The Best CBD Chocolate: All-Natural, Tasty, & Effective!
CBD chocolate was one of those perfect ideas that was bound to take off sooner or later. Seriously, who doesn’t love chocolate? And what cannabis lover wouldn’t want to take their chocolate up a notch by adding some cannabinoids to it? Since CBD binds marvelously to the fats in chocolate, the marriage was a no-brainer for cannabis enthusiasts and manufacturers alike.
The treat isn’t limited to avid cannabis consumers. If you’re curious about what this treat has to offer, you’re in luck! We’re here to let you know what CBD chocolate is, what makes it so awesome, and how to decide what chocolate is the best of the bunch.
What Is CBD Chocolate?
CBD chocolate is exactly what it sounds like: a chocolate treat infused with cannabidiol (CBD) oil or isolate. It’s not produced from a different cacao bean and it’s not some synthetic lab creation that the cannabis industry came up with. It’s just chocolate with an extra ingredient!
Like regular chocolate, CBD chocolate comes in various types and flavors. You’ll find dark chocolate, milk chocolate, raspberry chocolate, orange chocolate, and all the other fun flavors consumers love, just with a little twist. The key difference you’ll find on a CBD chocolate treat’s package is a value indicating the product’s CBD content. The rest of the treat – the ingredients, nutritional value, and flavor – is essentially the same as any other chocolate candy.
What Are the Benefits of Chocolate?
The health benefits of chocolate are too often glossed over, though that’s unsurprising since it’s considered a desert. Regardless, chocolate contains many beneficial compounds. When consumed in moderate amounts, chocolate has positive effects on your health.
Antioxidants
Chocolate (especially dark chocolate) is very high in antioxidants. Compounds that naturally occur in the cacao bean, specifically polyphenols, flavonoids, and catechins, deactivate harmful radicals in your body that damage your cells. Antioxidants play a large role in protecting your body against illnesses like heart disease and cancer.
Flavanols
Consuming chocolate can help manage your cholesterol too. Cacao beans contain flavanols, a flavonoid that may improve the function of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), also known as “good cholesterol.” HDL removes low-density lipoprotein or “bad cholesterol” from your bloodstream, which reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Tryptophan
Chocolate contains high levels of L-tryptophan, an amino acid that builds serotonin. Serotonin is an essential neurotransmitter that regulates your mood and helps food move through your intestines. Low levels of serotonin contribute to fatigue, depression, and other health issues. Consuming foods that contain tryptophan, like chocolate, improves energy, and helps combat depressive symptoms.
What Are the Benefits of CBD?
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid derived from the cannabis plant. CBD interacts with your body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) to regulate other systems in your body. Because your ECS affects so many other systems (like your digestive, integumentary, and nervous system), it’s health is crucial to your well-being. CBD may complement your ECS and it’s overall functionality.
Unlike THC, CBD is non-intoxicating. You won’t feel “high” or euphoric when ingesting or smoking CBD flower. Rather, its effects will be subtle. CBD may ease discomfort, mood, or tension with its calming and soothing effects. Certain CBD products are used by consumers to directly target soreness when applied topically.
The ECS & Appetite
The ECS has a strong influence over your nervous and digestive system, so it’s function is key to appetite. Sometimes you’re just not in the mood to eat, or your mind is so occupied with other things that it affects your ability to eat.
Stepping up your ECS’ function may stimulate your appetite and get that plate filled.
CBD & Relaxation
CBD is known to produce a sense of relaxation and calm in those who ingest it. This should not be confused with the euphoric high connected to marijuana. CBD’s effects are regarded as less blissful and more serene. There are many consumers who find this relaxed state beneficial in their daily routine.
If you are looking to slow things down for a moment of clarity and tranquility, CBD may be the right product for you.
CBD & Skin
Your skin is covered with cannabinoid receptors that interact with CBD in topical products. Applying CBD topicals, like lotions and salves, can also improve your ECS’ function. Consumers report that topical CBD products have helped them soothe minor skin irritation.
What’s the Difference Between CBD Chocolate and Other Edibles?
Sure, CBD chocolate is technically an edible, and that puts it in the same category as a capsule or gummy. But there are differences between chocolate bars and other edibles!
