We love our choccie at GMB, and the good news is there are more and more quality and clean chocolate brands landing on the market. Here are our current go-tos.
Bennetto Natural Foods Co. Dark Chocolate Raspberry
Not only does this taste heavenly (velvety smooth and with the perfect bitter:sweet:tart ratio), but it’s DAIRY FREE... perfect if you’re lactose intolerant or vegan.
An ingredient list is always listed in descending order so it’s great that the first (i.e., the main) ingredient is cocoa. The more cocoa there is in a choccie, the less room for sugar, and the more health-promoting compounds there'll be, including antioxidants. We also love the short real food ingredient list (longer ingredient lists often indicate a highly processed food), with no numbered ingredients or things we wouldn't keep in our pantry. And its portion-controlled size means you won’t be tempted to eat a whole block of this yumminess… although Bennetto’s larger block flavour varieties are next-level, and dessert always tastes better shared with a friend ;)
Find Bennetto Natural Foods Co. chocolates on our online shop
Banjo The Carob Bear
A lower sugar, more nutritious treat option for kids (and kidlets!), with over 1.5 times less sugar than the commercial fun-size chocolates. Carob is naturally high in FIBRE, and free from caffeine and theobromine - stimulating compounds found in chocolate. If you find chocolate leaves you or your little ones wired, try a Banjo instead! He comes in Original, Coconut for some crunch factor, or my favourite, Mint.
BSKT Vegan Dark Cocoa Chocolate Bar
Another dairy free option. If you normally find 70% dark chocolate too bitter, try this and you’ll be a dark chocolate convert. Made with just four clean ingredients - cocoa powder and cocoa butter, organic coconut sugar and natural vanilla. Want something a little less dark, but that’s still wholesome? Try BSKT’s Coconut Chip or Maca Espresso Chocolate Bars.
Find BSKT chocolates on our online shop
Morlife Dark Chocolate Coated Blueberries and Goji Berries
While a certain commercial cherry chocolate contains ingredients like Colour 129, 102 and 103 and ‘Flavours’ of an unknown origin, you won’t find any artificial colours or flavours in Morlife’s range. Who needs those anyway when plump dried blueberries and goji berries provide all the natural colour and flavour you need. Add these to a dessert platter at your next dinner party, even non-health foodies will approve.
Find Morlife chocolates on our online shop
Alter Eco Dark Chocolate Truffles
You’d be surprised to know that a very popular commercial chocolate ball contains gluten (in the form of barley malt extract) – as well as highly processed ingredients like vegetable fat, mysterious ‘flavourings’ and isolated lactose.
So what to do if you’re a coeliac but love a good chocolate truffle? Get your hands on Alter Eco’s range of Dark Chocolate Truffles – they come in drool-worthy flavours like Sea Salt and Mint Crème, are certified gluten free, and created with real and organic ingredients including whole milk, coconut oil and vanilla beans.
Don’t do dairy? Try one of Alter Eco’s Chocolate Bars (lots in the range are dairy free)…they even do a 90% cocoa bar if you’re brave.
Peak Chocolate
This isn’t your dessert chocolate (although it sure tastes like it!), it’s your functional chocolate – with the addition of nutrients like natural caffeine (the equivalent amount of a shot of coffee) and the amino acid carnitine, to give you that extra push during a workout. With a cacao content of 80%, this is low in sugar too.
