Thursday, 13 February 2014

The Chocolate for Chocolate Lovers who Don't Want to Eat Chocolate

Yes, I know it might be confusing for some. But while I love chocolate, I don't really love normal chocolate. 

Firstly, being gluten intolerant, a great deal of chocolate other than the original contains gluten. Strike 1 against chocolate. 

Secondly, chocolate makes me feel fat and ugly. And it probably actually contributes to me becoming fat and ugly too, now that I think of it. So that would be strike 2. 

Thirdly, chocolate contains a lot of sugar, and to be frank I just feel a whole lot better without sugar, and without chocolate. That brings us to strike 3.

But I love chocolate. So instead I have had to find chocolate alternatives that taste delicious and still cater to my chocolatey cravings. 

Enter Pana Chocolate and the Carob Kitchen chocolate bars. 

Pana Chocolate is tasty, delicious, rich and smooth. It literally melts in your mouth and feels whole and nourishing. My favourite in this brand would be the Coconut & Goji. At most stores it is sold for $8.50, but after a bit of shopping around I found it at Foodland for $6.50 per bar (also, it is $6.50/bar on the website). This is still really expensive, but as a treat every now and then it's not so bad, especially if you appreciate good quality food and miss chocolatey goodness. Pana Chocolate bars are made with raw cacao and other wholesome ingredients. The only disputable ingredient is the Agave Syrup, which has been highly debated on a health level. 

http://www.panachocolate.com/coconut-goji/


The Carob Kitchen creates a delicious milk bar as well as an almond bar. There are mini 'banjo bars' available also, found in most health food stores for about $1.50 each. These are made from Carob powder, milk solids, cocoa butter and a few other things, so they are not as healthy as the Pana Chocolate bars, but they are still better than normal chocolate. Now you might be wondering what Carob even is. Carob is essentially a substitute for chocolate. One of the benefits of Carob is that it doesn't contain caffeine or theobromine. While Carob does tend to contain more carbohydrates and sugar than cocoa (the base for chocolate), it is often mixed with more nutritionally sound items than what regular chocolate would be. Carob is also said to be naturally sweeter which is why it requires less sugar mixed in with it to get that delicious taste. It's arguable whether or not there are many health benefits with it, but again as I never feel good after a lot of sugar that is the main reason why I've started buying Carob. 

The almond Carob bars are by far my favourite, they are smooth and creamy and remind me of Nutella. Mmmm. Nutella. 

http://the-carob-kitchen-australia.myshopify.com/collections/carob-milk-bar-range/products/carob-almond-bar-80g



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