I decided to write this post after practicing a song on the keyboard with my youngest son. The name of the song is “Chocolate”, and it is a catchy tune for a four-year old. I am still singing it in my head – “. . . yummy, yummy chocolate.” The truth is that I do not like the sweet milk chocolate anymore. My preference nowadays is for a bitter taste, the one associated with dark chocolate.
Trader Joe’s sells a chocolate bar with a cacao content of 85% at an affordable price. Eating small pieces of dark chocolate might be the solution for those who have sugar cravings. Furthermore, dark chocolate is known to be a strong antioxidant (which means it has anti-aging properties). Here is a summary of other benefits.
- It is an appetite suppressant.*
- It has antibacterial agents that fight tooth decay.**
- It raises good cholesterol and might prevent heart attack.***
- It is a mood enhancer since it induces the production of endorphins (“feel-good” chemicals). It reduces stress. ****
Basically dark chocolate brings not only weight loss benefits but also increases your overall well-being.
I always like to drink something warm in the morning. Occasionally I drink coffee, especially when I am not well-rested. Most days I prefer to drink almond milk with cocoa in the mornings and green tea in the afternoons. My preference towards cocoa started after giving birth to my first child. Coffee is not recommended if a mother is breastfeeding an infant. This is the main reason why I was able to decrease consumption of coffee radically. Furthermore, cocoa powder does have caffeine but at lower levels than coffee.
I buy Trader Joe’s cocoa powder. For a serving size of one tablespoon (5 g.), I get a low sugar content:
Total fat: 1 g.
Total Carbohydrates 2 g (dietary fiber 1 g)
Protein 1 g
If you are in Canada, Camino’s cocoa powder is available in the organic section of different supermarkets. Hershey’s also has cocoa powder which can be found everywhere. Basically you can get any version of cocoa powder with similar contents to the ones that I have detailed above.
I would like to mention that I do not have any cavities at all. I am not sure whether this is only related to my eating habits. One of my brothers is not into fitness at all, and he only has one cavity. I guess there is also a genetic component to it.
* Natural Appetite Suppressants
** Dark Chocolate Prevents Tooth Decay
***Cardiovascular Benefits of Dark Chocolate
****Dark Chocolate and the Brain Benefits It Brings
I’m a type 2 diabetic, and have found an amazing dark chocolate (90%) from Royce Chocolate (imported from Japan and sold at 3 retail locations in NYC and 1 in Edgewater, NJ).
They sell a 40 piece box for $17; 20 pieces are 80% and 20 pieces are 90%. Each piece is individually wrapped and a 40g serving (6 pieces) is only 4 sugars and 10 carbs. I only eat the 00%, which is even lower.
Best of all, unlike most dark chocolate that pure it is not overly bitter.
*90%
Thanks for sharing! My grandmother is type 2 diabetic too! Two cousins of mine were about to become diabetic too. That is the main reason why I try to eat properly and work out as much as I can.