5 Ways To Eat Chocolate And Lose Weight

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Dark chocolate has several health benefits. It is good for your heart. It helps reduce stress. Dark chocolate with higher % of cocoa benefits you with its big bank of antioxidants. It also improves blood flow and regulates blood sugar. But we give it up when trying to lose weight. 

Happy news, you sure can have chocolate to fit your healthy lifestyle. What if I say daily? Surprised? Yes it is true. I have been there and done that. And I am no lucky one who can eat anything and still stay in shape. Though I wish...hehe. Its all about discipline and understanding what your body speaks to you. I want to share some of my tips on how to enjoy chocolate and still be in shape.

Choose only the best and purest of dark chocolate 

Avoid candy bars, milk chocolates, chocolate cakes, pastries etc. They are not chocolates. Its is the sugar in them that satisfies your craving. So if you crave chocolate, stick with having a real one. Look for a chocolate with higher % of cocoa. 4 squares of Lindt 85% dark chocolate has only 5gms of sugar. Ta da!

Size does matters  
Even if you have the purest dark chocolate, portion size matters. If you buy bars, 1-2 squares per day should be enough. If you cannot resist having a bar around, look for bite size packs. If it is hard to find the high %  cocoa dark chocolates in bite size, go for the dark chocolate chips.

Enjoy the treat fully 
Eating chocolate is indulgence. Treat it like one. When you eat a piece of dark chocolate, eat the square in small bites. Let each bite melt in your mouth to get that ultimate chocolate pleasure. I set aside my chocolate to eat separately when I sit to relax. Good dark chocolate has intense flavors. If you eat it the right way, you would not need a lot.

Melt Away
This is one my favorite tips to enjoy chocolate. We all love licking chocolate. It is a very satisfying experience. Instead of using chocolate syrups, temper 1Tbsp of semi sweet dark chocolate chips. Lick away the indulgence! 

Enjoy a cup of hot cocoa
Making a low sugar or sugar free cup of hot chocolate after a light dinner or as a dinner substitute is a great way to pamper yourself at the same time not killing for healthy food plan. Make sure you use high quality cocoa or at least 70% semi sweet chocolate chips. Find my recipe here

After several trials, I no longer believe in the word "Diets". More the fact that its first three letters spell "Die". Following specific diets can sure be the way for short term goals. But they ain't there to stay. When we speak about a healthy lifestyle change, we need to satisfy our cravings every now and then to not feel deprived and not get bored or fed up with the healthy lifestyle regime.