That’s right, chocolate does not need to be the enemy. You can eat chocolate and lose weight — you just need to know how to do it right. Here’s how:
First, always eat dark chocolate; and the darker the better. Good dark chocolate means that there is a high concentration of cacao, which has been known to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and is full of antioxidants loaded flavanoids that will boost your immune system.
Yes, dark chocolate has some health benefits, but that’s not to say that you should pig out on this creamy, decadent treat. You will not lose weight (note the “not” there) if you eat a diet excusively or dark chocolate, even 99% cacao chocolate.
So how will dark chocolate help you lose weight? If you use chocolate as a sweet little reward for healthy eating and good exercise and eat it in moderation, then you will be able to healthfully satisfy that sweet tooth craving we all get without going overboard.
Many people gain weight when they’re on a diet because after a good week of dieting, they reward themselves with a ton of junk and overeating over the weekend. All it takes is one day of being “off the wagon” to undo all the progress you’ve done til then. If you deprive yourself of anything sweet during a diet, then you’re bound to go overboard (and sometimes WAY overboard), ruin your diet, and gain weight.
If, however, throughout your diet you satisfy your sweet tooth with a healthy sweet, like dark chocolate, then you’ll be less likely to splurge on something big later.
So how do you know how to buy “healthy” dark chocolate? Standard chocolate (milk and dark) contains so much sugar and is so processed that most of the healthy flavanoids get lost. Look at the label and make sure that your chocolate is low in sugar and high in cacao.
Dark Chocolate M&Ms, for example, contain only 40% cacao, which may sound like a lot, but something like Lindt Excellence hits 99%.
Stick with true dark chocolate and only eat a little bit when a craving hits or to end a healthy meal on a sweet note. Consider dark chocolate your new natural weight loss pills and you’ll start losing weight and feeling great and, most importantly, you won’t be neglecting your sweet tooth!
