Organic chocolate
Although organic chocolate could be categorized as a snack, treat, candy, or even beverage, we feel that it deserves its very own page. Chocolate lovers everywhere would not argue with that! Where does chocolate come from? Commercial chocolate is derived from the Theobroma Cacao tree. It is a greek name meaning “drink of the gods” (how true!) The cacao pods are carefully processed through fermentation, drying, conching (agitation), roasting, and tempering (heating) to produce what we know as cocoa. The use of cacao goes back to the Aztecs, who believed it was a source of wisdom, energy and that it served as an aphrodisiac. Montezuma used to drink chocolate from a gold goblet. This product then traveled to Europe, where the first eating chocolate was created in 1849 in England. (Source: the Chocolate Alchemist.) Voila! Chocolate bars were born. Women everywhere have always known of the benefits of chocolate. Now the world knows of its health benefits, as well - not to mention the fact that organic chocolate helps our environment. A chocolate bar contains as much antioxidant power as a glass of red wine. The phenols in chocolate are known to help the immune system, reduce the risk of cancer, and promote heart health. Dark chocolate, pound for pound, has higher levels of antioxidants than blueberries! Dark chocolate also contains more flavanoids than green tea. For centuries, chocolate has been known to soothe the soul. That’s because chocolate boosts the brain chemicals serotonin and endorphin. These chemicals produce a feeling of euphoria. Another compound called anandamide has known calming properties. The ultimate comfort food? You bet! Chocolate’s other ingredients include magnesium and chromium (known to regulate blood sugar); theobromine which stimulates the central nervous system and is an appetite stimulant; caffeine (in relatively small quantities); and tryptophan (an essential amino acid). (Source: www.shopnatural.com/newsletter_0204.htm) Why organic chocolate? If regular chocolate is so good for you, why go organic? For many of the same reasons that buying organic is better in the first place. You can support fair trade practices in the forests of South American countries where cacao beans are grown. Shade grown beans encourage biodiversity, and you avoid toxic chemicals. Why not have one more reason to feel good when you bite into that chocolate bar? Organic chocolate is available in many supermarkets, including Whole Foods Markets, Trader Joe’s, and Hannafords. Two tried-and-true brands of organic hot cocoa are Ahlaska! dairy-free hot cocoa and Equal Exchange hot cocoa mix. Below are a few links to the best purveyors of organic chocolate today. All provide from 95-99.9% organic ingredients. A few are also fair trade chocolate.
Like Green & Black, Dagoba chocolate was purchased by Hershey's earlier this year, following their chocolate recall due to high lead content (read more about this at
the Dagoba chocolate recall webpage.)
Some might consider this acquisition trend a sell-out move that will put small organic companies at odds with large corporate concerns. Hershey's has experienced bad press in the past regarding labor practices. If you agree, there are other choices that you can make, which are included below.
|
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Technorati
Y! MyWeb