It’s been a few years since we started hearing reports that dark chocolate is good for us. Multiple scientific studies conducted in settings like Cornell University have suggested that cocoa is higher in antioxidants than blueberries, red wine and green tea. Put simply, antioxidants are molecules that slow or stop the oxidation of other molecules — the more antioxidants you consume, the fewer free radicals you have running amok and tearing up the pea patch (read: your body).
People are excited about antioxidants because people want to live forever and never age. Fair enough — chasing immortality is hardly a new fad. During the Aztec empire, cocoa beans were closely related to the god Quetzalcoatl, and the plant’s botanical name, theobroma cacao, popularly translates to “food of the gods.” Considered a luxury good and used as currency, cacao beans were served in a bitter drink believed to nourish the body and fight fatigue. Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes helped introduce the treat to Europe, where sugar cane and other additives were quickly thrown into the mix.
It used to be that chocolate was considered an evil junk food, blamed for everything from acne to obesity, but now chocolate is being aggressively marketed as a means to treating all manner of ills, promising everything from glowing skin to trimmer waistlines. Of course, snacking on Snickers is unlikely to reproduce these benefits; in the interest of scientific inquiry, we sampled three products specifically formulated to be a smarter snack.
Xocai X Power Square
US$110 (wholesale) for a case of 140 squares at www.benschocolate.com
CLAIMS FOR IMMORTALITY: “The most powerful, health-promoting chocolate ever produced!”
WHAT’S IN IT: Xocai chocolates combine cold-processed cocoa with antioxidant-rich acai berries and blueberries; each Power Square contains an ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value of 3,582 per 6g square, which they say is equivalent to the antioxidants found in four pounds of tomatoes.
BONUS TRIVIA: Pronounced sho-sigh, this insider-approved chocolate is an Oprah favourite and both Larry King’s wife and Marie Osmond are distributors, according to local representative Ben Stellino.
TASTE IS SUBJECTIVE: A clean-tasting, dairy-free dark chocolate, the squares are small but satisfying unless you are in the throes of a hormone- or emotion-fuelled binge. The company claims continuous use — three squares a day, spaced hours apart — will regulate blood sugar and decrease overall cravings.
chocolate + plus
$2.49 for 50g bar exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart
CLAIMS FOR IMMORTALITY: “Science-based gourmet chocolate.”
WHAT’S IN IT: This line includes several options, each focusing on a different health benefit, such as added vitamins, pro-biotics, calcium or herbal extracts. Many of the bars contain milk, which, according to some studies, can compromise the cocoa’s medicinal properties.
BONUS TRIVIA: “Chocolate is actually one of the most stable carriers of nutraceutical ingredients,” says brand-creator Tim Donovan.
TASTE IS SUBJECTIVE: Closest in flavour and texture to a conventional candy bar, in options like Dark Chocolate Mixed Berries, Dark Chocolate Mojito Mint and Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Praline, these will appeal to folks who can’t stand health food.
E3Live organic raw chocolate
$14.99 for a 150g bar at Noah’s Natural Foods, 322 Bloor W., 416-968-7930. (Also available at The Big Carrot, 348 Danforth, 416-466-2129 and other local health food stores.)
CLAIMS FOR IMMORTALITY: “In this E3Live® signature handcrafted organic raw chocolate bar series Rawsta Flora Organics journeys deep into the living mystery and the ancient art and science of alchemy.”
WHAT’S IN IT: There are three flavours: Mayan Oracle, Enlighten Mint and Flame of Chicchan. All include raw chocolate, raw honey, raw sesame seed, spirulina, virgin cold-pressed coconut oil, Himalayan salt and E3Live. For those unfamiliar with E3Live, it’s a nutrient-dense algae — harvested from Upper Klamath Lake in Southern Oregon — that contains more chlorophyll than wheat grass and is credited with improving mood, energy levels, endurance and brain function.
BONUS TRIVIA: Craniosacral therapist Aaron Joseph and his partner (in life and in chocolate) Maia currently create the chocolate themselves, working day and night in their organic kitchen in Nelson, BC.
TASTE IS SUBJECTIVE: My favourite bar by far, this dense chocolate practically vibrates with goodness. Raw chocolate isn’t for everyone — its crumbly texture and mild bite doesn’t resemble your typical Halloween haul in any way — but for those willing to try something different, it’s a super-food powerhouse. And even during the darkest days of the month, I found a little went a long way.