Impress Your Valentine with Healthy Chocolate
by Vin Miller
Saturday is Valentine’s Day and millions of people across the world will be getting a box of chocolates.
Although a holiday like Valentine’s Day is an obvious opportunity to break the rules, not all chocolate is as bad for you as you may think.
The Cacao Bean
Believe it or not, chocolate actually comes from a tree! Although most people think chocolate originates from cocoa beans, the proper name for the beans and the tree they come from is cacao. The term cocoa is more appropriately used to describe the powder that’s created from the beans.
The picture to the right shows the pods of a cacao tree that chocolate is made from. The cacao tree, scientifically named Theobroma cacao, is native to the tropics of both South and Central America. Cacao beans are the seeds of the tree’s pods and are collected by splitting the pods open.
The Bittersweet Truth About Chocolate
The good news about raw cacao is that it’s a natural substance that can improve your focus, make you more alert, and improve your mood. It even contains health promoting antioxidants. The only notable downside is that it contains substances that produce effects similar to those of caffeine.
The bad news is that you’re not going to find much raw cacao in a typical piece of chocolate. Like most popular foods and candies, a typical piece of chocolate is highly processed, contains unhealthy toxins and additives, and is very high in sugar. It also tends to be made with milk which is believed to counteract the antioxidant benefits of raw cacao.
What’s ironic is that most people consider chocolate to be a sweet candy, and this is an indication of just how processed it actually is. The cocoa powder made from raw cacao is actually quite bitter.
Organic Chocolate
Instead of buying regular chocolate that’s full of sugar and chemicals, consider buying dark chocolate that contains a high percentage of raw cacao. Because cacao is often grown with pesticides and other toxic chemicals, make sure you buy organic. You should be able to find organic dark chocolate in any local health food store, and maybe even in the organic section of your local supermarket.
Organic Doesn’t Automatically Mean Healthy
Buying high quality chocolate doesn’t give you a license to eat as much of it as you want just because it’s organic and contains antioxidants. Remember, it has effects that are similar to caffeine, and even high quality chocolate contains sugar to compensate for the bitter taste of raw cacao. Neither characteristic is good for your health in large quantities. Organic chocolate is not a health food. It’s merely a much better alternative than the lower quality chocolates that are heavily processed and unhealthy.
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Thanks for sharing your blog with all of us, very informative.
Hi Vin,
I just found your site this week and am in the process of going through the archives. Great Stuff! I really enjoy your writing style.
On-topic- have you ever tried 99% Lindt Chocolate? If you really like the true flavor of chocolate, it is a must try! It does have sugar, but very little. Plus, you can only eat a square or two, it is that rich. Check it out. Your grocery stores probably wont carry anything above 85 or 86% ( which are very good too!) so you may have to look online for sources. They have a website.
Diana
Hi Diana,
I’m happy you found the site and are enjoying it!
No, I haven’t tried the Lindt 99% chocolate. Unfortunately, I’m sensitive to chocolate and wouldn’t be able to have it anyway. My wife would enjoy it though. Thanks for the recommendation!