Chocolate Is Healthy

We enjoyed this article by Ecoholic author Adria Vasil on 5 daily food choices that can drastically affect your own health, and that of the earth. Not to mention making eating darn enjoyable in the process!

Of course, we focus on the chocolate excerpt below.  However, the article suggests things like eating 20% fewer animal products each week, eating produce grown close to your home, and cutting back on packaging with resusable bags.

“3. Get It Fair and Square
Quick, pick three things that get you through the day and I’ll bet you twenty bucks that coffee, chocolate and sugar make the list. Since none of the above grow on U.S. soil (well other than beet sugar), you want to be sure you buy the kind with a Fair Trade Certified label on the package. Why? Well, the workers that pick those ingredients are generally paid so poorly they’d have to work three days just to afford a Starbucks grande latte! Fair trade certified farms, on the other hand, pay farmhands in developing countries a decent wage, give their families access to health care and education and forbid the use of ultra toxic pesticides (which makes them better for your health, too). Bonus: your sugar-/caffeine-/chocolate-rush blissfully guilt-free”

Healthy Food Choices – Healthy Eating for You and Environment – thedailygreen.com.

In the past, Cadbury had used palm oil for making their chocolate.  When their customers protested that palm oil cultivation is a massive source of global warming and habitat destruction, Cadbury changed its practices.

But there are other unsavory practices within the  chocolate industry as well.  Sadly, some  chocolate plantations in Africa use forced labor or child labor practices in order to harvest their product.   Makes that chocolate bar a little less enjoyable, doesn’t it?

We suggest checking that your chocolate brand sources its raw materials from reputable growers who operate with fair labor practices.  Look for the fair trade symbol so that you don’t unknowingly support the behavior of unjust farm owners.

In fair trade practices, prices are established democratically by the farmers and guarantee their families a living wage. Safe working conditions are enforced and child labor is forbidden.  Trade policies promote sustainable farming methods and prohibit genetically modified organisms (GMOs).  read more »

Here are 5 of our favorite chocolate makers who offer minimally-processed, organic and fair-trade chocolates.  Each one has stunningly unique and interesting flavors while being socially responsible. read more »