Graphic Source: www.EthicalOcean.com

Valentine’s Day’s promise of dark chocolate offers us nutritionists a glimmer of hope: make the right choice and indulge only on the Big Day, and chocolate is a sensual, deliciously healthy treat. BUT…succumb to a month-long “free for all” that starts each morning at the barista (“Valentine’s drink”, anyone?) and ends each night on the couch with the clicker, downing sweets with your sweetheart and… well… you get the point.

Of course, I love chocolate because it’s one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet (you may want to skip this paragraph if you already know about the health benefits). High quality dark chocolate is teeming with bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, which research suggests help improve our arteries’ endothelial function, lower blood pressure, and increase blood flow to the brain.  Dark chocolate is also high in antioxidants called proanthocyanins that mop up free radicals. And that rush of pleasure you feel when you indulge? Chocolate helps trigger the release of feel good neurotransmitter dopamine, boosting your mood instantly.

Everyone deserves to eat good food. In these extraordinarily turbulent times, talking about high quality chocolate may make you think I’m posturing more like a foodie than a food revolutionary. But my interest in pointing you to the best chocolate available isn’t because it’s more elite, but because all the health benefits I mentioned happen only with high quality dark chocolate (containing 70% cocoa or higher).  Secondly,  many of the companies I’ve listed below are having powerful, positive economic and environmental impacts on people and the planet-precisely the type of change to “the system” that people around the world are rising up and demanding. So please, resist the urge to dump a bag of cheap candy into your shopping cart these next few days, and purchase smaller amounts of higher quality confections if you can. Bargain priced, highly processed chocolate products typically have a litany of unsavory ingredients tagging along like barnacles, such as high fructose corn syrup, waxes, trans fats, binders, and palm oil (and I won’t even bore you with the research showing how much more you’ll eat just by having tons of it lying around).  Steer clear, too, of those new versions of traditional candy bars that claim to be loaded with healthy flavonols – if they aren’t Organic or Fair Trade Certified, you’re missing out on all the sweet rewards that come with greener chocolate.

From Bean to Bar: Why it Matters

Below are 7 of my favorite picks so you can splurge in a way that pairs top notch chocolate with top notch industry practices.  In my opinion, the best chocolates have a fully transparent “bean to bar” story,  ensure sustainable farming practices that help replenish and nourish the planet, preserve biodiversity, and support fair wages and conditions for workers.  If you got it on the cheap, someone (or some vital ecosystem that helps protect the Earth) paid the price somewhere. Given then we are set to gobble 58 million pounds of chocolate this Valentine’s Day, those things matter.

And while Organic and Fair Trade chocolate carries a higher price tag, the nutritionist in me says that in some ways, this is how chocolate should be priced: its higher price helps you to value it (when we value things we treat them with more respect and awareness), to savor it (you’ll be mindful when you eat it), and to see it as a true splurge (which means you’ll make it a special treat rather than eating fistfuls every day). A perfect lean and green strategy.

Eat Right For Your Type: What Kind of Chocolate Eater Are You?

Alter ECO Dark Quinoa Chocolate

1.  For the Trend Setter: ALTER ECO Dark Quinoa Chocolate is a crispy chocolate like no other. With the fun contrasting crunch akin to a Nestle Crunch bar, but so, so much better: made with cacao and quinoa from Bolivia, this chocolate bar contains 61% cocoa and brings together ancient ingredients from the Andeans. Quinoa adds nutritious iron, protein, and fiber to your splurge.

2.  For the Serious Do-Gooder:  Original Beans. This one really impressed me. For every bar you buy, local community farmers plant a tree that will support the forest; not just rare cacao trees, but a mix of trees necessary for lively biodiversity. And get this: each bar even contains a lot tracking number, which designates the location of a new tree so that you can track your contribution online. Oh, and the chocolate is breathtakingly good.

