Exercising When Injured: Yes or No.
A video below on the topic. And under that, some comments regarding the on-going concern about lead in chocolate.
Lead in Chocolate
It has remained a fairly well-hidden topic, and for good reason, that there have been long-term issues with toxic, or nearly-toxic levels of lead in far too many commercial chocolate products.
It is devastating to those of us who enjoy chocolate as our cheat food. I am actually eating chocolate…a tested lead-free kind (more below)…right now. And it’s safe to say I have something close to an addiction to this relatively healthy (and hopefully safe) dessert food.
I have covered chocolate several times in my free videos. No secret that I have a “problem” with it, like so many people do. Meaning of course, that I love chocolate and have since I was a kid.
My tastes have evolved over the years to appreciate dark chocolate even more, while appreciating the enhanced purity and health benefits of this form of chocolate over others.
Imagine the disappointment in finding that dark chocolates specifically, can be so much more prone to lead issues than other chocolates. Once we see where the lead is coming from, it’s easy to understand why.
To cut to the chase and keep this short, I’ll explain the source of the lead, then of course refer you to a recently tested lead-free (or acceptably low level of lead) chocolate, the one I am eating right now.
First, understand that unfortunately lead is ubiquitous. It is everywhere now, is a problem, but is something adults can mostly manage, at least more so than children. Ideally, we need to reduce and eliminate the over-exposure we have brought on mostly due to industrialized society.
That said, the lead in chocolate is coming from two sources: the ground contamination in the growing areas, due to pesticide and other chemical use (be it from the growers or nearby industrial activity) and/or the second area (the one I believe more responsible), the actual processing and somewhat the shipping.
With the latter, there seems to be a lot more ability to quality-control; the companies can actively seek out ways to reduce the lead exposure happening through their processing of their chocolate. And I sincerely hope that as more awareness is broght to this issue, these companies will go great lengths to comply with higher standards, and this exposure can be eliminated completely over time.
Since the latest consumer awareness effort, I have decided to stick with just one brand, the Endanger Species 72% dark. It has passed the lead tests based on California standards, the state leader in providing these kinds of standards.
Understand that unfortunately that does not mean “100% lead-free.” As mentioned, the widespread contamination of lead everywhere makes this standard difficult to achieve.
But it’s far better than eating a chocolate where the standards are relatively far from being met, and where exposure to lead is unneccessary when other options/products exist.
For more info, including a list of foods tested, check out: http://www.asyousow.org/our-work/environmental-health/toxic-enforcement/lead-and-cadmium-in-food/