5 creamy vegan chocolate ‘nice cream’ recipes
Chocolate love
I feel like it’s summer. Despite the fact that it’s April…it hit 31 degrees Celsius yesterday! For my American friends, that’s 88 degrees Fahrenheit. It went from Winter to Summer in a day, and will likely go back to Winter again. If you’re Canadian, or maybe you aren’t, you probably know how much we love to talk about our weather in Canada. When it’s hotter than normal, we let you know. When it’s colder than you ever believed possible, we let you know too! In fact, even if it’s 20C and sunny, we’re probably boasting about how we can go outside in a t-shirt and shorts. And we’ll do the same if it’s -20C. We’re a funny culture.
Anyhow, you came here for the ice cream…excuse me, “nice cream” (and you got a paragraph about weather!). If you’re new to the vegan world, we call it nice cream for the obvious reason: because it’s nice. Nice to the animal world, and generally nice to the planet. I’m in it for both, but I’m also in it for the health of it all too.
So, let’s talk about the nutrition surrounding chocolate.
Can chocolate be vegan?
100% it can. Yes, vegans can enjoy chocolate. In fact, if you check out most dark chocolate products, they might already be vegan and free of dairy. But when we get into the milk chocolates, look for the varieties that don’t have animal-based milk products added to them. If you’re looking at the sweeteners as well, consider products that don’t contain honey or sugars derived through processes involving animal products (e.g. some sugar is processed using bone char.) If your sugar is processed in the US, carefully choose your products using this guide from PETA. For Canadians, only the Vancouver cane refinery uses bone char the last I checked. Products starting with the code “22” are from Alberta, while codes that start with “10” are from Vancouver.
You can even indulge in white chocolate as a vegan. White chocolate is technically not really chocolate anyhow. Cocoa butter is sweetened and milk products are generally added in. So find a white chocolate that uses rice, coconut or oat milk. Check out my very favourite vegan online shop for the latest and coolest tasty vegan treats, Vegnhaus. They keep the products on their shelf highly scrutinized and ensure their customers have access to everything vegan that’s hot and trendy, but still ethical and tasty! Check them out. They have a wide variety of vegan chocolate treats.
What are the health benefits associated with chocolate?
When I think about the nutrition behind chocolate, my mind goes straight to the neurotransmitters - it’s how chocolate makes us feel. But, let me break it down a bit for you. Since these recipes all contain cocoa powder, what does a serving of cocoa powder offer us?
Minerals - magnesium, manganese, zinc and selenium, plus some non-heme iron. Darker chocolates and cocoa beans offer a good source of minerals, such as the ones mentioned. Depending on how much you can consume, cocoa powder that’s unsweetened offers ample manganese, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper. It’s a excellent source of potassium and a good source of selenium and even calcium.
Polyphenols - cocoa is one of the richest sources of polyphenols, specifically flavanols, which offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. These anti-inflammatory effects can enhance the function of your blood vessels and perhaps reduce blood pressure. When I said “it’s how chocolate makes us feel”, I wasn’t kidding. Flavanols can also cross the blood-brain barrier that may improve mental performance and have a positive role on brain health.
Tryamine - a derivative of tyrosine which is the precursor to dopamine. Eating chocolate may light up the “reward centre” in the brain thanks to the pleasure sensation from this dopamine dosage.
Tryptophan - high polyphenol cocoa may in fact, contain some tryptophan, which is the precursor for serotonin. If you feel calmer or less anxious after consuming dark chocolate, it could be that you’ve been able to convert some of that tryptophan into the “feeling-good” serotonin.
Bittnerness - the bitterness of dark chocolate or cocoa, is a great sign. It means that the cocoa has been less treated for its acidity. So, enjoying the bitterness of chocolate has a few benefits: more polyphenols (and antioxidant pleasure), as well as assisting with digestion. Eating bitter foods on a daily basis is critical for proper digestion. So enjoy the cocoa, dark chocolate, arugula and bitters before you eat.
Fibre - last but not least, fibre. I could go on and on about fibre, but we have recipes to get to. Just one tablespoon of cocoa powder has almost 2g of dietary fibre. This added fibre is a big bonus for those of us leading busy lives and eating on the go. Add some cocoa powder to your smoothie, or settle in with one of these creamy, delicious vegan nice cream recipes for the night.
CHOCOLATE NICE CREAM RECIPES
Click on the photos below to access the recipes. Or you can find them here:
Vegan Tahini chocolate Ice cream
Avocado Creme de Mousse vegan ice cream
Mayan-inspired vegan chocolate ice cream
Prairie girl’s Dreamy Chocolate Vegan Ice Cream
CHOCOLATE BANANA NICE CREAM
Sources:
Brookshire, B. (2017, January 17). Explainer: What is dopamine? Science News Explores. https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-what-dopamine
Ferrari, F. (2020, October 9). Which chocolate is vegan? A guide to dairy-free chocolate. Finedininglovers.com; Fine Dining Lovers. https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/vegan-dairy-free-chocolate
Mandl, E., BSc, Msc, & APD. (2018, August 9). 11 health and nutrition benefits of cocoa powder. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cocoa-powder-nutrition-benefits
The benefits of having a healthy relationship with chocolate. (2022, January 18). Hopkinsmedicine.org. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-benefits-of-having-a-healthy-relationship-with-chocolate
Tracey Roizman, D. C. (2012, July 13). Chocolate & dopamine. Healthy Eating | SF Gate; SF Gate. https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/chocolate-dopamine-3660.html
