I must confess‚Ķ. I am a chocoholic! I would not have it any other way. It has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, a pleasure in which I can easily over indulge. So, when the reportscame out, touting the health benefits of chocolate, I was elated‚Ķ… and in trouble! Now, I know in the US, we think of chocolate in huge candy bar form, like Milky Way, Snickers and Hersheys. While they may taste good, I would not say they are good for you. This ‚Äògood‚Äô chocolate that I am referring to is dark chocolate, at least 70% cacao, which is the actual cacao bean and it is loaded with antioxidants. There are lots of companies that are producing excellent quality, organic, healthy dark chocolate. A few of my favorites that are available locally are Valrhona, Dolphin and Green & Blacks.
Europeans really don’t know or consume much of the American brand chocolates. They have their own brands that are, in my opinion, superior to ours. Dark chocolate is always preferred to milk chocolate. Milk chocolate contains much more fat because of the milk, and the taste of chocolate is not as strong. The other thing Europeans know that we don’t is balance and moderation, especially French women! French women would never consume an entire Snickers bar in one sitting. They believe that the first few bites of the chocolate will be the best, most satisfying part. So they don’t gorge themselves, but they never deny themselves either! A few bitesis all you need.
So, to make it easy to eat good chocolate in moderation, I am sharing these wonderful bite size squares of high quality Dolphin chocolate with you. They are perfect size for everyday snacking. They offer a healthy dose of antioxidants, without being able to over do it! They come in 70% and 80% Cacao and some have infusions of Cumin, Orange and Hazelnut. Limit yourself to just one a day, as a snack or an after dinner treat. Savor it slowly, really tasting every bite and know that you are doing something healthy and good for yourself and your waistline!