3.  For Those Who Like to  Double Down: Double your health benefits with Green and Blacks Ginger or Sour Cherries Chocolate Bars. Sour Cherries have powerful anti-inflammatory benefits, and help boost your body’s melatonin, a compound which helps ensure a good night sleep. Ginger contains powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory compounds, and helps  soothe the gastrointestinal tract.

Theo Chocolate Confection Collection

4.  For the Data-Driven: After trying over 35 chocolates for Consumer Reports 2012 taste tests, Theo Chocolate Confection Collection got the testers’ high-rating nod. Attribute it to heavenly things like “lemon ganache, fig, mint, and ginger enrobed in flavorful dark chocolate.”

5.  For the Romantic: Try Theo’s limited edition Ginger Rose and Cherry Pink Peppercorn Valentine Bars. Wrapped in gorgeous pink packaging, their description alone is as steamy as an adult Valentine: “The Ginger Rose bar infuses our rich dark chocolate with essential rose oil that yields to the heat of candied ginger”.

Kallari Chocolate Bar

6.  For the Salty/ Sweet: Salazon. Ignore the “bacon and chocolate” trend, this is perfect for those who crave salty/sweet in one fell swoop. Spanish for ‘salted”,  Salazon’s chocolate bars use 100% organic, Rainforest Alliance–certified beans in small batches in the USA, and hand-sprinkled with natural, solar-evaporated sea salt. Other fun contrasting ingredients include black pepper and crushed coffee. Plus, these guys got the idea on a backpacking trip here in Utah, which I love.

7.  For the Purist: Kallari Chocolate Bar. This award-winning Ecuadoran chocolate is deliciously rich and smooth- and produced by a cooperative of indigenous Kichwa farmers in the Ecuadorian Amazon. And it’s simple full circle: profits return to the cooperative to support sustainable development, health, and education programs.

8.  For Those Who Don’t Like Chocolate: want to stay calorie free but still tread lightly on the planet? Try to buy organic flowers. According to Pesticide Action Network commercial flowers (often produced in other countries) are the most toxic and heavily sprayed agricultural crops on Earth. Alternately, look for  Florverde Certified flowers- a rigorous certification which requires better treatment of workers and more sustainable farming practices.

Want to see even more companies that are offering chocolate with a clean conscience? Business Week  has a great review here.

Got other favorites? I’d love to hear about them!

Written with assistance from Lindsey Toth, MS, RD

Despite feeling culinary eupohoria on my recent trip to Italy (I was in sheer heaven to be savoring in season delicacies like like white truffles and pumpkin risotto), I came away from the 3rd International Forum on Food and Nutrition with one looming thought: if oil was the big driver of the 20th century, water will be the driver of the 21st century.

We are Entering a Water Economy

“We are entering a water economy,” said Barbara Buchner, Director of the Climate Policy Initiative  in Venice. No matter how you slice it, the pie of resources is dwindling, with ever more people vying for resources. This theme resurfaced in many sessions, through different expert eyes, but all converging on the same point: the cost and availability of food and drinks is poised to shift dramatically in the years to come.

The 20th century opened with just over 1.5 billion inhabitants, but it closed on the threshold of 6 billion.  And if population projections are accurate, by 2050 (which is a mere 38 years away) there will be 9 billion people. What this means is that population growth, growing prosperity of billions, changing global diets, urbanization and biofuels are all increasingly connected to what Americans eat and how much they pay for it. A look at a map of World Water Stress  and one quickly sees that water is going to be the defining issue for China and India, even the US- and that the era of limitless amounts of cheap water to produce food and beverages is rapidly drawing to a close.

Why Our Water Footprint is Growing

As people seek more sophisticated diets, the water footprint increases exponentially: Drinking tap water may be a straightforward trade (1 liter tap water requires 1 liter of water), but when you shift to bottled beverages the water footprint multiplies quickly: According to Buchner, the water footprint of 1 liter of bottled water is 5 liters of water, while the water footprint of 1 liter of soda is between 340-620 liters of water.  As billions of people worldwide gain upward mobility to the middle class, they too are going want to buy these things, but where is this water going to come from? With this increase in demand but relatively fixed supply, the cost of water, experts warn, is set to increase dramatically. And food that used to be cheap (like a 99 cent hamburger) likely won’t be (as it takes 15,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of beef, the highest of any foodstuff).

