11 Best Vegan Chocolate Bars & Brands
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Time to read 2 min
Chocolate is magic. It sparks glimmers in eyes young and old. That spark — shall we call it pure joy — isn’t imagined. Rather, it’s all part of the chemical reactions triggered by the complex cacao bean. And you don’t need dairy (or all that much sugar) to enjoy the benefits of chocolate. Vegan chocolate options abound. Here’s everything you need to know including our best vegan chocolate on the market.
Benefits Of Vegan Chocolate
Yes, benefits. As in, healthy.
Chocolate isn’t just candy. In fact, it’s a legitimate superfood — in the right setting, that is. Chocolate drenched in sugar and milk fat? That’s no different than any other candy bar out there. But chocolate where the cacao solids are at least 70 percent (aka “dark” chocolate), is loaded with healthy antioxidants and chemicals including anandamide (the “bliss chemical”). The name, if you’ve studied any Sanskrit, comes from the word “ananda,” which means “joy, bliss, delight.” If you’ve eaten chocolate, you certainly understand the sentiment. Cacao makes happy brains.
But how?
Chocolate is rich in anandamide, which triggers a serotonin response in the brain. Serotonin is the chemical we experience when we feel love or pleasure. It’s why chocolate is often associated with our love-filled holidays. It enhances the spirit of the seasons with its brain-altering boost. That boost equates to improved mood and may help to mitigate stress and panic attacks in those at risk.
Beyond the love chocolate may make you feel, it’s also giving love to your body by way of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
According to a growing body of research, the flavonoids in chocolate can be beneficial to your heart health. Consuming chocolate has been linked to a 37 percent reduced risk of heart attacks and a 29 percent decrease in stroke risk.
Dark chocolate is a powerhouse for minerals including nearly all of your RDA for copper and manganese, and more than half the RDA for magnesium. It’s also a rich source of plant-based iron, zinc, selenium, and potassium.
Theobromine, one of the chemicals in cacao is also linked to a reduced risk of preeclampsia. A potentially serious pregnancy complication that can elevate the mothers’ blood pressure, preeclampsia shows a 40 percent reduced risk in women who enjoyed “high doses” of chocolate during pregnancy.
The antioxidant-rich flavonoids (which give cacao its dark color), are great free radical fighters. This may make it a benefit in reducing the risk of certain types of cancer.
11 Best Vegan Chocolate Bars & Brands
Want to sink your teeth into a hunk of vegan chocolate about now? These incredible chocolates, brands and boxes and all completely vegan.
The Vegancuts Premium Chocolate Box is the pinnacle of vegan chocolate. Each year Vegancuts searches the globe for the best vegan chocolate bars, bites, spreads, truffles, cookies and more. There’s really no better chocolate experience than this ultimate plant based chocolate box.
Looking for a tasty chocolate bar that’s better for you and wildlife? Endangered Species Chocolate gives a portion of each bar sold to supporting… you guessed it, endangered species.
Vegan brands are innovating at a truly fast rate and Sourse’s Hype Bites are a prime example. These little bites actually supplement your B12 – so you can say goodbye to your daily B12 dose and hello to chocolate!
