Globally, Britons come second to the Swiss with regard to annual chocolate consumption - something in the region of 17.5 lbs per person each year (the Swiss eat 19lbs per person).
But this brings problems with dental care and obesity - serious health issues! So how do we satiate our sweet teeth without adding to the NHS burden of disorders and addictions? The answer lies in raw chocolate.
Cacao
Raw chocolate is the nib of the bean, the potent part of the plant, known as cacao, a known aphrodisiac! In the Mayan culture, humans were believed to have been created out of the powerful mix of water earth, cacao, corn, fruits and wood.
Cacao is chocolate in its natural state, before the refining process and cheap sweeteners transform the bitter sweet bean into the diluted, milky candy we are familiar with.
- Raw chocolate does not contain vegetable fat, milk or sugar and it is never heated above 42C - (the temperature at which all nutrient goodness is killed off)
- Cacao bean in its raw state contains over 150 trace chemicals including magnesium, thiamine, caffeine, pectin, protein, nitrogen, glucose, copper, theophylline to name a few
- Cacao contains more antioxidants than broccoli, spinach, strawberries and sprouts
- The average milk chocolate Easter egg contains sugars, refined fats and oils and the heating process takes the food substance over 120C - destroying naturally occurring antioxidants.
Taste
Raw chocolate on its own has a distinctly tart and bitter taste - unique and to be savoured - not munched in a frenzied chocoholic attack. But several wonderful foodies (see list below) have turned their hands to creating fabulous raw chocolate bars and snacks that compete with any counter confectionery bars in terms of taste and choc-appeal and have done so by blending cacao with healthy ingredients such as coconut or agave syrup - natural sweeteners - to create a sweet eating bar.
Add to this the plethora of other superfood berries, nuts and flavours such as maca, goji berries, cranberries, raisins, mesquite powder, vanilla, spirulina, ginseng and so on and you've got a seriously healthy, wholesome, sugar free, raw, superfood, naturally tasty bar of chocolate in your hands.
Dairy Free
For those who can't or don't like to eat too much dairy, raw chocolate snacks and bars are a delight. The majority of brands make most, or many, of their bars without dairy products, because dairy can greatly alter health benefits as well as taste and flavour.
Where to find raw chocolate goodness
As well as your local heath food store check out these links...