To be sure, the global mishmash of cuisines and influences is exciting for the culinary world. Janet Helm recently wrote a fab blog on 2012 restaurant trends, noting that “cooking is at a crossroads where everything collides.” While foodies rejoice, it also underscores just how hyperconnected our food systems have become.

The question is: how do we constructively, meaningfully engage Americans in the dialogue about diet, especially in light of the myriad other crisis the world is facing? Is a true paradigm shift even possible? And what are the best levers to push? (In America it seems like we should shift the upcoming 2012 Farm Bill to make the right foods cheap like fruits and veggies, as opposed to the wrong ones like high fructose corn syrup).

But still I see hope. While the global diet is at a crossroads, through my nutrition lens I see that much of what makes for ultimately healthy eating is also more water wise. And as I wrote in my last blog, there are powerful shifts happening in the American food system for the better.

Here are six ways you can shrink your water footprint (and your waistline)  at the table:  

-Eat whole unprocessed foods, drink tap water.

-Enjoy a diet that has lots and lots of plant foods, with small amounts of meat and dairy products.

-Snack on real foods, not “snack food”

-Support local farmers and eat seasonally, locally and regionally to the extent you can

-Get cooking! Turn off the TV cooking shows where food is a spectator sport, and cook. 

-Take less, waste less at the dinner table. As conference presenter Jonathan Bloom beautifully stated, “A clean plate makes for a clean conscience”.

For More Info about the Conference, Twitter feed and Water Issues:

• Water Economy Paper by Barilla
• The Barilla Conference Videos and Links
• #BCFNForum (designated hashtag for webinar)

*(In full disclosure of all my relationships, this blog posts was sponsored by Barilla)

I’ve just wrapped the second day of Barilla’s 3rd International Food and Nutrition Symposium , where sessions today focused on”disnutrition” (a term I love that was introduced here to encompass the issues of obesity and malnutrition), the BCFN Double Environmental Pyramid, and the role of nutrition in childhood and aging. Still, I was determined to find a nugget of positive action to bring back to America- what were there bright spots? Reasons to celebrate? To my wonderful surprise, my interview with “food movement mamma” Marion Nestle left me feeling not just a burst of American pride, but even more important, hope for my two children. Here’s what we dished about:

Kate: How do we translate what we’ve learned here into actionable steps in the US at the consumer level?

Nestle: Well we are translating it. I see more action going on in the United States than I see going on here about the kinds of issues that are being discussed at this conference. This conference is way at the leading edge of what’s happening in Italy (she then talked about how meals at her hotel were devoid of veggies).

Kate: Marion, with all the emphasis at this Forum placed on creating an alternative food model, do you have any hope for this in the U.S.? Any bright spots we can feel good about?
Nestle: I think the food movement is very hopeful in the US. I’ve already seen enormous changes, phenomenal changes as a result of the food movement, things that I never thought were possible, and mainstreamed in ways that nobody could have ever predicted.

Here’s what Marion touched on, in both her session and our interview, as bright spots in the US food System:

Seven Bright Spots In the US “Occupy Food” Movement:

1. You can now get a good (“or at least halfway decent, some better than others”) selection of fruits and vegetables in any supermarket in America

2. The number of farmers markets has dramatically increased in just the last few years

3: More and more people joining CSAs than ever before

4: Urban farming is the rage (“in New York City of all places!”)

5: Local food has become really, really important

6: Much better food in schools

7: Greater awareness, like the NYC anti soda campaign.

Now that’s something to toast on the long ride home tomorrow. What do you think are the  bright spots for seeds of change in the US Food system? I’d love to hear from you!

