News, Recipes & Workouts — dark chocolate

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Eat Chocolate For Breakfast And Lose Weight

 

Can eating chocolate help you lose weight? Eating chocolate before and after your meals is the newest weight loss tactic. Is it efficient since you're simply adding extra calories which means you’ll gain weight? Is it too good to be true?

"New science proves you should eat chocolate every day is real and proven." If this sets off your, it's too-good-to-be-true alarm, it should! Not all chocolate is created equal. It’s the kind of chocolate you eat that matters most, as well as when you eat it and how much.

Let’s be honest, women need chocolate. Chocolate lovers, you can rejoice because there’s another new study that shows eating more of the dark stuff might actually help you stay slim.*  But be careful — chocolate contains more calories than many foods. However, the U.S. study showed that those who consume the right kind of chocolate have less body fat than those who didn't.  

Researchers suspect the calories in chocolate are not like “normal” calories. If the chocolate calories are of a particular kind, they might just make your metabolism work harder, which means they offset the extra calories (aka "thermogenic"). Your body burns calories digesting it, leaving you with a calorie burning advantage. The study shows the that the metabolic effects of certain specific ingredients make this particular chocolate a good “slimming” food because it is calorie-neutral.

The study leader, Dr Beatrice Golomb, from the University of California at San Diego, said, “Our findings appear to add to a body of information suggesting that the composition of calories, not just the number of them, matters for determining their ultimate impact on weight. Does it get any better than this? When it comes to eating chocolate this is good news for those who have a regular chocolate habit, and those who wish to start one.”  

I love these scientists. They actually investigated the chocolate eating habits of 972 men and women with an average age of 57 for a study of cholesterol lowering drugs and found out that chocolate can be good for weight loss. These surprising findings showed those who ate chocolate on more days of the week than average were statistically likely to have lower Body Mass Indexes because the chocolate speeds up the metabolism.  The right kind of chocolate can also:

  • Reduce blood pressure
  • Improve mood (this is why we crave it)
  • Lower the risk of heart disease and stroke

However, the researchers warn the study’s findings do not apply to all products containing chocolate, and some people might actually gain weight unless they do these specific things. Here is the 411 on chocolate and what you need to know if you’re a chocolate addict like me, need it every day, and are trying to lose weight.

  • Eat your chocolate first thing in the morning to boost metabolism. You’ll burn off the extra calories throughout the day.  
  • Make sure it is pure, high-quality cacao. High-quality cacao contains chemicals called theobromine. Theobromine is a stimulant and that's why it speeds up the metabolism. That's also why you crave chocolate when you are depressed or lack energy.
  • Epicatechin is also a chemical that’s derived from the chocolate ingredient cocoa. It has been known to boost numbers of mitochondria, the cells’ energy-generating powerhouses. So you feel better, and it's good for your health. These awesome little mitochondria burn up calories which is good news for weight loss.

Wait, it gets even better. If you've been reading my blogs, you know by now that the trick to losing weight is keeping insulin levels down, or lowering them if they are high. Guess what? Pure defatted cacao can decrease insulin resistance by almost 50 percent, thanks to the flavonoids it contains. 

Thanks to these miraculous ingredients, dark chocolate can also slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. That helps prevent the much-dreaded insulin spike, which is famous for shuttling sugar straight into your fat cells. These dreaded insulin spikes turn off your body's fat-burning mechanisms which stop fat loss and make you hungry again several hours later. Over time, they can also lead to insulin resistance and diabetes. The best news ever? Dark chocolate kills craving for sweets.  

Here is a metabolic boosting chocolate breakfast that helps you lose weight while boosting mood and improving health. You’ll never miss breakfast again. 

It nourishes the body because the protein powder is full of amino acids that boosts metabolism, turns off the weight gain switch and also helps kill cravings. That’s why you don’t want to wait until later to eat these.

CHOCOLATE BLISS, HIGH-PROTEIN TRUFFLES (Adapted from my recipe in The Metabolism Solution)

(2 scoops) LynFit Chocolate Complete Protein Powder
(1 cup) Dark chocolate spread or Nutella
(1/8 cup) Honey
(3/4 cup) Raw oats (if you're not trying to lose weight)

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Form into 1 inch balls and place in the freezer until frozen (usually 1 hour or less) and eat them. For extra special occasions decorate with shredded coconut, crushed almonds or walnuts. Sprinkles make them attractive for kids.

BE SURE TO LOOK FOR THE FOLLOWING SUPER STAR INGREDIENTS WHEN YOU SHOP FOR CHOCOLATE

  • Go dark or don't it. Look for at least 70 percent pure cacao. It has less sugar, contains some monounsaturated fatty acids, and has a bittersweet taste which reduces the amount you eat. It kills cravings for sweet and fatty foods.
  • Stick to a small serving. Each helping should be no bigger than the end of your thumb.
  • Chocolate Protein Powders and Protein Bars can be a great way to get your chocolate fix, but make sure what you choose is made from dark chocolate that’s been defatted, and contains no sugar. For the best results, use LynFit Complete Protein and LynFit Lean Bars.
  • Check the label and look for 155 calories or less, 2 grams max of fat, and less than 3 grams of sugar.

You’ll know you're buying good chocolate by the price. Chocolate is in high demand and is at a premium of $8 an ounce for the good stuff.

If you want all of these benefits but don't like chocolate (what, are you crazy?) you can find them in the LynFit Accelerator with Raspberry Ketones. Once you try this supplement and see how fast you melt off body fat and excess pounds you’ll see why it’s been called The Miracle in a Bottle.

(*Study Cited and Related Links: Beatrice Golomb, MD, Ph.D., discusses chocolate and weight loss. Filed Under Health & Medicine)