Chocolate: The Good and the Bad

For my botany class this quarter, I had to do a research project on a plant of my choosing. Being a chocoholic, it seemed natural to go with Theobroma cacao, the chocolate plant - Theobroma translates to "food of the gods," and cacao is what the plant was called by Mesoamericans. The history of chocolate is fascinating* (the Aztecs used cacao beans as currency and valued it more than gold!), but I was much more interested in the health benefits.

The Good

Chocolate has all sorts of chemical constituents that make it a wonder food. All of the good stuff is found in larger quantities in dark chocolate than in milk chocolate, and it's found in even larger quantities in cocoa nibs (roasted cocoa beans that have been shelled but haven't had anything added to them).

-It is the best source for theobromine, a natural stimulant similar to caffeine (which chocolate also contains in small amounts) that has also been shown to be one of the best naturally occurring cough suppressants.

-It contains Phenylethylamine, a chemical that occurs naturally in humans that seems to be responsible for people falling in love, and it is present during orgasm. It can also relieve depression without any negative side effects.

- It has large quantites antioxidants, chemicals that help to prevent cancer.

- It contains anandamide, which has a role in short-term memory (I'm totally eating chocolate while cramming for exams from now on!) and is necessary for implantation of embryos.

- Tryptophan, an essential amino acid (which means it's not produced by the body so must be eaten), is found in chocolate. It is the rate-limiting factor in the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter important for relaxation. (It's the same chemical responsible for the food coma you get after eating a huge turkey dinner)

- It's a great source for magnesium, which assists in the absorption of calcium. It also turns out that magnesium deficiency makes PMS worse, so the chocolate cravings that women get are perfectly reasonable, and we should pay attention!

The Bad

Unfortunately, there is a dark side to chocolate. Most commercially produced chocolate is tainted with child slavery. The Ivory Coast is the largest producer of cocoa beans in the world, and slave trade in boys is rampant there. They are either kidnapped or sold for absurdly small amounts. They are forced to work under harsh conditions, are beaten regularly, and are only given enough food to survive. Because they are so inexpensive, they are viewed by the plantation owners as completely expendable. What makes this even more appalling is that chocolate manufacturers know that it's happening, but aren't doing anything to stop the problem. A common excuse is that because beans from plantations that use slave labor are mixed with beans from plantations that don't use slave labor, they can't determine whether what they're buying is slave-free or not. What they are really saying is that they don't want to make the effort and expense to ensure that they are buying beans from good plantations. Unfortunately, this includes all the manufacturers of the most popular candy in the US.

Fortunately, we do have options. Your best bet is to look for the Fair Trade symbol on your chocolate (you should do that for coffee, as well). Fair trade means that the plantations they are buying from guarantee their workers a living wage and decent working conditions. My personal favorite fair trade chocolate comes from Theo Chocolate, a local Seattle company. They are the only organic, fair trade bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the US. For more information on chocolate slavery, and for a great list of chocolate companies that produce slave free chocolate, check out http://vision.ucsd.edu/~kbranson/stopchocolateslavery/.

*A wonderful, well written, and beautiful book with tons of info on the history, and the preparation of chocolate is The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural and Natural History of Cacao with recipes by Maricel E. Presilla

For more info on the chocolate in general, check out http://chocolate.org/

Summer Lovin'

On days like today, when it's 90 degrees and nothing is air conditioned (one of the downsides to living in Seattle is that if the weather goes below 40 or above 78, no one knows how to handle it), it's hard to remember why I love summer. I took a bite of a ripe, organic, locally farmed nectarine, and I then remembered. My first bite was like a religious experience. I said to my roommated, "Oh my god, nectarines are my favorite food in the world." He laughed because I've said that about every fruit when I tasted it for the first time this season - at least when they were local. I had a few nectarines from California earlier this summer, and while they were tasty, they had nothing on the intense, complex flavor of this one. Once again, local wins.

Almost Vegan Banana Bread

I've had bananas in my freezer for a while just waiting to be turned into banana bread. Today, I looked through dozens of banana bread recipes online for one that used honey and whole wheat, and that also didn't use eggs (I'm out and didn't feel like buying any). I found an excellent recipe that not only met my requirements, but it also didn't use dairy. It's a much healthier alternative to regular banana bread using only 3 tablespoons of oil instead of a stick of butter, and it tastes (in my opinion) just as good.

