A review of camel milk chocolate!

What is it about knowing that you can't have something, that makes us want it more?  I never liked chocolate, that is until my nursing baby couldn't tolerate dairy and I had to completely avoid milk chocolate.  Then even after he was done nursing and I tried to reintroduce dairy back into my diet....there was no way my body was having it.  Yup, it was then the chocolate cravings began.  I began searching for the perfect chocolate, my husband even spent big bucks buying specialty chocolates online to appease my new desire.  To my dismay, all of these chocolates contained unhealthy ingredients like soy and hydrogenated oils.  Then when I learned that I had hypothyroidism, gluten and soy were also out the window, along with any last shred of hope that I would ever enjoy a tasty chocolate again.

In my quest for information about camel milk, I learned about camel milk chocolate.  Cool, but I didn't really think I could get it here in the States, because the company that makes it is in Dubai, UAE.  Then I met Nancy and Gil Reigler of Oasis Camel Dairy through our Facebook page on Healing with Camel Milk.  They actually sell this very chocolate in the United States!!  Mr. Gil Reigler generously sent me a bar to try!!

The package arrived this afternoon, but I knew that if I wanted to sit and thoroughly enjoy this luxurious candy bar, I would need to wait until the kids were in bed.  Patience.....

Now, here I sit with my candy bar.  The dishes are washed, kids in bed and it's just me, the candy bar and the silence.  It smells like milk chocolate, mmmmmm.  Wow, it's smooth and creamy, very rich tasting!!  YUM!!  Uh oh, I like it a bit too much.  I might eat this whole bar, no wait....I need to save some for my dairy-free sweets-loving husband to try and he's not here, darn!  I would be evil not to.  All joking aside, this chocolate bar conjures up memories of rich, velvety Swiss chocolate, good quality chocolate and not a hint of cow's milk to speak of, totally and completely cow-casein-free!!  The ingredients are very simple: sugar, cocoa butter, whole camel milk powder, cocoa mass, honey, and bourbon vanilla.  That's it!  No soy, no gluten, no cow's milk!

So I've eaten three of the five strips already and am contemplating one more, is that greedy?  I haven't had chocolate like this in YEARS, heck, I am going for it, one more strip....

What Took You So Long....globe trotting camel milk

The What took You So Long Foundation is a group of film makers globe-trotting and living among the natives in remote corners of the earth to make a documentary about camel milk.  They film stories that mobilize movements and hope to take camel milk on that ride with them....or is it the other way around?  Either way, timing couldn't be more perfect.

When I was on my hunt for as much information as I could get my hands on regarding the benefits and risks of raw camel milk as a health tonic, I came across a Facebook page called "Camel milk is the new oil".  This is where I originally "met" Philipa Young, the writer for the What Took You So Long Foundation.  We connected on two levels very near and dear to me, writing and camel milk.  She obviously had a lot of experience with the benefits of camel milk and even guided me through some of our concerns as we attempted our first days of using it therapeutically with our boys.  Little did I know that she and the rest of the crew had already spent the last year documenting stories in 18 countries, interviewing camel dairy owners, camel farmers, doctors, camel milk drinkers and even some of the world's only camel cheese makers. That's quite the tear sheet! I would say she has *some* experience...

Nicole and I decided to bring the camel-milk-drinking community together in one place by creating our own Facebook page, the intent was to find others looking to heal their children with camel milk and to spread the word. We were thrilled to see our list of members growing astronomically and among them were a few key members of the traveling crew.  The more experience we could bring together, the better the odds are of people trying this new therapy.  Power in numbers.  If we can travel the journey together, we can help one another with a therapy that is new to the autism community. And if you have ever met a biomedical mom, where there is a will there IS a way!  If she has to fly to the Middle East herself to milk the camel and bring back the milk.....well, ok, that may be stretching it a bit, lol, but you get my point.  Luckily for us, there are camel dairy farmers in the US!  But these moms will drive the length of the country to heal their children, if that is what it will take.  You've heard, "Build it and they will come", well, if there is a therapy that works for the autistic community, these moms are among the first to be there with bells on!

So enter Alicia Sully, the film maker.  She cheerily began chatting on our FB page, joining in the discussions we were having about our children and their undeniable changes on the camel milk.  Before we knew it, we were planning to meet her during a visit to the US for her sister's wedding!

There aren't enough kind words to describe Alicia, she is possibly one of the sweetest people I have ever met.  She is endearing, caring, sincere, enlightening and so talented.  We had the pleasure of her company for two days while she filmed our family and our friend Nicole's family for their documentary.  They have filmed all the "science" behind the milk, now it's time to bring this to the world in the shape of real families.  Viewers won't have to wonder, "How does this effect me?" from great distances, because they are going to bring that spin to the table.  It isn't just for Bedouins anymore, you don't have to cross the oceans to taste it and yes, it IS attainable for the average family.  Unfortunately, because of the cost here in the US, the average family probably won't have camel milk on their dinner table, but for those seeking natural, effective treatments for illnesses like: gastrointestinal dysfunction, allergies, diabetes, autism, autoimmune diseases, among many other ailments, it is very doable.  We hope to see this change though, by increasing the supply and demand, perhaps it CAN be a daily staple for the average person some day.

The key to options like this is awareness and spreading the word!

I snapped a few pictures of Alicia filming and of course, she had to try our milk to compare to the 18 other countries she has tasted camel milk in!

What a delight it was to have Alicia with us, I only wish she could have stayed longer!  I am inspired by the passion she shares with her team to offer these special stories worldwide.  They wish to send a powerful message about sustainability and natural healing and I am ever so gracious to be on this journey with them in our own unique way.  My goal in writing this blog has always been to help others heal their children and now the reach has extended even further with the help of this fabulous team of talented writers.  They have opened my eyes to possibilities I didn't even know were attainable, for that I thank you What Took You So Long Foundation!