Dark and Decadent Healthy Chocolate Smoothie
This healthy chocolate smoothie combines all of the very best things. Peanut butter… Banana… Dates… and, of course, chocolate. And is there any food in the world that beats chocolate? Not in my book.
One of my other favorite foods? Pretty much any kind of smoothie. Combining chocolate and smoothies? Total bliss.
If you’re looking for more decadent smoothie ideas, check out this spiced banana date smoothie, strawberry peanut butter smoothie, or 3 ingredient blueberry smoothie.
And if you love smoothies that taste like dessert, you have to try this mint chocolate chip smoothie (it tastes like ice cream).
It’s been almost twenty years since I started making smoothies. The first kinds were always extremely, extremely nutritious—loaded with leafy greens, exotic berries and superfood powders. (Did I mention I was extreme, too?)
While I will still drink a smoothie made of just about anything, these days I often use my blender to concoct sweet, almost junk food treats. Who knew that smoothies could not only be great for your bod but also SO delicious?!
That’s right, this chocolate smoothie tastes like dessert, and it’s still super good for you!
What Is Chocolate?
Made from the seeds of cacao trees, chocolate is roasted and ground from small brown “beans” into powder and liquor, then mixed with ingredients like sugar to make candy. There’s milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate for hot cocoa, baking and smoothies.
Heavy Metals in Chocolate (Lead and Cadmium)
Lately, you may have heard some negative news about chocolate. All over the web, information is popping up about your favorite food (okay, my favorite food) being contaminated with lead and cadmium. Cadmium in chocolate? What does that even mean?
Well, like most foods at one point or another, chocolate is grown in soil. Soil is a good thing. It grows our food. And it’s (supposed to be*) rich in minerals.
*Due to over-farming it’s very badly depleted—a sad subject for a whole different blog.
Alas, in some places where cacao trees are grown, the soil is high in cadmium.
What Is Cadmium?
Cadmium is a naturally occurring metal element found in soil from the Earth’s crust. Some places have soil with higher levels than others. Cadmium is not something you want to ingest: it’s a known carcinogen (causes cancer) and can also build up in the body and lead to kidney disease.
Cadmium isn’t only found in chocolate. It’s also often absorbed into rice, shellfish, root vegetables and plenty of other (otherwise healthy) foods.
What About Lead?
Lead is a different story. Like cadmium, it’s a naturally occurring metal element that our planet just has. But unlike cadmium, lead contamination in chocolate does not happen in the soil.
A long study showed that while cadmium shows up in cacao seeds as they are harvested, lead contamination comes later. It’s suspected that since cacao is dried in highly industrial areas, lead from dust, dirt and leaded gasoline blows over the seeds and sticks to them.
Studies Have Shown…
Now that people are finding out about heavy metals in chocolate, the situation is being studied. Chocolate brands are being tested. While chocolate on grocery store shelves is probably okay, no one can actually know for sure. Each batch is different, each brand changes its source whenever it feels like it. Many chocolates test well over established safety heavy metal limits.
I have pored over lists of chocolate brands that have been studied, and found some interesting stuff. Highly processed, big brand milk chocolate filled with refined sugar, syrups and seed oils is often the safest when it comes to lead and cadmium.
That organic dark stuff you think is best? (Okay, me again. The organic dark stuff *I* think is best…) Well, that’s the kind that’s most likely contaminated.
Why Is Dark Chocolate Higher in Heavy Metals?
Dark chocolate has higher levels of cocoa solids than milk chocolate. While milk chocolate is usually made with a variety of other ingredients, dark chocolate focuses mostly on the, well, chocolate. Cocoa solids provide chocolate’s rich antioxidants, but unfortunately they are also most susceptible to absorbing heavy metals.
What Is A Chocolate Lover To Do?
There isn’t really much you can do, except keep up to date with the lists of chocolate brands with the lowest contamination.
My go-to is Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder (yes, for this healthy chocolate smoothie, too).
For bars I also usually grab Ghiradelli since it’s easy for me to remember (no financial link there at all). According to Consumer Reports studies, other brands on the safer side include Mast, Taza and Valrhona.
Healthy Chocolate Smoothie Ingredients
Alright, back to the chocolate smoothie, and what makes it healthy.
The star here is chocolate, and like I just mentioned, I use Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder. (Technically any unsweetened cocoa powder will do.) You only need a couple spoons to get a rich, chocolatey flavor.
Since the powder is unsweetened, you’ll want some kind of sweetener. The smoothie sweeteners I usually reach for first are bananas and dates. They are the most natural forms of sugar that taste the best to me, but maple syrup or honey get the job done, too.
If I can get peanut butter into a smoothie, I will. For this chocolate smoothie, peanut butter adds some fat and protein to balance out the sugar in the fruit.
Since I use a frozen banana for this one, I skip the ice. The only liquid involved is almond milk, or any milk of your choice.
How To Make A Chocolate Smoothie
Feel free to toss everything in a blender and hit go. However, if you pulse the dates after soaking them in a little hot water first, you won’t find them half-blended in the bottom of your cup.
Before I even get my blender out, I get the smallest bowl I have and pop in 2 dates (3 if they’re small ones) and barely cover them with a splash of boiling water. The longer they sit like that, the easier it will be for them to blend.
The rest is a breeze. Add all ingredients to the blender (even the date water) and blend, baby, blend.
This Chocolate Smoothie Makes A Yummy Bowl!
Pour your healthy chocolate smoothie into a bowl and top with chocolate chip granola! With hazelnuts, cranberries and chocolate chips, it’s the perfect match for a beautiful breakfast bowl.
Chocolate Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 dates
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbs peanut butter
Instructions
- Soak the dates in a small bowl of boiling water for 10 about minutes, then chop them into small pieces.
- Pour the dates and date water into your blender and blend for 20-30 seconds or until smooth.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Quick and easy recipe. I make these for my burgers.