This might be my most favorite nutrition tip (#6) of all: Eat 1-1.5 ounces of dark chocolate daily!
A good quality dark chocolate has more antioxidant power than blueberries and broccoli put together.
What makes a good quality dark chocolate?
minimal ingredients (look for cacao liquor or solids and a sweetener like cane sugar or monk fruit in a dark chocolate bar)
no dairy (not only does dairy displace the healing cacao solids but it also binds to the healing phytonutrients in cacao making them ineffective
organic—studies show that organic wins over conventional when it comes to nutrients
percentage—as a general rule the higher the percentage of cacao the better for your health, but fermenting and roasting also effect chocolate’s nutrition content. Look for 70% cacao or higher.
choose fair or direct trade. The chocolate industry can be unethical. Choosing fair or direct trade ensures that cacao farmers are treated fairly and paid fair prices.
Some of my fave pure and fair trade brands include Rescue Chocolate, Equal Exchange, Xocolatl, and Askinosie Chocolate.
My personal daily routine is to have one piece after breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s a perfect post-meal bitter digestive.
Want to create delicious recipes using chocolate every day? Grab this mouth-watering chocolate recipe book by fellow dietitian nutritionist Matt Rusciagno, “Superfoods For Life, Cacao.” It’s chock(olate)-full of 75 recipes, nutrition tips and fun facts about chocolate.
What’s your fave chocolate brand?
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