The history of chocolate is really quite amazing. The
making of chocolate traces back to the Mayans and the
Aztecs, who worshiped chocolate for its health and
anti-fatigue benefits as far back as 2,600 years ago.
In fact, I think Cocoa roughly translates into "food of the
gods".
Nowadays, chocolate is often thought of as a nutritional
"evil". No matter how hard we try, most of us just can't
resist chocolate. I know many people who have tried to quit
cold turkey, and then ended up 'breaking down' and eating
more chocolate then a kid on Halloween night.
It seems that no matter how hard we try, a good chocolate
craving can derail even the best diet plan.
Unless of course you have learned the secret to beating
your chocolate cravings...
The one way that I have discovered can help people beat
their chocolate addiction is by becoming a chocolate snob.
You can have chocolate while dieting, in fact, you can have
a little bit of chocolate everyday, it just has to be the
good stuff.
By good stuff I mean real dark chocolate, or anything over
70% cocoa mass.
Did you now that when scientists refer to the health
benefits of chocolate, they aren't talking about your
grocery store check-out line variety of chocolates, they
are talking about the good chocolate.
Chocolate is rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, rivaling
red wine and green tea in these areas. Not only that, but
chocolate also contains healthy fat. I bet you didn't know
that much of the fat in chocolate is oleic acid, the same
healthy fat that is in olive oil!
Problem is, these health benefits are highest in the good
dark chocolate. When it comes to those check-out line
chocolates, the more diluted the chocolate, the less
antioxidants and polyphenols it contains.
Here's the trick with real dark chocolate, it's bitter. It
takes a while to get used to how bitter it is. But, because
its so bitter, it only takes a little bit to really conquer
your chocolate craving, so you end up eating less.
Also, as an added bonus, once you've developed a taste for
the good stuff, you learn to love the bitterness, and your
typical check-out line variety simply tastes like chocolate
flavored wax. They're just not appealing anymore.
So if you want to beat your chocolate cravings, start by
eating a little bit of the good stuff. It will help you eat
less chocolate, get all the health benefits, and keep you
from going back to the check-out line varieties.
----------------------------------------------------
Brad Pilon is a strength training and nutrition
professional and author of Eat Stop Eat. You can learn
about his new book "Eat Stop Eat" that is quickly changing
the way people think about dieting, by visiting
http://www.eatstopeat.com Brad Pilon is an expert
contributor at eFit-Today
http://www.efit-today.com/public/department59.cfm
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