To see a recap of the twitter conversation check out my handle @greeneating, the conference  hashtag #BCFNforum, or the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition webinar page (who, in full  disclosure, sponsored my posts from the conference).

A jam packed schedule of thought provoking sessions (and a few fabulous espresso) made for a fantastic first day of the 3rd International Barilla Forum on Food and Nutrition! One of the new terms proposed by a speaker today was “Disnutrition”- to encompass the twin problems of obesity and hunger.Will it grab hold the way others such as “locavore” have to define the current  food conversation? While that remains to be seen, here are my top takeaways from Day One:

Key Takeaway #1: 

Obesity and Malnutrition are two sides of the same food production crisis-even in the US. Walking around Anywhere, USA, it’s often easy to see the obesity part of the problem, but the hunger piece can be more difficult to see. Ellen Gustafson, the Founder and executive Director of the 30 Project gave an electric session which explained how  the twin issues of obesity and malnutrition are deeply connected to our current food system-even in the U.S. “Look at the state with the greatest obesity crisis, Mississippi…it’s also the state with the greatest hunger crisis in the US. That’s not a coincidence” Gustafson said policies aimed at “obesity” and “malnutrition” typically occupy two separate camps of people, resulting in a fractured approach as the two sides aren’t really talking with each other despite having many of the same fundamental issues at the core. Gustafson’s goal? To bridge those two spheres to more effectively drive change. I had a great interview with her today, and I’ll share the link as soon as it’s available.

What you can do: Buy whole foods as close to the source as possible, support local food communities, and buy real food from real farmers as much as you can. And cook dinner!

Key Takeaway #2: SOIL is the most significant resource we have, and it’s often overlooked as dirt. 

“Forests precede civilizations…deserts follow them,” said Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, in his opening remarks. “We need to change mankind’s historical paradigm of degrade, abandon and migrate; we no longer have that option if we are to feed 9 billion people by 2050.” While we often think of the brown matter that grows our food as “dirt”, soil in contrast is living biomass, teeming with micro-organisms the play critical roles, with a greater capacity to store water and nutrients.  Every year we lose some 75 billion tons of fertile soil every year, yet soils are the most significant non-renewable resource we have for ensuring water, energy and food security, plus build resistance to climatic shocks. In other words, everything that’s coming down the pike for a hyperconnected, hyperpopulated world. What I loved about this point is that vibrant, thriving soil is also key to vibrant, thriving food that is brimming with the maximum amount of antioxidants, phytochemicals and other nutrients critical to optimal health. As any farmer will tell you, food is only as nutritious as the soil in which it’s grown.

What you can do: Support soil restoration and reforestation projects in your community.  For birthday gifts, plant a tree in someone’s name. Buy food from farmers, co-ops and support organic; many organic companies have policies that actively work to continuously improve soil quality (like Earthbound Farms LINK).

Key Takeaway #3: Re-allocating just 5% of our food waste could end US Hunger.

Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland and creator of the eye-popping blog www.wastedfood.com shared that stunning stat in one of the morning sessions. But rather than thinking that means we’ve almost put an end to hunger (see Takeaway #1), to me it highlights just how much food we’re actually wasting. In the U.S., a full 40% of food is wasted. What does that even look like? “The food wasted in one day in U.S. would fill the 90,000 seat Rose Bowl Stadium”, said Bloom. Why do we waste so much? Food is cheap in the US, and it’s actually  never been cheaper- the average American allocates less than 7% of household spending, all time household low (Italy is 15%). And we don’t tend to value what we don’t spend a lot on. Food is also abundant: the United States produces about twice as many calories per day as the average American needs. And we see food everywhere, from the mall to the gas station, which creates a sense in our minds that we don’t have to be careful of our food, there’s plenty more. Of course, these are many of the same reasons Americans are overeating so much food (which drive obesity and chronic disease) in the first place, so Jonathan and I seemed to agree a lot. And unlike starving-children guilt trips of old, bringing your plate to better portion alignment is a wise strategy in every sense: As Bloom beautifully stated, “A clean plate is a clean conscience”.

