Tuesday, May 15, 2012

For The Chocohalics

So I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I love chocolate.
In fact, milk chocolate has forever been a favorite of mine. I could not stand dark chocolate. Where was the sweetness? Where was the satisfying chew of the high-sugar content? Where did all this dark cocao come from?

The thing about dark chocolate, is it also has a low usage of dairy.
Despite what our schools tell us, and the famous Got Milk? ads, many people are lactose-intolerent for a reason. Dairy is not good for us. Not only does it make us bloat, but give us a high risk of fractures, high in calories, but dairy consumption will put you at dangerous risk of lethal prostate cancer. Sure, it's high in potassium, which is good for our bones. But to be honest, why risk it, when you can just eat straight-up potassium?
Besides, unless milk is organic, you're just feeding your body hormones. That blocks out what milk is supposed to be good for your body.

Here's an excerpt about milk from an article of its pros and cons, from http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthy-kitchen-11/dairy-truths?page=1:


"Not everyone thinks that was a good idea. Indeed, experts at the Harvard School of Public Health have labeled the milk recommendations a “step in the wrong direction.”  One the most prominent critics is Walter Willett, MD, PhD, professor of epidemiology and head of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health.
“One of the main arguments for USDA recommendations is that drinking milk or equivalent dairy products will reduce the risk of fractures. But in fact there’s very little evidence that milk consumption is associated with reduced fractures,” Willett tells WebMD."
Okay, so you're now wondering what you can have instead of dairy. Like I said about the straight-up potassium, what you are trying to get from milk, just get the solid version. Vitamins are key; multi-vitamins are helpful, too. Try searching for your Community Food Co-Op and ask the vitamin-consultant in charge about what's the best vitamins for you and your body.

So what if you can't, or don't want to, get rid of your chocolate eating habits?

I found that ever since I haven't been eating any sugar, when I discovered a dark chocolate that was not only sugar free, but completely raw, organic, and made from superfoods. No chemicals, no fake sugars. In fact, it's sweetened with Agave Nectar. But it's also dairy free.

A good way to start with the journey to dairy-free dark chocolate if you are a sweetaholic, is Rice Dream's milk chocolate. It's made with Rice Milk, so it's very sweet but sugar free. Just keep in mind, that like other chocolate, it can not only be expensive but it can also be high in the calories. So eat a little bit every day at most, and eat/purchase wisely.
Here's a link to where you can find them (you can also buy them at your Community Food Co-Op): http://www.tastethedream.com/products/category/493.php.

Another alternative, if you like sweets but you aren't an overly-sugary fan, or on the way to reducing your sweet tooth, are Flora Omega Truffle chocolates. Delicious, organic, and infused with necessary omega oils. Omega can do so much for your body and your health; starting with a healthy immune system. They are pricy however, so spend and eat wisely.
You can find them online, where in bulk it's cheaper, or at your Community Food Co-Op. For those living in WA state, you can get express shipping for cheap or standard for free, since it is not too far away from the Canadian border that is five minutes from Abbortsford, CA.
Here: http://www.florahealth.com/product_categories_usa.cfm?category_id=7&prod_id=243

My mother is a huge fan of these chocolates. She recommends the Dark Chocolate Matcha Green Tea and the Milk Chocolate Hazlenut. They have many other flavors too.

And after all that is done, there is the dairy-free, sugar-free chocolate that I oh so love:
http://thelightcellar.ca/

They are also the perfect source for other superfoods, to be touched on next or the week after.

-Anna

PS: If you are experiencing anything you want or need questions about, feel free to ask! Just post it as a comment. Don't be shy; you have a free nutritionist, two personal trainers, and someone who has gone through the exact same, guaranteed-to-work plan at your disposal. And this is the only place to get it.

2 comments:

  1. Sorry this took a million years to return.

    I, for one, hate milk. My cousin told me some things about it and I never drank it again. This is probably a bad thing since I have scoliosis, but whatever. Anyway, I really liked this. You were short and sweet about what you wanted to say, and how you wanted the topic to be read. Great job. This could really help a lot of people. Keep it up.♥

    *~Lyric~*

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  2. Congrats :) I've just nominated you for the Liebster Blog Award! Go to...

    http://discoveringelsewhere.blogspot.com/2012/07/nominated-for-blog-award-cool.html

    ...to find out more.

    Have a nice day :)

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