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HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHOICES
Here are some guidelines for choosing healthiest chocolates.
1. Choose chocolates with least amount of refined white sugar or other sweetener. Dark "bittersweet" chocolates with a high percentage of cocoa solids (usually label will state exact percentage) have less sugar than semisweet or milk chocolate and also have greatest health benefits. Keep in mind that flavor additions, such as dried fruits and candied ginger may also add sugar to chocolate.
2. Choose chocolates sweetened with evaporated cane juice or barley malt. If evaporated cane juice used is unprocessed whole juice of cane, it acts in body like a whole food and doesn't give a sugar rush. Barley malt is also a slow-release sweetener, noted on label as "grain-sweetened."
3. Choose organic chocolates. Certified organic chocolate ensures there are no harmful pesticide residues.
4. Make your own chocolates. It's easy to make many chocolate delights yourself, with exact ingredients you want. Start with unsweetened cocoa powder or baking chocolate and be creative!
SAVOR YOUR CHOCOLATE
Fine chocolate is one of those earthly pleasures to be savored. When eaten as a special treat, with full appreciation, a little chocolate can go a long way.
Choose quality over quantity. If you are going to eat chocolate, eat really good chocolate. Then, for maximum enjoyment, give taste of chocolate your full attention, eat it at a time when you are not famished or overly full, and allow chocolate to melt in your mouth to make experience last.
Read more about healthy chocolate at http://www.debraslist.com.
Hailed as "The Queen of Green" by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a consumer advocate for products and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the environment since 1982. Visit her website for 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and earthwise products, and to sign up for her free email newsletters. http://www.dld123.com