How to Pick the Right Chocolate without the Guilt

Eating chocolate has been associated with pleasure and guilt.  But there is a way to enjoy chocolate without the guilt. In fact, as Colin Champ, a physician dedicated to cancer prevention, writes that when eating chocolate, it promotes our body “to increase antioxidant production and reduce our risk of cancer, while leaving them more sensitive to insulin (and us with a lower blood sugar). They can also improve our blood vessel and heart function, and, much like when we eat bitter and cruciferous vegetables, stimulate our detoxification mechanisms to rid the body of dangerous chemicals.” 

That’s great, but there are loads of different chocolate...Are they all the same?  Well no.  Many companies have often replaced the healthier ingredients with sugar to sweeten the flavor and lower the cost.   But there are these key factors that you should include as a healthy way to choose the right chocolate and both enjoy and get the health benefit out of it!

Rule #1:  Plan for moderation – Go for quality, not quantity

When you are going to eat chocolate, plan how many that looks like.  Know that if you are eating chocolate hungry or as a “snack”, you will have a tendency to eat more.   Here’s a simple tip.  Make sure you eat healthy vegetables, fruits, cheeses before having the chocolate, or plan to have it after a meal.  Being full will reduce the desire to have more than you should.  And in doing so, pick a quality chocolate based on the following criteria.  

Rule #2:  Pick a chocolate that uses real Cocoa beans or cocoa powder and maximimize the dark chocolate amount.

These have a higher percentage of phenols that stimulate the body to create free-radical fighting antioxidants.  As Champ writes, they also increase “cellular detoxification, which gets the garbage out of our cells and body. These chemicals are perceived as a toxin, and, much like those in garlic, wasabi, and cruciferous vegetables, they snap our cells into defense mode, improving their ability to help fight infections and cancer. Finally, these chemicals bind to our cells, activating mechanisms that can decrease inflammation and block cancer formation.”

Rule #3:  Maximize the ratio of fat and fiber to sugar

I once sent a care package of American chocolate to my German host family, and they loved it, but also said, “German chocolate is better”.  It stuck with me, and as I researched what that meant, I realized the best chocolate has the highest fat and fiber content, and the lowest sugar content.  Manufacturers of chocolate figured out that they can add sugar that artificially sweetens the chocolate cheaply, but it takes away that “rich, full body” flavor that makes the chocolate delicious.  And hence, many Belgium, German, and Swiss chocolate makers have received such a reputation: they have not sacrificed these key ingredients to good tasting chocolate.

 So the next time you are out buying chocolate, consider these key factors.  Go for the quality over the quantity, be sure to plan to eat in moderation, and we promise you won’t regret it!