The good news? Chocolate is good for you! The cocoa bean has lots of flavanoids, which have antioxidant properties (similar to berries, red wine and green tea!)
The not so good news? The more chocolate is processed, the less flavonoids remain.
Chocolate is made from cocoa beans, which are first fermented and left to dry after harvesting. The beans are then roasted, and the shell is the removed. The cacao nibs, full of cocoa solids and cocoa butter remain. These nibs are the ground into a thick paste (called chocolate liquor) and pressed to remove the cocoa butter. The remaining powder is cocoa powder. To turn the cocoa into chocolate, some cocoa butter is usually added back in, along with milk, vanilla and other flavourings.
The reason dark chocolate is considered the healthy chocolate, is because it contains the most amount of cocoa powder (resulting in four times as many flavonoids as milk chocolate!). Look for dark chocolate that lists cocoa first on the ingredient list, not sugar, or a bar with a high percentage of cocoa, 70% or more.
Other great options include cocoa powder or the cacao nibs! As they are both less processed than chocolate, they’ll contain even more flavonoids!
I found some Cacao Nibs this weekend, and decided they would be perfect on top of a bowl of my favourite winter breakfast – pumpkin oats!
To make pumpkin oatmeal, I combine:
- 1/3 C rolled oats
- 1 C water
- 1/2 chopped banana
- salt
- cinnamon
- vanilla
Heat, continually stirring to break up banana. Once oats have reached desired consistency, I add 1/3 C canned pumpkin. Topped with:
- 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
- 1/2 tbsp flax meal
- 1/2 tbsp cacao nibs
This may be the best bowl of oatmeal ever. I loved the cacao nibs – a definite chocolate flavour, but without the sweetness (making a perfect match for the sweet banana oats!). They are also super crunchy!
I also think cacao nibs would be fantastic in a chocolate peanut butter granola bar!
Thank goodness for chocolate 
What is your favourite kind of chocolate?
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I love any kind of chocolate! It’s one of the main reasons I can’t go vegan! But you are right, dark chocolate is the best for you! Where did you purcahse your Cacao? I love making oats in the morning (I will absolutely have to try your pumpkin oats!), and adding cacao just might make them that much better!!!!
~Jen
http://jensanders52.wordpress.com/
Happy Heart, Happy Mind
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Pumpkin + chocolate = delicious. Some of my favorite chocolate is from a store here in NYC called Pure Dark that is topped with cacao nibs. Delicious.
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Hi Allison,
I LOVE chocolate too!!
Really looking forward to sweetening my breakfast in a healthy way. Your recipes inspired me to replace my milk chocolate intake with dark chocolate… Flavonoids here I come!
Thanks for the great tips and recipe! Looking forward to learning more from you.
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Kamelia
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I really like any kind of chocolate….well except white!!
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I love milk chocolate, but I really love Lindt dark chocolate with sea salt! So yummy.
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The darker the chocolate the better. For me especially since there is less sugar which irritates my stomach.
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Ugh I love ANY chocolate! I actually used to HATE dark chocolate but the older I get the more I love it! And white chocolate is a favorite of mine as well–OK now I want some!
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Oh man I did not need to read this post today. I have been having crazy chocolate cravings lately. Anything chocolate looks and sounds good.
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nommm nom this looks so good! I love chocoltae, I mean who doesn’t? and it can be healthy too! I AM THERE!
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I do like dark chocolate, but my favorite chocolate is white chocolate! Of course the most unhealthy kind
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