MMW Chocoholic's Guide to All Things Chocolate
By now you’ve probably noticed I’m a little obsessed with chocolate! I mean I dedicated a whole week to the stuff. Since you are reading this I’m going to assume that you are a fellow chocoholic and you also care about the foods that you put in your body. I’ve been on my health and wellness journey for five years now and during this time I’ve learned that the quality of my food, whether it be my daily salad or this weeks cheat meal it needs to come first. One of the largest pitfalls in our nation is choosing foods that are just down right bad for our bodies. I mean everywhere you go you see all these food labels that claim they are low in fat, sugar & carb free, and low calorie but our waistlines are bigger than ever. What if the issue isn’t how much we are eating but it lies in the quality of the foods we are choosing.
This quick and handy guide is just a little sneak peek into how to choose high quality foods that you can feel good about. I decided to keep it simple by taking a look into one of my favorite foods, chocolate.
How to choose your chocolate:
Choose Chocolate that is Organic & Fair Trade - This is one topic I receive lots of questions about. What’s the difference between organic and non organic foods? Why is this important? And what the heck does fair trade even mean? Let’s start with what exactly does organic mean and why it’s so important. Organic foods are conventionally-grown foods that are free from pesticides, preservatives and other chemical additives. They also have more beneficial nutrients and antioxidants that our bodies can readily absorb. The absence of pesticides and fertilizers boost the food’s production of phytochemical (vitamins & antioxidants). Our bodies process and digest foods that are free from these chemicals so much better because the food is in it’s most natural state. If we genuinely care about our overall heath, why would we poison our bodies with foods pumped full of chemicals that kill other organisms.
Now on to Fair Trade. Fair trade ensures fair pricing, living wages and community benefits for farmers and workers as well as their families in developing countries. This aids in promoting education, health care and environmental stability to the farmers producing the foods that we eat. Supporting fair trade foods is a moral decision that I find extremely important. I want to support companies that help provide and care for their hardworking employees in a fair and honest manner. Companies that participate in fair trade make sure that their workers benefit from improved, humane working conditions.
Choose Chocolate that has a High percentage ofCocoa - When choosing chocolate it’s SUPER important to make sure you choose a that has a high cocoa percentage. Chocolate that is darker has powerful antioxidant activity. It has been shown to have a greater antioxidant effect than many high-antioxidant fruits like blueberries and açaí berries (yes chocolate can be healthier than fruit). Several studies have shown that eating dark chocolate can reduce the risk of heard disease. It has also been proven to improve brain function. Chocolate that has a high cocoa percentage is also free or trans fats. Always check your nutrition labels to be sure that the dark chocolate you are choosing is free of trans fats. If trans fats are included then that is not a true dark chocolate. To all my dairy free friend this one’s for you. High-quality dark chocolate should not have any milk added to it. High quality dark chocolate will also have a lower sugar content then other chocolates. Those who have to adhere to a lower glycemic index benefit from eating dark chocolate greatly because of this. A good rule of thumb is to choose dark chocolate that has a cocoa percentage of 70% or higher. So when in doubt the darker the better my friends.
Choose Chocolate That is Free of additives - Choose a chocolate that has a minimal ingredients list. High quality chocolate will only have a few ingredients listed (usually 3-5 ingredients). Some of these ingredients include chocolate liquor or several forms of cocoa listed, such as cocoa powder, cocoa nibs and cocoa butter. All of these are acceptable additions to dark chocolate. Sometimes other ingredients are added to dark chocolate to improve its appearance, flavor and shelf life. Some of these ingredients are harmless, while others can have a negative impact on the overall quality of the chocolate. The fewer ingredients the better.
Why I stand by Santa Barbara Chocolate
Since their start in 1992, Santa Barbara Chocolate has been very transparent about their products. When searching for a high quality chocolate it was so difficult to find a company that laid it all out there for the customer. Santa Barbara Chocolate’s website is filled with resources and information (which i’ve linked below) that explains who they are, where their products are sourced, and how they produce their high quality chocolate. Santa Barbara Chocolate also meets the chocolate criteria listed above. They work with suppliers that are fully accredited with HACCP, UTZ, USDA Organic, NOP Organic, Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance. Their attention to detail paired with their high quality ingredients makes choosing Santa Barbara Chocolate an easy choice.
Reading Resources
Why Santa Barbara Chocolate is The Right Choice
Note:
* This post is sponsored by Santa Barbara Chocolate however I stand by all that I have written in the above post. I would never recommend a product that I personally do not stand by or use. Thank you Santa Barbara Chocolate for giving me this opportunity to spread the word about your amazing chocolate!