Langsung ke konten utama

Real vs Fake, Part IV - Chocolate

Chocolate - real, honest, dark chocolate - is kind of clean. Ingredients? Ground and tempered cocoa beans, sugar ( CE in the "It comes from the Earth" sense but white sugars are so overprocessed as to be unclean ... ), milk, lecithin ( a naturally occurring fatty lipid that binds chocolate ingredients together ), flavorings like vanilla, and maybe veg oil.

Now, most people who are CE only use cocoa powder, as it is much healthier and cleaner than bar chocolate. It adds that chocolate zing to dessert recipes that you may have forsaken in your quest for CE.

I'm not purporting real chocolate to be Clean by any means - but I am trying to relay that what you think might be chocolate isn't really chocolate at all.

Due to the tremendous increase in the cost of cocoa beans in the last 10 years, many chocolatiers have reformulated their chocolates to be a candy substance that the USDA doesn't even legally allow them to call chocolate anymore. Instead of adding pure cocoa butter to their mixes, manufacturers have learned a trick to replace much of that real cocoa butter with cheaper vegetable oils - producing "mocklate" as some call it. It looks like chocolate, kindof tastes chocolatey - but it isn't chocolate.

The removal of cocoa butter violates the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s definition of milk chocolate, so subtle changes have appeared on the labels of the Hershey’s products with altered recipes.

Products once labeled “milk chocolate” now say “chocolate candy,” “made with chocolate” or “chocolatey.”

Here's a tricky test that skirts the USDA rules: Which bar is real, and which is fake?


The top picture shows an old wrapper - one that represents a bar of chocolate made with cocoa butter ( and the limited but present health benefits of cocoa butter. ) 
The bottom picture shows the new wrapper - the reformulated product that is largely vegetable oil based. 

How do they get away with this? I am unsure. I'm trying to do research on it - but notice the difference in net weight on the packages. The real bar says net weight 1.55 ounces. The reformulation says 15.55 ounces. Same size bar. Why?  I'll let you know what I find. 

Here's another. Hershey's Kissables used to be labeled as candy coated milk chocolate. because of the extreme reformulation, they now must be called chocolate candies:


Just a visual wake up here. When you look at processed foods, the wrapper can say a lot of misleading things to make you think you know what you are eating. Be watchful, be mindful. You may think a processed food is Clean. Read the ingredients, do research, and make the decision for yourself.

Komentar

Postingan populer dari blog ini

Another Falafel Cracker Recipe with Za'atar ( GF)

I know I made falafel crackers last week , but this is a totally different recipe. It's lighter and crispier than the previous recipe, so you might want to give these a try.  I had never made crackers before last week, but they are really fast, easy, and fun to make. A batch of these 50 crackers from start to finish took me under 30 minutes ( I didn't count the 15 minutes of chill time). In addition, they are gluten free, dairy free, egg free and delicious. We love falafel and it's interesting spices,  so naturally I knew we would love these tasty falafel flavored crisps. What makes them taste like falafel? The chick pea flour, the sesame seeds, the cumin, the turmeric, the coriander and the spice blend called za'atar. What is za'atar or zahtar? Za'atar is a prepared spice blend that is used in many Middle Eastern countries.Although the recipes might vary, Za'atar may be made of any of the following spices: ground thyme, oregano, marjoram, sumac, hyssop an...

What is warfarin ?

 Coumadin (01 Mg) [Extracted from the website of www.drugs.com] Warfarin is an anticoagulant (blood thinner). Warfarin reduces the formation of blood clots by blocking the formation of certain clotting factors. Warfarin is used to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots in veins and arteries. Warfarin may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide. Warfarin Tablet (01 Mg) Important information about warfarin Warfarin can harm an unborn baby or cause birth defects. Do not use warfarin if you are pregnant or may become pregnant. Never take a double dose of this medication or take it together with other products that contain warfarin or coumarin. You should not take warfarin if you have a bleeding or blood cell disorder, blood in your urine or stools, an infection of the lining of your heart, stomach bleeding, bleeding in the brain, recent or upcoming surgery, or if you need a spinal tap or spinal anesthesia (epidural). Warfarin may cau...

Got Leeks? Make Sephardic Leek Patties

T F Got leeks and don't know what to do with them? Make these fabulous Sephardic leek patties.  If you are a reader of my blog, you may have remember that my husband is from the Middle East, and that some of their Jewish holiday customs differ from those of Jews from Eastern European descent like me. Middle Eastern Jews ( Mizrahi Jews) make a small "Seder" plate for the Rosh Hashanah ( the Jewish New Year ) dinner and use a variety of foods that take on a symbolic meaning to wish in a good new year! Leek patties are one of those symbolic foods ! They are simple to make and everyone looks forward to eating them. It is an easy gluten free vegetarian recipe that requires chopping up leeks. These chopped leeks symbolically represent  chopping up our bad habits so we can make positive changes in our lifestyle. (Ok, the original meaning was that our enemies should be chopped up and far away from us - but we have evolved.) There are as many variations for Sephardic Leek Patties ...