Friday, February 10, 2012

If You Really Want Healthy Chocolate


The regular readers of this blog are a savvy bunch. You may already know, when it comes to healthy chocolate, dark beats milk (duh), white chocolate is misnomer and you really want to go for 70% or higher cocoa content. After all, the more cocoa the less sugar, milk solids and other fillers involved. All that is true but that’s not where the chocolate story ends.

If chocolate is like skiing, milk chocolate is a green/easy run; it’s not too intense and most people can do it. Dark chocolate, maybe 50%, is a blue run, a little bit of a step up but your heart will not pound. Serious dark chocolate 70, 80% is black diamond a challenge and an adrenaline rush with more interesting terrain. If you’re a highly skilled skier you may want more, you may ski through the trees or heli ski.

If you’re a fervent fan of chocolate and want the tree skiing equivalent, you really want your chocolate to be raw. Most chocolate is roasted and when cacao is cooked it looses some of its punch. Raw cacao is a more powerful antioxidant than red wine or green tea. Raw chocolate has vitamin C and fiber, it’s also much higher in phenylethylamines which are the reason chocolate has an aphrodisiac reputation. So if you’re thinking of chocolate for Valentines Day, I’d select raw, just saying.

To take the plunge, some great raw options are:

Fearless Chocolate
My friend Jen Goodman Linn’s blog was YouFearless.com and her mantra was "be fearless". I sent this chocolate to Jen when she was sick, I’m not sure she ate it but she told me her husband Dave chowed down after a day of bad news. My team for Cycle for Survival received this chocolate with their team shirts. We’ll cycle fearlessly.

Fearless chocolate comes in a Super Seed flavor with flax and chia seed. I’m excited to try both Exploding Coconuts and Matcha Peppermint flavors. All chocolate is raw, organic and kosher;  it pretty much fits all criteria. If Marc wants to get me a present the “Eat Me Subscription” for monthly chocolate (I reworded that many times and it sounds wrong in any order) would be perfect.

Raaka

One of our local favorites is Brooklyn based Raaka. Raaka calls its products “virgin chocolate”, these chocolate makers seem to have dirty minds. My favorite Raaka flavor is Vanilla Rooibos. Their packaging is beautiful and I’m eyeing the heartbreaker set: CafĂ© Grumpy coffee and Raaka chocolate, can’t get better.

And there are times when you don’t want to go full throttle (and I get that). We don’t need to ski in the trees every day. For a chocolate fix that all about comfort, yet still black diamond, there’s

This is pretty much healthy nutella, It’s a 70% dark chocolate spread that’s low in calories and has some fiber. Have it on fruit or on crackers or on a spoon with walnut or pistachio butter. Heaven.
Do you prefer skiing or chocolate? What’s your favorite brand or variety? Are you a raw chocolate/tree skiing type?
GIVEAWAY- to be eligible for a Newtree jar and Fearless bar comment, tweet about it @foodtrainers, like us on facebook and dance fearlessly 

24 comments:

  1. I have to be honest, I've never tried raw chocolate. However, Give me a 70-80% cacao bar and I'm in heaven. I really DO love the dark rich flavor much better than milk chocolate. I bet I would enjoy the nutella-esk version best! This is where you're supposed to have a giveaway to one lucky comment-er! ;)

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  2. Done, let's see the pregnant lady dance.

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  3. DANCING!! I already like you on FB! ABout to tweet!

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  4. Def chocolate over skiing... Used to love skiing but not so much anymore. My favorite part of skiing is when I'm in the warm lodge with a cup of hot cocoa and a beer.
    I love using raw cacao nibs in recipes like the peanut butter/date bars. When it comes down to it I love all types of chocolate... except white.

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  5. Yum - I love learning about new products here!(Speaking of which, just saw Hint at the store yesterday and had to buy some. So good.)

    I didn't think there was a kind of dark chocolate I wouldn't like... until I met dark chocolate with pepper. Gross.

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  6. Omg those spreads look amazing! I danced your way on twitter! @accidentlydlish

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  7. Even though I don't like dark chocolate that much, I have a small piece every so often. The one I found was 86% cacao and certainly does not have me reaching for several more bites.. but I do recognize the health benefits of it.

