Organic dark chocolate – sweet but not too sweet and almost lustful in its intensity.  There’s no treat that quite fulfills the essence of Valentine’s Day like a good, organic dark chocolate.  Serve it as it suits: in a mousse, in hot chocolate or in a beautiful bar of chocolate.  Organic dark chocolate is a special treat – especially when shared with your loved one on Valentine’s Day.

Why Choose Organic Dark Chocolate

Chocolate is a potent source of antioxidants – and some research indicates that chocolate benefits the circulatory system and may offer anti-carcinogenic effects.    These effects are made more potent the higher the cocoa content is; that is, the darker the chocolate, the better it is for you. Chocolate is also a rich source of minerals including magnesium, manganese, zinc, copper and iron. Milk chocolate should be avoided, if possible, as it contains powdered milk which rife with oxidized cholesterol.

Organic Dark Chocolate: A Brand-by-brand Analysis

The quality of ingredients and the integrity of manufacturers can vary from brand-to-brand.  From types of sugar and whether or not a company uses soy-based emulsifiers, we examine the details of six organic dark chocolate brands, their ingredients, parent companies and their ethics surrounding social and global responsibility.

	Askinosie* Sugar: Certified Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar Organic: Uses Certified Organic Sugar. Cocoa beans are not certified Organic, but are “unofficially Organic” and grown without chemicals or pesticides, and with great honesty and connection to the farms.  Consider it “beyond Organic.” Stance on GMOs: All ingredients are non-GMO Social Responsibility: Unsurpassed. Sources directly from farmers the founder has met in person, paying Fair Trade market price.  Operates a profit sharing program for farms. Emulsifiers: None Unique Factor: Hand-blended, artisan-style chocolate served with unparalleled integrity from source to manufacture. Parent Company: Askinosie chocolate is founded and owned by Shawn Askinosie. Price: $7.50 – $10.50 Availability: Limited.  But you may purchase Askinosie chocolate online.
	Rapunzel Sugar: Certified Organic Whole, Unrefined Evaporated Cane Juice (Rapadura) Organic: Certified Organic Sugar, Cocoa Beans, Vanilla, Cocoa Butter Stance on GMOs: All ingredients are non-GMO Social Responsibility: Fair Trade with a commitment to sustainable and organic farming and global responsibility. Emulsifiers: None Unique Factor: Classic high quality European-style chocolate at a reasonable price. Parent Company: Rapunzel is family-owned. Price: $3.59 Availability: Carried in most health food stores. You can also purchase it online.
	Alter-eco Sugar: Certified Organic Unrefined Cane Sugar Organic: Certified Organic Sugar, Cocoa, Cocoa Butter, Nuts Stance on GMOs: All ingredients are non-GMO Social Responsibility: One of the strongest Fair Trade brands on the market.  Certified Fair Trade. Emulsifiers: None Unique Factor: Fair trade, organic chocolate with wide availability. Price: $4.39 Availability: Carried in most health food stores. You may also purchase Alter-eco chocolate online.
	Chocolove Sugar: Beet Sugar (non-GMO) Organic: 2 Varieties of Organic Dark Chocolate, other varieties may not be organic Stance on GMOs: All ingredients are non-GMO Social Responsibility: Supports World Cocoa Federation with policy not to purchase from firms that support or reinforce exploitative labor or child labor practices. Emulsifiers: Organic Chocolate line is free from emulsifiers, other varieties contain soy lecithin (non-GMO) Unique Factor: Charming, affordable chocolates from a Colorado company many unusual combinations of flavors. Parent Company: Chocolove. Price: $3.99 Availability: Widely available in most health food stores and even in stores like Target. You may also purchase Chocolove products online.
	Dagoba Sugar: Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Organic: Organic Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Fruit and Nuts Stance on GMOs: All ingredients are non-GMO (Its parent company does not share this stance.) Social Responsibility: Carries Fair Trade designation on many products, but not all.  (Its parent company does not share this stance.) Emulsifiers: Soy Lecithin (non-GMO) Unique Factor: Delicately flavored chocolates and unusual flavor combinations. Parent Company: Hersheys. Price: $3.45 Availability: Widely available in most health food stores. You may also purchase Dagoba chocolates online.
	Green & Blacks** Sugar: Raw Cane Sugar Organic: Organic Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Fruit and Nuts Stance on GMOs: All ingredients are non-GMO.  Its parent company does not share that stance, but does offer organic alternatives that do not contain GMOs. Social Responsibility: 100% Fair Trade Certified. Emulsifiers: Soy Lecithin (non-GMO) used in most varieties, but they are working on a few lecithin-free chocolates that maintain the unique intensity of flavor Green & Blacks is known for. Unique Factor: Widely available chocolate with aspirations to become the leader in Fair Trade chocolate. Parent Company: Cadbury which is owned by Kraft. Price: $3.29 Availability: Widely available in most health food stores and even Target. Find a store near you.

How I Choose My Organic Dark Chocolate

I am a chocolate lover.  Organic chocolate and long hot baths are among my two biggest vices – and when I choose a dark chocolate, I rely on a few factors: the ingredients, whether an emulsifying agent such as soy lecithin is used as well as the ethics and social responsibility of the manufacturer.

Sugar: In my kitchen, I avoid refined sweeteners and so if I’m going to enjoy a good organic dark chocolate, I want it to count; that is, I prefer a chocolate made with whole, unrefined cane sugar which retains its mineral content.  That said, any sugar is still a sugar – minerals intact or not.