What you can do: Invest in the best you can afford, and enjoy smaller portions. Avoid “Buy 1 get 1 Free” “All You Can Eat” and other food buying incentives if you won’t be able to finish your plate..this often contributes to waste. Instead of buying highly perishable fruits and vegetables (which are some of the leading items to spoil, according to research), buy frozen fruits and veggies instead.

Want to follow the conversation tomorrow? Here is the info:

My twitter: @greeneating

Forum Hashtag: #BCFNForum

BCFN Twitter: 

BCFN Facebook:

(Disclosure: This blog and my coverage of the conference is sponsored by Barilla Pasta)

Which is why I was so honored to be invited to this conference, hosted by The Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition, a leading global thought leader in this space. *. The 3rd International Forum on Food and Nutrition gathers international experts to Milan for two days of robust debate and discussion on just these types of questions. Water and agricultural policies, food waste, food chain challenges, access to food, biotechnologies, and the double paradox of globalization (obesity and malnutrition) are all on the agenda, and more.

They have drawn together truly a  top tier panel of internationally renown experts across a wide swath of these topics, and  I hope you’ll check backoften as I’ll be blogging daily about the sessions, and covering real time comments and debates through my Facebook page, as well as my twitter handle @greeneating and the hashtag #BCFNForum. My goal is to capture  for you all of this and more… while savoring some fantastic pasta dishes along the way.

• BCFN Webinar Page:
• Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (BCFN) Home Page
• Barila Center for Food and Nutrition (BCFN) Facebook Page

• My handle: @greeneating
• Barilla: @BarillaCFN
• #BCFNForum (designated hashtag for webinar)
• #BCFN

*(In full disclosure of all my relationships, my conference blogs posts are sponsored by Barilla)

 As Marc Bittman beautifully wrote this week there are tremendous bright spots in America’s growing quest to bring better food to people’s plates. As we head into one of the most food-centric times of the year, I thought I’d shun any kind of “dietitian-y” type advice  (i.e. what calorie bombs you should skip from the buffet table), and instead share with you my favorite strategies to help you buy better groceries in every sense of the word this season better for you, better for your budget, and better for the planet. Now, that’s something to be Thankful for long after the leftovers have been eaten.

In 2002 I partnered with Field to Plate  to bring 30 nutrition and foodservice professionals to Challans, France to look at an innovative school lunch program designed to tackle France’s growing childhood obesity epidemic head-on. Our American group stared in disbelief as a roomful of kindergartners enjoyed a leisurely 45 minute lunch of 3 courses cooked completely onsite using local ingredients: a seasonal shredded beet salad, local fish and celery root puree, followed by an apple compote with (of course!) a small wedge of local cheese. Little baskets of freshly cut French baguettes were on each table, which the children happily passed around as they cleaned their plates (yes, really) and-brace yourself- there was even a bottle of house wine on the table of the “lunch ladies” who oversaw the meal.

As a mother of two young children myself, I know this for sure: no matter the country, one desire transcends across borders, language, and culture: every parent on the planet just wants their children to be healthy. And with childhood obesity being the number one health crisis our children face, the recent webinar by the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition  put forth a refreshingly clear, straightforward course across disciplines that addresses the challenges of both a healthy diet and sustainable food systems.

“In so many ways, France looks to and learns from the  Americans, but perhaps in food, and how we feed our children, America might learn from France.”

If you’ve ever spent even 5 minutes in the same room with me, you find out pretty quickly that Italy runs through my veins. Or more accurately, through my heart and my stomach. While technically I’m 100% Irish, after living in Florence for 2 years and eating my way through the rest of the country, I knew I wanted to spend my life exploring the connections between health, nutrition, and the pleasures of good food at the table.

What will they be covering?