Chocolate vs. Gummy vs. Capsule
Chocolate is its own class, and that doesn’t change when you add CBD to it. Gummies and capsules don’t melt in your mouth like chocolate, and they definitely don’t taste like chocolate. Though CBD gummies are also sweet and delicious, their flavor and consistency are far different from chocolate. Gummies are chewy, tangy, and fruit-flavored. CBD capsules differ from gummies and chocolate because you don’t even taste them!
Related Page: Try CBD Capsules
Chocolate Provides Different Benefits
CBD chocolate supplies the same health benefits as regular chocolate. When you consume CBD chocolate, you ingest moderate amounts of antioxidants and tryptophan. Antioxidants protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals, and tryptophan elevates your mood and energy levels by helping your body create serotonin.
What To Look For When Searching for CBD Chocolate
There are loads of CBD chocolate candies on the market, so how do you pick the best one? Each company will only rave about how decadent their chocolate is, so marketing claims won’t help you narrow your options. If you want to choose the best CBD treat there are some important details to pay attention to.
Certificate of Analysis (COA)
Always look for the certificate of analysis. This report tells you the exacts about the cannabinoid content of the CBD edible of your choice. Because this information is crucial for understanding the strength of CBD chocolate treats and how they will affect your body, consumers should never purchase an edible without a COA.
Reviews
Real customer testimonials are an excellent tool for judging a product’s quality. Did other people like the product? Is the company reputable? Reviews provide a wealth of information beyond general likeability. Detailed accounts of another consumers’ experience with the product can give you a better idea of how, when, and why you should use a product.
Full Spectrum, Broad Spectrum, or Isolate?
The last factor to consider is the type of CBD infusion in the chocolate bar. This is important because different types of CBD provide unique experiences for the consumer. Full-spectrum CBD contains the whole profile of cannabinoids (including THC in 0.3% or less), so it provides the powerful “entourage” effect. When you ingest full-spectrum CBD, you get the benefit of all the cannabinoids working in harmony to deliver calming effects.
Related Article: The Complete List of Cannabinoids in Cannabis
Broad-spectrum CBD contains a diverse profile of cannabinoids, but it lacks THC. Although the entourage effect isn’t as powerful in full-spectrum in CBD, it allows consumers who take mandatory drug tests for work to breathe easy. Since broad-spectrum CBD lacks THC, it makes the perfect product for the consumer who prefers to avoid THC.
CBD isolate contains just the CBD compound alone, which means there is no entourage effect at all. However, CBD isolate is the purest form of the cannabinoid available on the market! You can read more about the differences between CBD types right here.
Quality of Ingredients
Every company you purchase from will rave about the grade and potency of their products, but the truth is many manufacturers use less than stellar ingredients in their formulas. Preservatives (like sodium benzoate) are often used in CBD edibles, and these compounds can negatively affect your health when consumed over long periods of time. The artificial food color titanium dioxide has been linked to cancer, and red/yellow/blue dyes are under suspicion until more research is conducted.
Not all edibles contain these harmful ingredients. For example, Cheef Botanicals formulates our CBD edibles without artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors. For our organic CBD gummies, that means pectin instead of gelatin, rice syrup in place of corn syrup, and natural fruit and veggie concentrates for color.
Cheef Botanicals strives to use only ingredients that support your body, not inhibit. All ingredients are non-GMO, organic, and vegan!
Is CBD Chocolate Legal?
The good news is the 2018 Farm Bill made hemp federally legal throughout the United States. However, rules regarding use of CBD products are stricter in some states than others. Check your state’s restrictions to understand what products are legally available for purchase.
Related Article: How Old Do You Have to Be to Buy CBD? [Rules explained]
About Cheef Botanicals
Founded by a group of cannabis enthusiasts with over 25 years of experience in the organic food industry, Cheef Botanicals aims to put health first in the creation of all our cannabis products. It’s important that our customers not only receive a product that satisfies them but is good for their bodies as well.
In our effort to produce health conscious, high-grade, potent cannabis products, Cheef ensures that every ingredient lives up to a high standard. Our company uses only non-GMO, cruelty-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free ingredients in the manufacturing of all our cannabis products. No artificial colors or flavors included.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’ve got nothing to lose. Between the benefits of chocolate with CBD, and the delicious flavor of this decadent treat, a CBD chocolate bar is a terrific option for those who want a sweet snack (with benefits). Just remember, what you put in your body affects how you feel. Try to pick the chocolate with the highest quality ingredients and the CBD content and type that best suits you.
