Smart Snacks: Healthy Chocolate Snacks

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Post on RightEatingHabits.com – THOUGH snacking on chocolates is strictly off limits for anyone on a weight loss diet because of the high saturated fats and high calorie count, I don’t see why you should deprive yourself of occasional healthy chocolate snacks. The trick is to snack smart.

I admit I do have occasional cravings for chocolates. In the past, I would automatically grab a white chocolate bar or a caramel sweetened Mars chocolate.

Now that I’m more mindful of my eating habits, I only go for dark chocolates with at least 70% cocoa content or organic raw chocolates. Organic raw chocolates are chocolate in its purest form. A personal favorite is Gnosis PowerChoc Bar – Raw Chocolate.

Five Smart Ways To Enjoy Healthy Chocolate Snacks

• Choose dark bitter chocolates. Their bitter taste comes from the flavonoids in the cocao. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants beneficial for the heart. Organic raw chocolates are super-loaded with flavonoids.

• Look for the least processed dark chocolates. Processing destroys much of the flavonoids in cocao. Look out for processing agent, alkali on the food label.

• Eat a grapefruit or have a cup of lemon water or lemon juice before taking your first bite at that piece of dark chocolate or organic raw chocolate. Grapefruit and lemons are natural fat burners.

• Drink a cup of hot green tea after eating your dark or organic raw chocolates. The mild caffeine and antioxidant catechins in green tea increase the body’s metabolism and speed up the digestion of fats.

• Set a mental limit to have one bite size of chocolate. An ounce or about 28.5 grams of chocolate is all you need for the brain to increase the serotonine levels and release the “feel good” chemicals into the body. Wait for the “feel good” effect to take place before reaching out for the second piece of chocolate.

By mindfully practising these five smart snacking habits, you can enjoy occasional flavanoid-rich healthy chocolate snacks without the guilty feeling!

P.S. Gnosis chocolates – one of my favorite brands for raw chocolates

© 2008-2013 Teresa Cheong RightEatingHabits.com