Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Organic Chocolates - Just What are They?

When you drop by the grocery store, you might find that most of your favorite fruits and vegetables have similar items placed in another shelf but with the word “organic” on their tags. Even your favorite snacks and desserts have organic ingredients which include organic chocolates. But what is the meaning of organic in the first place? Some may think that organic means producing food synthetically but it’s quite the opposite. Organic food is the result of the most natural way of growing produce minus the chemical enhancements. The same thing is true for organic chocolates which are produced from the seeds of cacao. The seeds are from plants that were not treated with any pesticide, germicide, or any chemical fertilizers.

Organic chocolates may only be gaining in popularity nowadays, but they have been around for more than 1500 years. The Aztecs in Mexico were one of the first who farmed cacao and enjoyed drinking concoctions made from its seeds. They valued the taste of organic chocolate as well as its health benefits. Modern agriculture have turned 360? and realized that synthetic and chemical treatments have negative effects to health and the environment. As early as the 1970s, experts came to the conclusion that insecticides and fertilizers may enhance growth of agricultural products but can be harmful resulting to different diseases and even cancer.

With all of these findings, chocolatiers around the world are now producing organic chocolates. These gourmet chocolate products are made with cacao ingredients that were planted in an environmental-friendly way. The cacao trees from where the seeds for organic chocolates are made from were not treated with any harmful chemicals to enhance its growth. Thus, you can be assured that when you eat organic chocolates, you will not be ingesting substances that will risk your health. On top of this, you will not be deprived of the wonderful taste that you expect from any of your favorite chocolate bars.

Aside from enjoying the delicious taste of organic chocolates, you will also love the health benefits you can get from them. These include lowering your cholesterol, stifling cough fits, adding magnesium to your diet, and raising antioxidants in your blood, among many others. Moreover, if you think that organic chocolates can be boring after a while then you are wrong. Chocolatiers worldwide have created variants that will tickle your fancy and satisfy your sweet tooth. Organic chocolate producers such as Booja Booja, a UK-based chocolate company have different organic chocolate flavors such as Midnight Espresso, Cognac Flambéed Banana, and Hazelnut Crunch. Other popular organic chocolate companies include Valrhona and Dagoba, among many others.

Most organic chocolatiers also produce standard chocolate varieties and chocolate products used for cooking and drinking. With the tastes and health concerns of consumers on their minds, organic chocolate producers have answered the need for chocolates to be healthy without diminishing their wonderful taste. This is the reason why many health and environment-conscious people prefer to buy organic chocolates.

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