29 29CHOCOLATE IS UNIVERSALLY ADORED, and I’m well aware that I’d be extremely unpopular if I told you that you shouldn’t eat it. Good thing I don’t have to do that; eating chocolate can mesh with a healthy lifestyle—the key is to choose the right kind of chocolate.
Chocolate is made from the cacao (a.k.a. cocoa) bean. These grow on the Theobroma cacao tree, which is native to tropical areas in South America (though nowadays the trees are cultivated in other regions, including Africa’s Ivory Coast). Long ago, cocoa beans were crushed and made into a savory drink, which was spiced with chile peppers. This beverage is said to have been a favorite of Aztec and Mayan royalty, who believed that drinking it conferred spiritual wisdom as well as vitality. A type of sweetened drinking chocolate was introduced to Europe in the seventeenth century and became very popular among the upper classes.
Cocoa beans have a lot of positive attributes: They are high in minerals, particularly magnesium, and many health experts believe the intense chocolate cravings some people (including women with PMS) experience are driven by a magnesium deficiency. Cocoa beans are also high in natural fats, including a unique saturated fat called stearic acid, which is very stable and appears to have no effect on cholesterol. And the beans contain antioxidants, which are reputed to protect the entire cardiovascular system and lower the risk of heart disease. You may also recall from chapter 7 that consumption of the antioxidants (a.k.a. flavonoids) in cocoa is associated with a decreased risk of getting sunburned. Consumption of cocoa increases certain neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) that positively affect our moods, as well.
This all sounds great, but cocoa beans generally go through such extensive processing that there’s very little actual cocoa present in most chocolate; there is a lot of sugar, unhealthy hydrogenated oils, emulsifiers, and chemical additives, though! That’s why the majority of the chocolate that’s out there isn’t very good for you.
The best chocolate to eat—the chocolate that’s actually beneficial to your health—is 70 percent (or more) dark chocolate. I’d also opt for chocolate that’s organic (nonorganic may contain pesticides and even lead). A final word: To make sure you avoid buying chocolate that’s cultivated by slave labor from third world countries, you’ll want to choose chocolate that is fair-trade certified.
You are most likely to find fair-trade organic dark chocolate in a natural food store or artisan chocolate shop. A well-stocked supermarket may carry some brands of high quality chocolate, as well, but most of the chocolate in the grocery store is definitely not healthy.
If you are accustomed to eating milk chocolate, you may find dark chocolate to be an acquired taste. It took some getting used to for me, but I now find dark chocolate to be one of life’s greatest pleasures. Because it still contains some sugar, dark chocolate is best for you when consumed in moderation—no surprise there, right? I find that just a square or two from a high quality dark chocolate bar hits the spot.
Another type of healthy chocolate you might want to try is raw chocolate, which is generally sold in powder form or as cacao nibs. The nibs are the raw (unroasted) cocoa bean without the skin, and can be purchased at natural food stores and online. I find these to be extremely bitter, but an interesting addition to smoothies and some desserts. I use raw cacao powder as an alternative to cocoa powder all the time.