Because the recipe calls for honey, it's not technically vegan, although I know many vegans who still eat honey. To make it a truly vegan recipe, you could substitue agave nectar, or possibly even maple syrup.

Instead of walnuts, which I'm not a fan of, I used a 3oz bar of Theo 70% dark chocolate that I hammered until it broke up into small pieces. The chocolate was a delicious alternative, but next time I think I'll only use 3/4 of a bar. The banana was obscured somewhat by the chocolate. It might also be quite tasty with cacao nibs instead of chocolate.

Of course, everything I used was organic, and the chocolate, honey, and flour were all local. Overall, I'm quite happy with the results, and I'll definitely be making this recipe again.

Fresh Flour

My whole life, I've never given much thought to flour. You just buy it at the store and put it into whatever you're cooking. I always thought it was basically idiot proof. Recently, I learned that the amount of gluten in the flour makes a huge difference in how it should be used. Bread flour should really be used for making bread, and cake flour should be used for making light fluffy baked goods. Still, all that information is basic mostly idiot-proof information that is readily available on the internet.

A stand at my local farmer's market has started selling fresh ground flour. I bought some after my friend E had tremendous success with it, even though it's more expensive than what you buy in the store. This is the sort of flour that requires a good sifting (or even two) before you use it to get the larger hulls out. It is worth every extra penny, and the extra work of sifting because holy crap, it makes the most delicious baked goods ever. Apparently, flour goes rancid after a few weeks if you don't freeze it. It doesn't taste bad, but it stops tasting amazing, and it becomes harder to digest. It also loses qi pretty quickly. The stuff available in the grocery store was probably several weeks (if not months) old before it even left the processing plant. What shows up at the store is perfectly functional, bland, uninteresting, difficult to digest, but easy to use flour.

When you use fresh flour, it turns a good recipe into a phenominal recipe. I made whole wheat bread in my bread maker - something I do on a regular basis. I used bread flour from a bag because I didn't have fresh bread flour. In place of my usual whole wheat flour, I used fresh flour. The recipe only calls for 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour, so I didn't think it would make that much difference, but I don't think I can ever go back to using regular flour again. I have also had the same success with pancakes and muffins. Having this flour makes me want to bake. I think I'm going to have to try making cookies with this stuff.

Moderation

Over the past few weeks, I have decided that while eating local is a wonderful thing, and that I will do it as often as possible, I'm not going to be a complete locavore. The simple fact is that I love things like oranges, bananas, mangos, and avacados. Right now, California strawberries are ripe and delicious. When I walk through the produce aisle, I can't resist the smell of ripe strawberries. My new rule of thumb is that if something is available locally, I will always choose it over something from out of state. If it's not available locally, I will buy it if it is from California or Oregon, but not if it is from Florida (or other distant states over on the other side of the country). In the case of bananas, I won't buy them from further south than Mexico. In fact, the only reason I am willing to buy them from Mexico at all is that a portion of the profits from all of the organic bananas that Ballard Market (one of my local grocery stores) carries go to a charity that promotes sustainable agriculture and good working conditions in Mexico. I can get behind that.

I still strongly believe that it's necessary to support the local economy and buy organic, sustainable food. I just can't limit myself as much as I have been when the limits feel like punishment. I didn't get into this to feel bad, but to help my planet and my health. Of course, when local products are available, I'll eat those. I can't wait for local Rainier cherries (quite possibly the most delicious fruit on the planet), and local berries. But until the local produce is ripe and ready for consumption, I'll celebrate the wonderful produce that is available from a little further away.

Dave's Killer Bread

My roommate made a discovery that I absolutely have to share with everyone. It's called Dave's Killer Bread. It's the most delicious commercially available bread I've ever eaten - and bonus points - it already comes sliced for sandwiches! It's packed with seeds and whole grains, and has seeds in the bread and on the crust (they do have a variety without all the seed pieces for those who don't like the texture). The company is committed to sustainable practices, organic ingredients, and delicious bread. The best part is that it comes from Milwaukie, Oregon, which is less than 200 miles from Seattle. It's a little pricier than the average loaf of bread, but it's well worth the price. Heck, I even want to eat the heels of this bread, so not a single slice is going to waste.

If you get a chance, try this bread. I was sold after one slice.