Vegan Chocolate  

Yes, vegans can eat chocolate too. In fact, chocolate in its natural state is made from organic cacao beans (dark chocolate). Chocolate isn’t vegan when sugar, dairy, and bone char or other animal products are added to it. So vegans can eat vegan dark chocolate, vegan chocolate clip cookies, vegan chocolate clips and even vegan bunnies and eggs at Easter time.

Veganism is, after all, a philiosphy of life concerned about how animals are treated, how the environment is protected, and how our human health is sustained. Veganism is a stricter subset of vegetarianism, but it is estimated that now approximately three to four million Americans are vegans and prehaps as many as 15 million are vegetarians. And many of us are moving in that direction.

But let’s get back to what vegan chocolate is and what it can do for us. Vegan chocolate is made with natural, organic cacao beans, and often with dehydrated cane juice, all-natural Stevia, or soy lecithin added or is eaten in its raw state. Not only is this type of chocolate vegan and healthy, it's extremely delicious. It’s also a super food; raw chocolate is one of the richest sources of antioxidants.

These antioxidants, medical studies have found, contain polyphenols, which can help protect against heart disease. Natural chocolate also contains four times the amount of catechins (a polyphenol) as tea. Catechins have been known to help fight damage due to free radicals, increase memory, balance hormones, and mitigate against the effects of stress and even aging. It’s good stuff. Chocolate also contains theobromine, magnesium, and phenylethylamine, and potassium. These are minerals and polyphenols.

Not suprisingly, vegan diets are credited with lowering the risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks, prostate cancer, strokes and colon cancer.

As more people discover the benefits of natural vegan chocolate, its popularity is growing. Vegan chocolate isn’t just found in health food stores anymore. I have seen it sold everywhere from regular food markets to movie theaters and filling stations and, yes, its sold online.

Eating vegan chocolate also does something else for its eater. It causes endorphins to be released into the body giving the consumer a pleasant, enjoyable experience. And why shouldn’t we enjoy eating something as good for us as vegan chocolate?