Chocolate has always been a favorite food group in my life. 😉
Most people think that in order to lose weight or eat healthy, they will have to give up chocolate.
I’ve got a piece of good news for you: You don’t have to give it up!
The secret to being able to eat chocolate, and shed weight without restricting your diet, is to simply modify the type of chocolate you’re eating. By making a small change from the highly processed chocolate, to a homemade or raw chocolate it can make all the difference in the world.
If you eat chocolate made with raw cacao, you are actually getting loads of antioxidants, and minerals like calcium, magnesium, sulfur, copper, iron, zinc and potassium.
Cacao in its purest raw state is a bean that grows on a tree in pods. Once the pods are ripe, the pods are picked and split open and then the beans are separated, fermented and then dried.
Image by KathyFromHonduras
During this state of the cacao bean, it is still raw and is very high in nutrients. The cacao bean is broken up into nibs, and then can be ground down into a powder. This is the powder we are going to use in our chocolate recipes.
Raw cacao is readily available in most health food stores, and even often in the health food section of your regular grocery store. If purchased in bulk, it is quite affordable, and you can add it to any smoothie or nut milk to get a little dose of chocolate-goodness.
In this video, my friend and colleague Brittany Watkins (emotional eating expert) and I were hanging out and she wanted me to pick up some chocolate. I said, “I'm not picking up chocolate from the store. If you want chocolate I'm going to make it.”
Now you may be thinking… that making chocolate would take hours. If so, I’m happy to report that it is quite easy and fast to make homemade chocolates.
In this video, Brittany and I make a Gabriel Method version of healthy chocolate, made with 4 simple ingredients, all of which are packed with nutrients.
The 4-Ingredients for Healthy Chocolate
The first ingredient is raw, organic cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is a medium chain triglyceride, saturated fat which is really healthy, speeds up the metabolism, and doesn't get corrupted at high temperatures. This is important because we are going to melt it down a little bit. So, that's healthy win #1.
The second ingredient we’re going to use is raw, organic cacao. As mentioned, cacao is loaded with antioxidants.
The third ingredient we’ll use is a sweetener. I suggest to use coconut palm sugar. Now, sugars have problems no matter what they are – sugar is sugar is sugar.
However, in my opinion, coconut palm sugar is the best because it's antibacterial and it has a low glycemic index which means it doesn’t elevate your blood sugar as rapidly as other sugar alternatives (white sugar, agave, honey, maple syrup).
So, between these first 3 ingredients you’re already creating a healthy elixir; you have antioxidants, antibacterial, and elements that speed up your metabolism. So, raw chocolate, when made right, is in fact super, super healthy.
The 4th ingredient is up to you. This is where you can be creative and put your special twist or flavor to your chocolate.
In this video, we create a sea-salt chocolate. To keep our chocolate aligned and packed full of nutrients, I use Himalayan salt crystals which are loaded with trace minerals. Trace minerals are essential for a variety of bodily functions. They are important for building strong bones and teeth, blood, skin, hair, nerve function, muscle and for metabolic processes such as those that turn the food we eat into energy.
Here are some other great creative variations you can try too:
- Chili : Great for boosting metabolism
- Chopped Nuts: add some protein with a few almonds
- Spices like cinnamon or nutmeg add great flavor
- Dried Organic fruits
Healthy Chocolate Recipe & Method:
RECIPE:
The 3 main ingredients:
- 50 grams of cocoa butter
- 2 Tablespoons of raw cacao powder
- 1-2 Tablespoons of coconut palm sugar (modify for desired sweetness)
When I make this recipe for myself, I use 1 Tablespoon of coconut palm sugar. If I make it for someone who's used to real sweet chocolate, I'm going to use two. Experiment with it. Obviously, the less sugar the better. But, make it your own. The more cacao you put in it, the more sweeter it's going to be too. Unless you're used to that real, rich taste.
METHOD:
- 1. Take 40 grams of cacao butter and put it in a pan, and heat the pan over a double-boiler or steaming water. You have to be cautious not to heat the cacao butter too quicky or it wil cook.
- 2. Once cacao butter is melted, add 2 Tablespoons of raw cacao powder.
- 3. Add 2 Tablespoons of coconut palm sugar.
- 4. Mix together slowly and smoothly.
- 5. Add your creative 4th ingredient to the chocolate base. Mix slowly until incorporated.
- 6. Pour chocolate into moulds. Big or small, it’s up to you the shape and size of your chocolate.
- 7. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes, or store in the refrigerator.
- 8. Enjoy thoroughly!
As with everything in the Gabriel Method – we stand for getting your body and mind to work together to achieve sustainable weight loss. It isn’t about restrictive dieting and things that you “can’t have”.
Often times there are some great modifications to your favorite treats that can make them much easier on digestion, and in this case, they can even really add some powerful nutrients to your daily life!
Let me know how you like this recipe! Leave me a comment below and let’s keep in touch.
