Food + Fitness: Easter without chocolate?

Maybe you have no desire to go without chocolate this Easter. I had to three times when my springtime babies were born because it made them cholicy (their little stomachs would tighten and they'd just cry). So I had to learn to ignore the plethora of Easter chocolate that came my way.

Easter and chocolate. The two do kind of go hand in hand for whatever reason. The eggs, bunnies, chicks, grass, blossoms, and bright colors all represent springtime and symbolize the death and resurrection of Jesus, but chocolate? I majored in English and I'm still stretching to see the symbolism there. No matter, chocolate can be healthy and we shouldn't fret eating a bit (especially if you can have a natural source made with raw cacao powder or cacao nibs -- here's my previous post on raw chocolate). You can make all sort of treats out of raw chocolate. There are so many sources for raw recipes online now, my newest favorite being Chocolate-Covered Healthy, by Katie (who is absolutely adorable inside and out). I just added her website to my list on the right. Mostly, I make raw fudge (here's my recipe if you haven't tried it yet).

If you are going to sink your teeth into some store-bought chocolate this Easter, look for a healthier version of what you normally like to eat . Your best bet is to go to your local health food store. They'll have organic chocolate bunnies, eggs and even little baskets. If you want to just go for a nice big chocolate bar, try Chocolove.

Chocolove is my very favorite and is a cut above any other dark chocolate bars I've tried. You can find a few varieties at Target, but probably need to go to a health food store to get the full spread. Here's what they Chocolove company says about the quality of their chocolate:

The cocoa beans used in Chocolove are premium beans, which means they are fully ripened and free of any bad beans. The fully ripened bean allows for proper chocolate flavor development upon roasting. The beans are roasted just enough to develop chocolate flavor. Chocolove chocolate is ground finer and conched longer than most chocolates to provide a smooth texture and a smooth flavor. Chocolove bars have higher cocoa content which translates to less sugar than other chocolates. The fruit flavors in our chocolate come from freeze dried or infused fruits.

We do not claim that Chocolove bars are vegan. Most of our dark chocolate arrives at our facility as kosher parve which means it is completely free of milk products, according to Jewish dietary law. The remainder arrives kosher dairy, which means the dark chocolate was made on equipment that also makes milk chocolate. Chocolove has separate equipment for melting and molding milk chocolate and dark chocolate. We take every measure to assure that milk chocolate is kept away from dark chocolate. You can expect our organic dark chocolate to be the least likely to contain any traces of milk chocolate.

Chocolove's Everyday Chocolate Bars
	Extra Strong Dark 77% Cocoa	Strong Dark 70% Cocoa	Rich Dark 65% Cocoa	Crystallized Ginger in 65% Dark
	Pure Dark 55% Cocoa	Chilies & Cherries in 55% Dark	Orange Peel in 55% Dark	Raspberries in 55% Dark
	Cherries & Almonds in 55% Dark	Hazelnuts in 33% Milk	Milk Chocolate 33% Cocoa	Toffee & Almonds in 33% Milk Chocolate

I rarely, if ever, eat milk chocolate anymore -- mostly because of the dairy and also because it has so much more sugar than dark chocolate. Chocolove Strong Dark Chocolate or the Extra Strong Dark Chocolate are my favorites.