Is chocolate permitted as part of the macrobiotic diet?
Chocolate is not a part of a strict macrobiotic diet and you should not eat it if you are recovering from a serious illness. However, if you are a healthy person living a macrobiotic lifestyle you can certainly enjoy chocolate once in a while. Chocolate contains flavonoids, a naturally-occurring compound found in many plant-based foods. Flavonoids provide an important protection benefit to plants by repairing damage and shielding the plant from environmental toxins. We can also benfefit from this “antioxidant” power. Flavonoids increase nitric-oxide activity, thus helping to maintain healthy blood pressure and to prevent platelets from clotting. This promotes healthy blood flow. Not all chocolate is alike. Dark chocolate contains the highest level of flavonoids. The main problem with chocolate products is the additional fat and calories added from other ingredients, e.g. milk, sugar etc. The chocolate we use is a dark, vegan chocolate grain-sweetened with barley malt.
