A New, Healthy, Yummy Find in the Dairy Section

While grocery shopping at Whole Foods the other day, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the kefir section just got a little bigger with Nancy's (known for great, natural yogurt) getting into the competition.

For those unfamiliar with kefir, it's basically cultured milk, but so much more. Kefir.net defines it as "cultured, enzyme-rich food filled with friendly micro-organisms that help balance your 'inner ecosystem.' More nutritious and therapeutic than yogurt, it supplies complete protein, essential minerals, and valuable B vitamins."

Nancy's version of kefir is amazing. It's made with milk from grass-fed cows on small-family farms. The non-plain varieties are sweetened with real organic fruit and agave nectar. I love the raspberry flavor! So creamy and delicious! (Here's my favorite kefir beauty smoothie recipe).

I've had kefir from other brands, which are also very good, but Nancy's is simply so much better. That said, it does cost a little bit more too, but it's worth it.

One Chocoholic's Quest for the Best

We've read the recent headlines about chocolate giving us a better buzz than a kiss. We rejoiced when we first learned that chocolate is now a superfood like blueberries and other powerful antioxidants that can fight free radicals. It certainly gave us more ammunition to indulge in this decadent treat when it was discovered that it's as heart-healthy as a glass of red wine. Who needs more reasons to eat what the ancient Mayans called "the food of the gods"?

I love dark chocolate. My husband prefers milk chocolate. He's happy as a lark with a Dove bite-sized piece of milk chocolate. He doesn't seem to care that research has proven that dark chocolate is better for you, is lower glycemic and that the milk in his chocolate interferes with the absorption of the antioxidants in the dreamy treat. I am glad to be counted as a dark chocoholic so that I can reap all the benefits and none of the guilt - as long as I don't get carried away.

Recently, I decided to begin an informal study to find the healthiest, best tasting chocolate. Only chocolate that was made with 70% or more cocoa was included in my taste testing. Most of the chocolate I sampled came from Whole Foods. I tried chocolate by Dagoba, Green & Black's, Endangered Species and Scharffren Berger. I also included Trader Joe's organic chocolate bar and Belgium chocolate bar. Organic varieties and those containing the highest cocoa content received extra points.

The easy winner was Endangered Species Extreme Dark Chocolate with 88% cocoa. It was by far the best tasting, creamiest, melt-in-your mouth chocolate. For containing 88% cocoa, I was surprisingly pleased to find it didn't have a strong bitter taste. While Endangered Species does make organic varieties with up to 70% cocoa, I was unable to find them at the store so I did not include them in the taste test. However, the cocoa in the Extreme Dark Chocolate is grown fair-trade and in the shade, which does not need large amounts of pesticides as the sun-loving variety.

Of course, as a true chocoholic, I would never pass up any good quality chocolate when offered.

If you still need more reasons to indulge, then check out these sites:
http://www.ynhh.org/online/nutrition/advisor/chocolate.html
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/chocolate-lovers-6-reasons-to-cheer
http://www.livescience.com/health/060119_chocolate.html