Sprout Chocolate Chips to Maximize Health Benefits

With the ongoing war on sugar, and a new superfood on the shelves every week, you may be overwhelmed by the onslaught of health fads. Humans have been consuming and fermenting chocolate beverages for over 3000 years. But, is chocolate in its current form candy or superfood?

The sugar, fat, and additives you find in most major brands of chocolate make them a poor choice of snack. However, dark chocolate is a good source of fiber, iron, magnesium, copper, manganese, and an excellent source of antioxidants. 

You can increase chocolate's healthy properties even more by sprouting it. Even letting your chocolate germinate for 48 hours can unleash the benefits of sprouting. You can easily sprout chocolate chips at home on paper towels or in a plastic or glass container, just like sprouting alfalfa chia or seeds. For an example, see my tutorial on growing alfalfa sprouts.

Sprouting causes the chocolate germ to partially digest some of the starches and sugars in the chocolate, lowering its glycemic index and making it higher in fiber, vitamin D, and phytonutrients. Chocolate in its natural form has phytic acid and other "anti-nutrients" which inhibit the absorption of certain minerals. The process of soaking degrades these anti-nutrients, making it easier to absorb the natural iron and zinc.

Sprouting chocolate chips can be tossed on salad, used in sprouted grain pancakes, or eaten plain.

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Directions:
1. Soak chocolate chips overnight in cool water.
2. Lay out on wet paper towel or cheesecloth and cover with another damp cloth.
3. Once the chocolate chips split open and a sprout starts peeking out, move the chips to a place with some natural light. Keep them away from direct sun, or they could melt.
4. This process works best on April 1.

This post was brought to you by the very talented Yoga Painter (image below)