Does a quality piece of chocolate or delicious cup of drinking chocolate with marshmallows help to brighten your day? Then you need to know about the chocolates, drinking chocolates and marshmallows created by Organic Times.
Organic Times is a proudly Australian owned, family run company. Since 1999 Organic Times have been making only the best selection of certified organic chocolates and marshmallows. This means that your marshmallows and chocolate was not produced using any synthetic chemicals, GMOs, or irradiation. Also, the planet and animal welfare are kept as top priorities.
All products are fair trade and ethically sourced. Their chocolates do not use palm-oil and are hand packed with care. So, you can feel good about enjoying each delectable bite or sip of your chocolate.
I admire Organic Time’s mission ‘to provide you a high-quality, better-for-you version of your favourite staples and indulgent goodies.’ If you go to the supermarket there are so many choices for you to select from when it comes to chocolate. However, the quality of these chocolates is often lacking. At a time of excess and overconsumption of low-quality chocolates, Organic Times stands a head above its competitors. Providing top quality chocolate products in every step of the process to the final chocolate you get to savour.
All Organic Times chocolates, marshmallows and drinking chocolates are top quality. My three favourite products I recommend you try first are:
Organic Drinking Chocolate
This drinking chocolate is decedent and made with rich cocoa powder. It includes added flakes of couverture chocolate for extra creaminess and flavour.
Some of the highlights of this drink include being certified organic, fair-trade sugar and chocolate, no GMOs or palm oil, is vegan friendly and gluten free.
Did you know that drinking chocolate made with dairy milk or fortified plant-based milk is a perfect way to not only satisfy your taste buds but help you recover from a workout? Firstly, as a fluid it counts towards your daily fluid needs which you body need to function at its best. Drinking chocolate made with milk also contains calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium. These minerals and electrolytes are lost during a workout and need to be replaced to help you recover faster.
These minerals and vitamins have many important roles. Calcium is needed for normal muscle contractions as well as to keep your teeth and bones strong. Potassium supports healthy blood pressure as well as is needed for normal nerve function and muscle contractions.
Magnesium is involved in over 325 different body functions which includes being able to relax as well as turning the food you eat into energy. Made with milk, drinking chocolate will give you around 9g of complete protein per 250mls. Drinking chocolate has the perfect ratio of 3-4g of carbohydrate to 1g of protein to promote optimal recovery post workout. Now you have even more reasons to enjoy a delicious glass of Organic Times drinking chocolate.
Dark Chocolate Drops
These dark chocolate drops are a great pantry staple. I enjoy them as a pop in the mouth treat but also as an ingredient in my baking.
There are many reasons to enjoy these delicious chocolate drops. They are made with fair-trade cocoa. Are certified organic, fair-trade, GMO free, palm-oil free, non-dairy, vegan, and vegetarian friendly and gluten free.
The dark chocolate drops are 55% cocoa solids. Cocoa is not only a mood enhancer but also contains nutrition benefits for your body. This includes phytochemicals or plant-based chemicals which have health benefits for your body. One main type of phytochemical found in cocoa are flavonoids which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants help to fight off free radicals which can cause damage and disease to the cells of your body.
The good news for your body’s health does not end there and research has found cocoa may also improve your cholesterol. It does this by preventing the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol from oxidising which is the chemical process which makes this type of cholesterol most harmful for your body. Oxidised LDL can lead to atherosclerosis when it is taken up onto the walls of your arteries causing plagues.
You may be surprised to know that chocolate is also a source of vitamin D!
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin which you mostly get from exposure to the sun. It is important to get enough vitamin D to:
- Allow the calcium to enter your bones to keep them strong to prevent osteoporosis.
- It is a vitamin which helps support a happy mind.
- Is essential for a healthy immune system and low levels may increase your risk of diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
Vanilla Mallows Marshmallows
These delicious marshmallows make the perfect companion for the drinking chocolate. I love that these marshmallows are certified organic, GMO and palm oil free, additive free, gluten free and dairy free.
An ingredient included in marshmallows called gelatine may have health benefits you were unaware of. Gelatine is formed by collagen being boiled and becoming a gel. Collagen may help promote ligament and tendon healing. Eating 2.5 grams to 5 grams of collagen with a source of vitamin C is the ideal combination. It is recommended to eat or drink this combination 30-60 minutes before a recovery exercise session as it may help promote ligament and tendon healing. The vitamin C is important as it helps your body to absorb the collagen.
Collagen may have other health benefits including reducing the appearance of cellulite, wrinkles, fine lines, hair loss, and improve your skin tone and elasticity. Why not try adding some strawberries to the side of your Organic Times drinking chocolate to help your body optimize all the potential health benefits?
Take home message: If only the best quality chocolate and marshmallows will do, then the brand for you is Organic Times.
References:
- Kuhn J, Schroter A, Hartmann BM, Stangl GI. Cocoa and chocolate are sources of vitamin D2. Food chemistry. 2018;269:318-20.
- Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand. National Health and Medical Research Council. Vitamin D. https://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/vitamin-d. 2019.
- Clark KL, Sebastianelli W, Flechsenhar KR, Aukermann DF, Meza F, Millard RL, et al. 24-Week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity-related joint pain. Current medical research and opinion. 2008;24(5):1485-96.
- Asserin J, Lati E, Shioya T, Prawitt J. The effect of oral collagen peptide supplementation on skin moisture and the dermal collagen network: evidence from an ex vivo model and randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Journal of cosmetic dermatology. 2015;14(4):291-301.
- Proksch E, Segger D, Degwert J, Schunck M, Zague V, Oesser S. Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Skin pharmacology and physiology. 2014;27(1):47-55.
- Abedin MZ E al. Biochemical and radical-scavenging properties of sea cucumber (Stichopus vastus) collagen hydrolysates. PubMed - NCBI n.d. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24670209 (accessed July 24, 2019).
- Wang B, Wang Y-M, Chi C-F, Luo H-Y, Deng S-G, Ma J-Y. Isolation and Characterization of Collagen and Antioxidant Collagen Peptides from Scales of Croceine Croaker (Pseudosciaena crocea). Mar Drugs 2013;11:4641.
- Levine M, Violet PC. Breaking down, starting up: can a vitamin C–enriched gelatin supplement before exercise increase collagen synthesis? Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105(1):5-7.
- Shaw G, Lee-Barthel A, Ross ML, Wang B, Baar K. Vitamin C-enriched gelatin supplementation before intermittent activity augments collagen synthesis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105(1):126-143.
- Clark KL, Sebastianelli W, Klaus R, et al. 24-week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity-related joint pain. Curr Med Res Opin. 2008;24(5):1485-1496.
