Looking for Chocolate?

“What about chocolate?  Can I have chocolate if I’m following a True Paleo regime?”   This is one of the most common questions ask, along with whether or not a glass of red wine or a cuppa can fit int. The answer is yes.  But we have to be rather selective and not just grab any old chocolate bar. The truth is, having some high quality raw, dark chocolate is not only good for your taste buds, it is actually nourishing in small doses as it’s rich in antioxidants and may even be good for heart health. The darker the better and ideally, the closer to 100% cacao, the better, too.  Don’t go lower than 85%.  And don’t pretend the dutch-process cocoa powder in that coffee blended drink fits the bill. So then is any dark chocolate a go? Not necessarily. In my experience, nearly all the chocolate you’ll find at most main stream grocery stores are emulsified with soy lecithin and/or have added cane sugar (or artificial sugar) and many even have dairy or interesting bits added in, like puffed quinoa (why?) or, of course, bacon. So where do you get the good stuff? I recently learned about one great place, and it’s right at your fingertips. Barefoot Provisions has plenty of Paleo friendly foods, including something for that special occasion chocolate. Ok, let’s get to the good stuff. My personal favorite is the Xochipilli 100% Bar.  Before you cringe at how bitter you think it may be, consider this:  they added a hint of dates to this creation.  I actually like the super dark with no sugar but this had just the slightest hint of sweet. Another delish option is their Chocolate Maca Chunk Handcrafted Raw Organic .  This one has a touch of coconut crystal (which I’d personally rather have than a touch of cane syrup) and Maca. There are others as well and the ingredients of every single product are right there in plain sight so you can suss out for yourself which are most fitting to your Paleo lifestyle. Check them out and do a little pre-holiday taste testing.  You wouldn’t want to have anything on your holiday table that you hadn’t tried out first, would you? I’m teasing…but in all honesty, if you can procure a good quality dark chocolate, all you need is a very small amount and having this special treat is something I’ve found most clients feel provides a nice balance between keeping them on their Paleo path while allowing for a little something now and then. It’s decadent on its own without being baked into nut-flour based brownie or whipped into a grass-fed milky coffee drink. It’s just chocolate- raw and unadulterated.