One important factor in any health supplement is whether it's organic. Let me explain why.
If you already read through the page on ORAC scores, you know that one of the benefits touted by a lot of supplements these days is their capacity to eliminate free radicals. So if they're yelling about free radicals and the need to eliminate them, why would they provide you with a food that's not organic?
A food that isn't organic can be sprayed by highly toxic pesticides that -- you guessed it -- can act as free radicals in the body. So it seems to me that if you're getting a non-organic supplement with a high ORAC score, well, part of the ORAC capacity may be used on the chemicals present in the supplement itself!
What a waste.
This is especially true with chocolate, as cacao trees are some of the most heavily sprayed crops, and cacao has a good deal of fat in it, which stores these chemicals. So you don't just wash it off later. It gets right into the chocolate you're eating.
Now, there IS a possible exception to this: if a crop is grown in a region where there is no organic certification and yet is grown in pristine conditions and/or is not treated with pesticides, it's possible that it's just as good as an organic product in terms of nutritional value. The problem is that, unless you know where it's coming from, you really can't verify the safety of the crop. So the organic certification simply tells you that you're dealing with a relatively clean, valuable crop. Without that certification, you're left guessing.
In a country like the U.S. where organic foods are available, organic crops are usually grown in such a way that they're likely to include more nutrients. That's right -- just because two foods are identical in name and appearance doesn't mean they're identical in terms of nutrient content. Where a crop is grown and how it's grown can have a decided effect on the nutrients in the soil that are brought into the food itself.
This is definitely true of chocolate. Cacao grown in forest settings are subject to greater biodiversity and, according to sources I've read, this setting tends to provide more nutrients for the cacao than mass market cacao farms.
So when you're looking for healthy chocolates, it's a good idea to buy organic when possible.
Now it's time to take a look at an all-important issue when it comes to chocolate: sugar and other sweeteners.
