What to look for when it comes to quality chocolate.

Originally written in 2014

With Easter fast approaching I just had to bring up chocolate! Now, you know me, I am not against chocolate, it is all to do with the quality of chocolate you are buying or making.

Today’s blog post is revolved around a habit that some may admit is a tough one to change, especially for us confirmed chocoholics. But don’t despair, the news isn’t all bad. The following information may be familiar to some, as I have taken a snippet out of my Changing Habits, Changing Lives book, however have tweaked it, keeping you up to date.

I have heard some people say that they crave chocolate so badly that they must have some every day. There are many theories that attempt to explain the craving for chocolate, with some people believing that it’s caused by a mineral deficiency. But if that’s the case, why don’t we crave other mineral-rich foods like carrots? My theory on why some people crave chocolate is this: it tastes sooooooo good! Here’s the good news. Chocolate itself is not a bad food – in fact, it has some great food qualities. But there are two problems with chocolate. The first is the additives some chocolates contain. The second problem is how much of it we can consume in one sitting. So if you avoid these problems, chocolate can stay on your shopping list. I can hear the cheering from here!

When it comes to chocolates, most people seem to find that their will power totally deserts them. So this blog post is about how to rid yourself of chocolate cravings, yet still get to eat some. To accomplish that aim, there are a few ground rules to follow.

Rule #1
Eat only the best quality chocolate, made from the finest ingredients. I make my own chocolate out of the high quality ingredients. If I am traveling and I do not have the chance to make my own, I reach for high quality European ones. More often than not, these have fewer additives and chemicals. The main ingredients that you are looking for are cacao, cacao butter, organic rapadura sugar and milk, or if it’s homemade, cacao melts, rapadura sugar and coconut oil.

The reason?
Once you’ve got a taste for these delicious chocolates, chances are you won’t be willing to settle for anything less.

Rule #2
If you don’t have the time to make your own, only buy single, individually wrapped chocolates. No family blocks, no assorted boxes, just one!

The reason?
Firstly, they’re so expensive you won’t want to buy too many. Secondly, they’re not available at every store like common chocolate, and they taste so good you’re not likely to put up with a not-so-nice chocolate.

Rule #3
When you get that one chocolate in your mouth, homemade or not, savour it, enjoy the experience, and make it last.

The reason?
Because that’s all you get!

Rule #4
If Rule #3 fails and you want another chocolate, that’s OK, but you must return to the same store and buy one single chocolate again.

The reason?
If you keep returning to buy a single chocolate time after time, the shop attendant will think you’re a nutcase. The strange looks they give you might make you stop and think. I am usually completely satisfied after just a piece of my homemade chocolate, because it provides me with everything I am after, the astounding flavour, and the abundant amount of nutrients!

Rule # 5
Stay away from all other chocolates for the first two months of this change.

The reason?
We don’t want you regressing.

It might sound like I’m the one who’s becoming a nutcase, but trust me – it works. Once you’re accustomed to the fabulous taste of high-quality chocolates made the old-fashioned way, that huge family block will seem a lot less appealing. You’ll find yourself doing without if you can’t have the best. The change will take time, but soon you’ll be wondering when the last time you had chocolate was.

Now, let’s talk about the other chocolate products in the grocery store – chocolate drinks, chocolate sauces and those Easter Eggs you may have hiding in the garden for your children this Easter. I recommend you take a close look at the food labels on them when you do your shopping this week.

Let’s dissect a very popular brand of chocolate Easter eggs!

Ingredients: Full cream milk, Sugar, Cocoa butter, Cocoa mass, Vegetable fat, Emulsifiers (E442, E476), Flavourings.

Now I don’t know about you, but I can’t make vegetable fat, emulsifiers and flavourings in my own kitchen, because I do not have a laboratory. The full cream milk used is most probably pasteurized and homogenised, made into a powder and stripped of nutrients. The sugar, what sort of sugar? It is most probably white, refined sugar that is also stripped of nutrients. Cacao butter and cacao mass can be dealt with, as they generally only contain constituents of the cacao bean, though we still don’t know how they have been processed and what chemicals have been used unless you ring the company.  Any artificial flavourings can be made up of 48 different chemicals. I know I don’t have that in my pantry!

Vegetable fat is hydrogenated vegetable oil, meaning it has had hydrogen bonds added to fatty acids to produce a solid mass from liquid oil. The body is unable to recognize these fats, causing endless metabolic issues, especially cell malfunction. Moving onto Emulsifiers (E442, E476) from what I have seen E442 and E476 seem to be made from partially hardened vegetable oils like rapeseed oil and glycerol. Moreover, from my Chemical Maze book by Bill Statham, these emulsifiers should be avoided by children.

Now you can decide for yourself whether you’re willing to keep swallowing these manufactured chocolates. Once you read the labels, I believe you’ll think twice. If you do want a chocolate drink, then buy organic cocoa, whole milk and rapadura sugar and enjoy it on occasion, with no excess additives like colours and flavours.

Okay, I admit. The taste of chocolate isn’t the only fabulous attribute, the nutrient content is just as good. Cacao is packed with nutritional benefits. It is high in antioxidants, magnesium, zinc, other minerals, vitamins and unique properties that people often lack in SAD (Standard Australian Diets).

Like I said, this does not mean you can’t have chocolate this Easter. I sure will be, and everyone else in the Nutrition Academy office!

Today is the day you start your new approach to chocolate. So, when you’re in the grocery store and all those yummy chocolates start calling you, look for that little individually wrapped high-quality chocolate that tastes great. And if it’s not there, walk out and go home and make your own!

Good luck. I promise the next habit change will be an easy one!

Happy Changing Habits

Cyndi O’Meara