference too. When you add the cocoa butter, organic raw cane sugar and vanilla from vanilla beans you have a much healthier chocolate that actually has some of the health benefits I mentioned with less overall sugar, leaving those unsatisfied feelings behind.
What should you look for on the ingredient panel?
- Organic Cacao beans
- Cocoa butter
- Raw organic sugar
- Pure vanilla beans or vanilla extract
Ingredients to avoid…
- High fructose corn syrup
- vanillin (an artificial flavor)
- artificial flavor
- artificial colorings
- partially hydrogenated oil
So where are these wonderful chocolates found? Many supermarkets are now carrying some of the high quality organic chocolate bars in the specialty chocolate section. If you can’t locate them in yours, you can definitely find them in the health food co-ops, and specialty health food stores. Just check the ingredients, look for preferably 70% cacao, and enjoy!
