Chocolate - need I say more?

There is part of me that feels anyone who wholeheartedly dislikes chocolate is a teeny bit defective, like a missing gene or something... Just saying...

I on the other hand ADORE chocolate, in a fanatical way. Seriously, I can think of chocolate food I could eat for every meal of the day, or instead of any meal. It is just that good.

Now you're probably saying, if only it was actually good for you. Well, while it may not be a bona fide health food, I do believe it has some genuine benefits. Chocolate contains antioxidants that are good for you (the darker the chocolate, the more antioxidants it has), and then there is the obvious emotional boost many get from savoring it. Personally, I eat chocolate like a vitamin. I buy the best chocolate I can, and I take a little piece each and every day, and it feels good!

Now the important part... Did you know that the kind of chocolate you eat matters BIG time? Not just because not all chocolate tastes as good as the other one, but because much of the world's chocolate is produced using cocoa harvested by child slaves. Yes, not just regularly terrible child labor, rather children that have been kidnapped from their families or sold, and forced into brutal slavery in order to survive. Who knew? Now you do. Apparently most of the world's biggest chocolate manufacturers also know, and yet continue to buy cocoa directly and indirectly from slave farming. It is time for consumers to make the difference through their chosen purchases. This is why it is very important to buy fair trade chocolate. Fair trade means that the farmers have been fairly compensated for their crop, and the product definitely doesn't come from slavery. Supporting slavery is super scary.

My favorite fair trade chocolate is Camino. This is scrumptiously fantastic chocolate, that comes in many different strengths and flavor combinations. The added bonus is it is also organic! My favorite is the 55% dark chocolate.

You can find it all over the place, including regular supermarkets like Metro, in the organic section. If you want to look into other fair trade products, go buy it at a store called Dix Milles Villages (there are several in the city, on Monkland, Pointe Claire Village, etc), www.tenthousandvillages.ca

Enjoy!
Remember to share.