The Truth About Chocolate

Chocolate has gained a reputation as a healthy and tasty treat. Indeed chocolate has some health benefits, but they largely depend on the type of chocolate you’re eating.

Organic Chocolate

Most of the chocolate bars and treats on the market are not organic, which means they are grown with chemical pesticides and often irradiated. Cocoa, just like cotton, is a heavily sprayed crop. Organic chocolate is free of added heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides.

Look for fair-traded product to ensure proper working conditions for the farming families and communities, while supporting sustainable farming methods and the environment.

Raw Chocolate

Chocolate power is made from grinding raw cacao beans, the bean of a tropical plant native to South America. Actually, it was the ancient Mayans who discovered the cacao bean as a delicious and energizing food. Hence, they called chocolate the food of the gods.

Chocolate has high levels of antioxidants called phenols. These antioxidants are the same types found in red wine. Cocoa phenols were found to prevent the bad cholesterol from causing plaque build-up in the arteries. Raw cocoa has more antioxidants then blueberries, green tea, and goji berries.

Through roasting the cacao powder, a process that is used in all conventional chocolate or cocoa manufacturing, the anti-oxidants are reduced to less than a third of their original level.

Dark Chocolate

Chocolate contains cocoa butter which is high in saturated fat, however one-third of chocolate's fat comes from stearic acid. Stearic acid does not raise the bad cholesterol as do most other saturated fats. Stearic acid is converted in the liver to oleic acid, a heart-healthy, monounsaturated fat.

Darker and finer chocolates contain 70 percent cocoa butter, which provides the stearic acid. Most commercial candy bars contain only 20 percent cocoa butter. Darker and purer chocolates provide more health benefits.

Alternatively Sweetened Chocolate

Most chocolates, even expensive European bars, are usually loaded with refined sugars and other unwanted ingredients such as artificial flavours, whey powder, modified milk ingredients, palm oils, dried egg whites and preservatives.

Many stores now sell chocolate products that are sweetened with healthier natural sweeteners, such as agave syrup, honey, and evaporated cane juice.

Besides sugar, chocolate does have other drawbacks. Chocolate contains low levels of caffeine. Usually it is not enough to cause negative side effects, except for those with caffeine sensitivity or intolerance. An average chocolate contains about 10 mg of caffeine, while one cup of coffee contains 100 mg.

Another ingredient in cacao is oxalic acid which interferes with calcium absorption. Even though chocolate is rich in calcium, the oxalic acid prevents the body from using the calcium. If you suffer from calcium absorption problems consult with your health practitioner if chocolate is for you.

In some people, chocolate has been associated with kidney stones, headaches, acne,

allergies, dental cavities and premenstrual syndrome.

So everything in moderation is the motto when it comes to chocolate. Skipping a balanced lunch for chocolate or replacing a healthy snack with chocolate is not a wise choice. The occasional piece of dark, organic chocolate is a treat for the mind, spirit and…the body.