Dark Chocolate Decoded
As much as I want to love Dark Chocolate for it’s health benefits, the truth is that I much prefer milk. The silkiness of a milk chocolate that melts in your mouth is unique. Dark chocolate to me sometimes even tastes gritty by comparison.
Chocolate is made from the fermented seeds of the cacao tree. The shell of the bean is removed and what is left is referred to as cacao nibs. The nibs are then ground into a cacao mass. The mass is heated and made into a liquid. From there it can be separated into cocoa butter and cocoa.
Cocoa butter is what makes chocolate silky smooth but it does not contribute much in the way of flavor, it is all fat.
Milk chocolate is further diluted with sugars and cream so it’s overall considered to be less good for you as it less pure. The more cacao a chocolate bar claims to contain the more it qualifies for all the health benefits claimed.
The healthiest chocolate’s need to be at least 70% cacao to qualify for those amazing benefits like:
Contains antioxidants ( antioxidants fight from damage caused by unstable molecules in the body called free radicals. Free Radicals occur in your body naturally and are dealt with naturally unless your diet is deficient or your habits interfere with your health)
Consumption could decrease risk of heart attack and stroke
Raises good cholesterol
Lowers blood pressure
Sounds great, but what if you just really don’t like the taste of dark chocolate? There are some other ways to it into the program without having to consume those bitter ass expensive dark chocolate bars.
ONE: Consume the nibs. These can be hard to find but Ritual Chocolates in Park City, UT has them for a very affordable price. These make an amazing addition to a cheese plate or to top on a special baked good. They are crunchy but crumble easily. Remember those grocery store ice cream cakes with the chocolate cooke crumble surrounding the edges of the cake? These would make a really awesome substitution in a healthier homemade ice cream cake.
TWO: Use Cacao powder (not the same as dutch processed cocoa powder). Cacao powder can be found a most health food stores or online. Try adding a generous amount to a smoothie. I like to make mine with coconut milk, frozen dark sweet cherries and cacao powder. You can even throw in a frozen banana half for some extra sweetness :)
THREE: EAT the milk chocolate. Depriving yourself of it is not going to help you resist the urge to eat the contents of your niece’s entire Easter basket. I like to buy milk chocolate chips to have on hand and make slightly healthy treats with them. Some suggestions are: Coconut oil “fat bombs”, milk chocolate covered frozen banana bites, homemade chocolate nut butter cups (pro tip: try it with sunflower butter) and s’mores greek yogurt cups.
