Using Chocolate As A Diet Food

What’s the worst thing about trying to lose weight? Someone tells you, “No more chocolate.” And that does it, you’re out the door. Forget weight loss, I want my chocolate. Well, what if you could have your cake and eat it too, or, in this case, have your chocolate and lose weight too. Is it possible? Yes, and here’s how.

Everything in Moderation

Chocolate by itself is not the culprit in gaining weight. It is the amount we eat, and when we eat it. When chocolate becomes a substitute for healthy foods, we wind up messing up our blood sugar, craving fats and fried foods, and using carbohydrates to fill ourselves up. However, if you have eaten a healthy meal, with vegetables, healthy oils, no bread, and lots of water, having a piece of chocolate after a meal will not cause you to get fat. In fact, it can give you the energy you need to go out and exercise, which will take those pounds off.

Different Types of Chocolate

There’s chocolate and then, there’s chocolate. Or to put it another way, some chocolates are more fattening than others. Some chocolates are healthier than other. Dark Chocolate appears to have anti-oxidants, and lower blood pressure. This is not true for white chocolate or milk chocolate. So if you are going to include chocolate in your diet, select dark chocolate. Second principle for choosing chocolate is to get high quality chocolate. The cheaper the chocolate, the more sugar it will have and the less cocoa. The health benefits of chocolate come from the cocoa, not the sugar, so read the label and spend the extra dollar for the better quality.

Makes Things Yummy

One of my favorite diet foods is plain yogurt, but the truth is, I really don’t like it. However, I have found that mixing a handful of dark chocolate chips into the yogurt makes the dish delicious. I still get the health benefits of yogurt, and the weight loss I want, because the taste of the chocolate chips makes me want to eat it. The same could be said for any of the dishes on your diet. If you really need to eat something, maybe sweetening it with a little dark chocolate powder sprinkled on it will help. It is far better to eat the healthy food with a bit of chocolate, than to give it up all together, and go out for French fries.

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