Emulsifiers: I try my best to avoid chocolates with soy-based emulsifiers, preferring, instead, to enjoy a chocolate with a higher cocoa butter content as cocoa butter is rich in stearic acid – a wholesome, nourishing fat.  This is my personal preference, but note that the inclusion of a higher content of cocoa butter (as opposed to an emulsifier like lecithin) results in a more dilute flavor which is why some manufacturers, such as Green & Blacks choose to use an emulsifier: it’s about flavor.  My personal preference, however, ranks fat content above intensity of flavor.  Note that when an emulsifying agent is used, it is quite dilute and used in very little quantity.

Social & Environmental Sustainability: And, without a doubt, I choose a good dark chocolate from a company who sources organic ingredients and from farmers that are treated equitably, paid fairly and who practice sustainable techniques – that does not mean I only look for the Fair Trade label which is an expensive designation.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

*Pictured
**Please note that Green & Blacks was generous enough to send me a few sample bars for this post; alas, my coworkers enjoyed the milk chocolate bars while I brought home a Mayan Gold dark chocolate bar to my family.

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]]> http://nourishedkitchen.com/organic-dark-chocolate/feed/ 51 http://nourishedkitchen.com/better-halloween/ http://nourishedkitchen.com/better-halloween/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:15:38 +0000 Jenny http://nourishedkitchen.com/?p=2576

It’s the time of year health-minded parents across the nation dread: Halloween. While I love and cherish celebrating holidays and the changing of the seasons, I loathe the trappings of Halloween -  and Christmas, too, for that matter. What once we honored with care, storytelling and feasts from a local harvest we now celebrate with mass-market plastic trinkets and candies laced with neurotoxic food coloring and genetically engineered emulsifiers and processing agents. As with many traditions, we’ve lost our focus.

Change the Focus of Halloween

While trick-or-treating is, undoubtedly, the single activity most people associate with Halloween, that doesn’t have to be the case. Indeed, focusing on other aspects of celebrating Halloween and minimizing, but not avoiding, trick-or-treating and candy can help to flesh out the fall holiday. Place extra emphasis on carving the jack-o-lantern, preparing wholesome autumn-inspired treats, creating costumes, story-telling or visiting age-appropriated haunted houses. You might even take the kids on a day-time visit to a historic cemetery in effort to learn more about your community and its early settlers. By focusing on other aspects of the holiday, you can engage your children in a more holistic celebration rather than one that only feeds the pockets of candy manufacturers to the detriment of your children’s health.

Host a Halloween Feast

Consider how fondly we think of Thanksgiving with its turkeys, hams, sauces, sides and pies. Why not celebrate Halloween with a similar feast? Set aside time to create a supper filled with special, seasonal foods – foods that are just a touch above and beyond your everyday fare. Roast a leg of lamb and serve it alongside braised root vegetables, baked apples, pumpkin custard or molasses cookies. Prepare a cauldron of simmering mulled wine for the adults and older children and spiced cider for the young children. Whatever meal you prepare, make it special and unique so that you look forward to it all year and your children will want to continue your new-found tradition in their homes once they’re grown.

Offer Healthier Halloween Treats

While I believe trick-or-treating and candy should not be the primary focus of Halloween, neither do I believe we should avoid it completely. What child wants to feel left out? What mom wants her house TPed because she was the only scrooge on the block not to offer treats to assuage tricksters? Instead, prepare goodie bags filled with wholesome treats like sesame candies, spiced cookies or yogurt taffy for the children you know well and, for the children you don’t know well, consider handing out small organic chocolates (free from soy lecithin and GMO sugar), ginger chews, boxes of crayons, packages of nuts, dime store toys or other goodies in lieu of candy made from GM soy lecithin, high fructose corn syrup, beet sugar, artificial colors and other worrisome components from industrial food manufacturers.

Consider Reverse Trick-or-Treating

If you believe in food activism, consider reverse trick-or-treating. The chocolate industry is plagued by some very serious social problems including persistent child slavery. Children – usually aged between 12 and 14 years old are forced to work at cocoa farms in West Africa for 80 to 100 hours per week. They’re denied education, adequate nutrition and suffer severe, routine beatings. All of this to feed the west’s addiction to chocolate. Teach your children about the importance of taking a stand by participating in reverse trick-or-treating. Simply by a few bags of fair trade chocolate, print a few flyers, and go door-to-door handing fair trade candies to residents in effort to raise awareness about the plight of children held as slaves to support the cheap chocolate industry.

Invite the Candy Fairy for a Visit

In our home, we invite the Candy Fairy for a visit on Halloween and other candy-filled holidays. After a short round of trick-or-treating, the children may bundle up their candies and set them aside for the sweet-toothed Candy Fairy who comes under the dark cloak of night, takes the candy and leaves a bundle of much-sought-after toys in the candy’s place. While not a perfect solution, the Candy Fairy keeps the candy from your babies’ bellies.

Load Up on Foods Rich in B Vitamins

Inevitably, your child will come across some sugary sweets this Halloween – a taste from the candy bag, from well-meaning strangers who don’t listen to the word “No,” or even from your own homemade, treats. Sugar depletes B vitamins, so stay one step ahead by making sure to have foods rich in B vitamins on hand for Halloween and the days following the holiday. Liver (try chicken liver  pâté), beef, nutritional yeast, kombucha and fermented foods present good sources of B vitamins.

In the end, do what you can, and have fun.