    I think you should also have a free give away to the best comment from a male commenter since I don't tweet :)

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  8. I definitely prefer chocolate. So far the best I've had is a few varieties I picked up in Europe, and then of course my beloved 72% dark Trader Joe's chocolate.

    This New Tree spread has me intrigued!

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  9. Excited to try fearless; I'm a milk chocolate lover by childhood habit but want to get more into "tree skiing" kinds - one of my favorites is chocolove's dark choc + almond + sea salt.
    The noir spread is so so good, used a little w/ almond butter on Ezekiel's cinnamon raisin toast the other day, YUM!

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  10. Carolyn, I want to see tree snowboarding from you. Love the choc/PB/cinnamon combo. Ameena, haven't done Trader's chocolate, might make a trip today. Byzbee we'll do a non-tweeting giveaway but twitter is fun, you may have to give us a real name if you win something. Debbie, see you on twitter, the spread is really to die for, I mean I would die if it wasn't in my life. Jessica- which hint flavor do you like? I'm all for blackbery. Lisa, I need that bar (date, PB, cacai) recipe pronto.

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  11. I would rather stick pins in my eyes than tweet :)

    .. but yes, I would give me real name if I win something.

    Unless I missed it, I could not see nutritional information posted on either of the chocolate websites you posted.

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  12. I like it raw! (that's what she said)

    The Noir butter looks amazing! I don't know if I could be trusted with it lurking in my cupboards.

    If you ever happen to be in Portland, Oregon you must go to Cacao. My friends own a lovely, little chocolate shop and they have all kinds of dark and raw chocolates from all over the world. So unique and so-o-o delicious.

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  13. Cameo, the good thing about the Noir "pleasure" yup label says it is that it's rich. Unlike nut butters it's hard to have to much. So now I want to go to Portland.

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  14. Yum! Thanks for the great recommendations. I'm not a huge chocolate fan but really enjoy some good dark chocolate on occasion. Will look out for these brands for my clients, too.

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  15. I love dark chocolate! 80% is my favourite...any less, and it's not quite intense enough, any more and it's a bit too bitter for me. I'm actually going grocery shopping tonight...not because I need food, but because I'm craving chocolate.

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  16. I was drawn to the blackberry (Hint) too. A new favorite!

    And a huge LOL to Cameo. Never gets old.

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  17. I just tweeted! :)
    I have never tried raw chocolate. Sounds pretty amazing! Great recommendations.

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  18. Thanks for all the great info on these products! Now I have to go look through our store to see if we have any of these.... I think we do have that first one.
    And, I prefer skiing for a bit, then devouring some chocolate :) Is that ok?!

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  19. As a chocolate fiend myself, this is all great information. I do usually choose dark over milk, and I get 85% cacao bars to take small bites of before workouts. The flavor is so intense, a bite is really all you need to feel satisfied! Your insight on RAW chocolate is new to me though. I do buy raw cacao to mix into smoothies and yogurt, but I have never tried a raw chocolate in the forms you suggest. Definitely excited to give it a try! Thanks!

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  20. Chocolate and skiing?? What an awesome combo! As much as I love chocolate, I'd pick skiing over chocolate (am I really saying this??). I'm pretty much a black diamond, 70% chocolate kind of gal. I'd love to help ski, but my kids are always trying to take me skiing through the trees and it kind of freaks me out. Raw chocolate? Don't think Ive ever tried it but I'm dancing and tweeting and already like you on Facebook!

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  21. Whoop whoop!! Love a giveaway- I have one too right now! Could be up your taste buds too ;) Nic x
    http://nicsnutrition.com

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  22. I've never tried raw chocolate, but I am definitely up for taking a swing at "skiing in the trees." And the dark chocolate spread sounds faaanntastic.

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  23. I l-o-v-e dark chocolate. When I run out of my beloved chocolate bars imported in my suitcase from my home country, I just make some of my own by making roasted caramelized nuts in 85% cocoa.

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  24. I prefer chocolate! I've never heard of Newtree. I love the idea of dark chocolate spread! That's my favorite type of chocolate.

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