The American Dietetic Association just wrapped its annual meeting in San Diego last week, and while there was certainly some controversy about America’s food and nutrition experts being sponsored by Big Food it was also incredibly refreshing and encouraging to see many companies who are committed to producing sustainable, nourishing foods sharing their message with RDs. There were lots of great ones, but here are my 5 Green Stars of FNCE. For the record, I am not personally connected in any way to any of these products- I just love ‘em.

1.  Cat Cora’s Olive Snack Packs

I LOVE these! While we can’t all be lucky enough to pull up a chair to legendary chef Cat Cora’s kitchen table, this is the next best thing. Finally, real food snacking on the go has been made super delicious, super easy. These resealable packs are ingenious-they don’t leak in your purse or your bag-I love the pitted lemon and oregano olives, as they’re brimming with real olive flavor, not just a salt bomb that so many olives are these days. Sun ripened, with no artificial anything, made with ingredients found in your kitchen: olives, extra virgin olive oil, herbs and salt. Cora partnered with sustainable food pioneer Gaea (with carbon footprinting on the package), making it a lean and green superfood on the go for moms, execs, athletes even kids.

2.  Einkhorn Pasta

Truth be told, they had me at hello. If you haven’t already heard of it, get ready for a new “ancient grain” to hit store shelves near you: einkorn pasta. I got a fascinating anthropology lesson - seriously. First discovered on a perfectly preserved man who lived during the Bronze Age, einkhorn  was brought back to mainstream eating by Italian researchers-and is now cultivated on small organic farms in Italy-einkhorn is unique because it has never been hybridized, making it one of the most simple (chromosomally speaking) wheats out there. Rich in B vitamins, protein and trace minerals, with an ORAC score of 1200 (compared to durum wheat at 600), it’s a supergrain that has a wonderful nutty taste and is the perfect way to pump up your favorite pasta recipe. And they get a green star for sustainable packaging.

3.  Sweet Tree Coconut Palm Sugar

Sugar is a problem; we know Americans eat far too much of it, (an average of 22 tsp a day) and traditional cane sugar comes with a high environmental price tag as well. That’s why I’m so sweet on this new fantastic find. First introduced to me by my favorite qualitarian RD Ashley Koff, Sweet Tree is made from 100% organic crystallized coconut palm nectar, has a lower glycemic index (only 35) than table sugar (68), HCFS (62), or honey (55), and contains many trace nutrients like potassium. An easy, greener swap for your kitchen, it can be used ounce for ounce in your favorite recipes instead of cane sugar, and imparts a deliciously rich, almost caramel flavor to my coffee in the morning. Parent company Big Tree Farms has done outstanding work in sustainability: showing that “health, people and planet” can all coexist deliciously.

4.  Crispy Greens

What I loved most at FNCE this year is how many companies are finally showing us that YES, snacking can be super clean, 1 ingredient foods like they’re found in nature-and still be fun, easy and delicious in the process. Crispy Greens is a shining example. I love the crispy Asian pear, mango and cantaloupe flavors-talk about a delicious wake up for your tastebuds! And a refreshing step beyond first generation “healthy snacks” like oily banana chips. Perfect for the purse, the high chair, the boardroom, the gym bag, and all of life in between. Green star, ladies.

5.  Tera’s Whey

Simple ingredients, ethically sources to support small, Wisconsin farms. A green factory that touches the planet lightly. Traceability that goes al the way back to the cow or goat. Now tell me, what’s not to love? Given all the highly fortified, sweetened with high fructose corn syrup options I saw on the FNCE floor, Tera’s Whey was a breath of fresh air.   For those who thrive on a morning whey shake or like that added boost of protein, Terra’s Whey is a lean, green, and clean option. Other bonuses: They offer organic cow and goat milk options, and offer versions that are unsweetened, or sweetened with low-glycemic stevia.

Did you see anything else at FNCE generating some lean and green buzz? I’d love to hear about it! Want more snacks to wean you from the vending machine? Shine has an amazing list of lean and green superfoods that I love.

Written with assistance from Lindsey Toth, MS, RD