For MOMS, MOMS-TO-BE & TODDLERS 2 YEARS+*
Chocolate is not generally a food you want to give to your kids. In fact, many parents try to avoid chocolate, for both their kids and themselves. [Often] filled with lots of sugar and artificial flavors and preservatives, it’s not a snack that most people would consider healthy.
Fortunately, chocolate has gotten a better rap as of late, thanks to the high antioxidant levels found in dark chocolate’s polyphenols and catechins. However, not all chocolate is created equal with many brands and varieties containing GMOs and other ingredients that I would not recommend ingesting.
So if you’re a chocolate lover, when you discover companies like Theo Chocolate – who not only takes pride in their products but truly cares about the whole chocolate making process, from harvesting the cocoa beans to packaging their products – then it’s best to take note. And with their new line of Kid-inspired chocolate bars that parents are sure to love as much as their little ones, you’ll never look at chocolate the same [unhealthy] way again.
THE PRODUCT: Theo Chocolate is different from other chocolate companies. Starting out as the first organic supplier of cocoa beans to the United States in 1994, the founder, Joe Whinney, developed a true passion for traveling and working in the tropics of Central America and Africa, falling in love with the land and the people farming there. He quickly recognized an injustice in the way that both were being exploited and tirelessly championed to promote Fair Trade practices for the people farming those beans.
With the goal of someday making chocolate himself and sharing his passion with the world, Joe’s dream came to life in 2006 with Theo’s inaugural run of organic chocolate – the first made in the U.S. Focusing on the quality of the beans and only using the purest ingredients grown in the most sustainable ways, Theo’s small batch production, where every aspect of manufacturing process is controlled by Theo, you can be certain that every step, every ingredient, and everything that goes into each bar is as special as the beans themselves. In fact, everything they make and sell meets the highest standards for Organic, Fair Trade and Fair for Life, something not many can say.
With multiple lines of chocolates, Theo’s latest venture is that developed specifically for children. Smaller bars that are still huge on flavor, Theo’s Kid Crunch Bars come in 3 delicious flavors, including Banana, Raspberry and Almond. Furthermore, all 3 bars contain puffed quinoa and brown rice, giving them the perfect balance of crunch and sweetness that both you and your kids won’t be able to get enough of!
NUTRITION-WISE: At Theo, the quality of ingredients is of utmost importance and can be seen through the certifications that they’ve required, including Organic, Non-GMO, and Fair Trade. Subscribing to the most stringent definition of Organic (using foods grown without synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers, that do not contain genetically modified organisms, and have not been irradiated or exposed to industrial solvents or food additives), those at Theo also diligently work with farmers and suppliers to ensure these standards are maintained.
Starting with the ground seeds of the chocolate tree – Theobroma cacao – and seeing it’s way through the process of fermentation and roasting (to develop that “chocolatey” flavor), grinding and mixing, tempering, addition of ingredients, and then molding and packaging, the Theo team makes sure every step is precise and perfect because that’s how they expect their bars to be.
With many of their bars consisting of dark, antioxidant rich cocoa, eating Theo Chocolate will even give you positive health benefits including maintaining healthy blood pressure, inhibiting inflammation, reducing the formation of bacteria known to cause tooth decay, and improved cerebral blood flow. In addition, chocolate contains theobromine, a mild stimulant related to caffeine – something us moms can’t seem to get enough of (or maybe I’m just speaking for myself with my newborn and 2 ½ year old?!).
*Theo’s Kid Crunch Chocolate bas really are great for kids and adults of all ages, once they are “old enough” to eat sweets of course. Made with protein-packed quinoa and puffed brown rice, these bars aren’t just sweet, but carry a nutritional-punch as well. The dark chocolate bars, in particular, contain a decent amount of antioxidants, and all 3 bars contain 2 grams of both fiber and protein.
However, each serving does contain around 11 grams of sugar, so I would recommend giving your kid just a half of bar or so – and then you can enjoy some too! Also, the Banana flavor is made with milk chocolate, which obviously contains dairy. So, please be mindful of this if you or your child is lactose-intolerant.
WHERE TO BUY: You can conveniently purchase Theo Chocolate bars directly from their Online Store (click here for the Kid’s line, and here for their Classic Bars), or visit their Store Locator for the location that sells them nearest you.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Growing up I was never a huge fan of chocolate. I would say this probably had a lot to do with the quality of chocolate I was given (ie, overly processed Hershey’s, etc.), but the sentiment stuck with me well into adulthood as I mistakenly thought that all chocolate was unhealthy and bad for you (as most of us did). Fortunately I’ve been introduced to some delicious and healthy lines of chocolate in the past few years, totally changing my mindset of what the good ol’ cocoa bean is all about.
And I must say that Theo Chocolate is one of my new favorite brands. With their initial emphasis being on the quality of the cocoa beans themselves, and then branching out from their and focusing on the entire process of developing their products, Theo Chocolate goes above and beyond your typical chocolate company by honing in on every step along the way.
With their new Kid’s Crunch line being part of their latest venture, I can truly say that these bars are some of the most delicious that I’ve tried and are ones that I would actually want to “steal” from my kids. Plus, they come in a very convenient size with just the right amount of calories (140), fats (8-9 grams), and sweetness (11 grams) to help tide over my sugary cravings without making me feel guilty about eating these decadent bars. And, you won’t have to feel bad about giving them to your children either, since they contain less sugar than the majority of “nutritional bars”, are 100% Organic and non-GMO verified, and even contain some healthy whole grains, antioxidants, fiber and protein.
Try any or all of Theo’s Chocolate Bars today and find out for yourself how delicious chocolate bars filled with whole grains can be!
To learn more about Theo Chocolate please visit their website and check them out on Facebook.
And remember, Contact Healthy.Fit.Fab…Moms today to learn more about helping you and your family live a healthy, fit, and fabulous life!
