The Addictocarb Diet by Bruce Roseman

Author:Bruce Roseman [Roseman, Bruce]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781941631089
Publisher: BenBella Books, Inc.

CHOCOLATE

I cannot tell you how many times, over the years, I have told a patient to go on a diet, only to have them tell me that they can never give up chocolate. If you feel this way, the good news is that on Step 3 of the Addictocarb Diet you can have chocolate in moderation. A discussion on chocolate is in order because it is among the most popular of all snacks, and it has many health benefits.

It appears from anecdotal reports, as well as some legitimate medical studies, that dark chocolate decreases cravings and promotes satiety. A Danish study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Diabetes in 2011 makes the point that health food enthusiasts have been making for years: “Dark chocolate promotes satiety and lowers the desire to eat something sweet.”2 This is totally in line with the basic premise of the Addictocarb Diet, that a strategy aimed at diminishing cravings is the only way to lose weight and keep it off. This study merely confirms what anecdotal reports have been saying for years. Dark chocolate decreases cravings. They go on to point out that this is especially true compared to milk chocolate.

However, you need a basic understanding of the “percentages” of cacao, the basic ingredient of chocolate. In short, the higher the percentage, the darker the chocolate, and the darker the better. For example, if you go into the Godiva Store you will see they sell one-inch square chocolates, some with 50 percent cacao, others with 72 percent. Keep to those with 72 percent. At the very least, the cacao needs to be above 60 percent. Milk chocolate, which is not good for you, is often down in the 50 or 30 percent cacao area. In fact, when you add milk to the mix, it negates almost all of the good effects of the chocolate.

So to the question, “Can you have dark chocolate on the Addictocarb Diet?” the answer is yes. What kind and how much? We can be safe in saying a one-inch square, or one ounce or so per day, is a reasonable amount. But there is a caveat. If you are going to eat chocolate, you should make sure that you are not adding extra calories. If you eat a lot of chocolate, you will gain a lot of weight. So try to cut something out of your diet of equivalent calories.

If you do eat chocolate while on the Addictocarb Diet, there are many health benefits that you may enjoy. First, chocolate is good for your blood pressure; cocoa phenols in the chocolate tend to lower blood pressure.3 Chocolate also has flavonols, which are powerful antioxidants. Chocolate is one of the most powerful antioxidants, beating more well-known antioxidant powerhouses, such as green tea, wine, fruits, and vegetables.4 We have discussed the good effects of antioxidants previously, and that antioxidants are the allies that protect you against those evil free radicals. The more antioxidants you get, the better; you can get them from fruits and vegetables, but you can also get them from dark chocolate.

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