Halloween and the numerous holidays coming up are a time for friends, family and memories to be made. Depriving yourself of certain foods tend to lead you to overeat the foods you forbid in the first place and then deprive yourself of them again; an unhealthy cycle. How do you enjoy yourself while being healthy? Become a fan of dark chocolate!
Select wisely. Many labels advertise “healthy dark chocolate,” but really are loaded with processed sugars, excessive ingredients, and preservatives (defeating the purpose of going dark). To get the most health benefits, make sure the chocolate is made with a minimum of 70% pure cacao and read the back of the label. Try to get as real as possible with little added ingredients.
I always carry a couple of squares in my purse whenever I need a 3PM pick me up or post dinner treat. I also love munching on a small handful of dark chocolate chips instead of that afternoon cup of coffee. If you are looking for an easy but healthy Halloween treat — this is it. Trader Joe’s has great pre-portioned snack bars. Balance is key. 1/2 ounce (around 2-3 squares) is a good snack size.
Beautiful benefits of going dark:
Beat cavities. Dark chocolate contains Theobromine, a compound that hardens your tooth enamel, lowering the risk of cavities.
Feel good. Dark Chocolate triggers the release of “feel good” hormones in your brain. The same “feel good” hormones that get released after you do physical activity or when you are falling in love.
Control cravings. This delicious delight does not spike your blood sugar levels. What does that mean? You will have more stable energy levels throughout the day, and not have that sudden crash you normally get with other candy.
Fight the flu. Dark chocolate contains zinc (which most people lack in their diet). Zinc is a mineral superstar when it comes to boosting your immune system and also great for smooth clear skin.
Focus. Dark chocolate increases blood flow to the heart and brain improving your thought processing abilities. Brain food!
I also have included one of my client favorite “no brainer” healthy dark chocolate recipes, Carina’s Warm Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Puree: Use 1/2 cup of organic canned pumpkin that you can find at any local market, and is the same price as normal canned pumpkin. (For another easy pumpkin recipe check out my Pumpkin Spice Pancake Video Tutorial here.) Blend the pumpkin with ½ ounce of melted dark chocolate and heat up in a saucepan for around one minute. Mix in one tablespoon of stevia (an all-natural sweetener from the stevia leaf) and as always, spice it up with cinnamon or nutmeg. For more dark chocolate recipes check out my Dark Chocolate Avocado Shake Recipe and my Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Video Tutorial.
For more heath tools, swing by Vibrant Healthy Life and say hello!
As always, focus on progress, not perfection.
x0, Carina
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This story was written by a fab member of our Ambassador Network.
