I would like to let you in on the secret to the healthiest way to eat chocolate. Another chocolate based festival season has passed and, like most, you are probably surrounded by the sweet temptation that is chocolate in all of it’s festive forms. You don’t want to throw it away and yet you don’t want it to stress you out and throw you off track with your health and fitness goals. So, what do you do?

It is simple really; from my recent blogs you know that sugary foods mess with your insulin, contribute to weight gain and also interrupt your fat burn. Apply some of my key Eat & Move principles to limit the bad effects of sweets so that you can enjoy your chocolate without the guilt, stress and unhealthy fallout.

How to Eat Chocolate 

1. Eat your chocolate in a two hour window between around 1pm and 3pm only.

2. Eat it slowly, allowing it to melt in your mouth, tasting the full flavour between bites.

3. Eat chocolate in smaller servings, savour each piece and look forward to the next.

4. Take cinnamon, bitter melon extract or apple cider vinegar around 30 min before eating chocolate to increase your insulin sensitivity. It helps keep blood sugar levels lower.

5.  Do a hard, anaerobic workout before choc-o’clock for the same affect without having to chug vinegar.

More Top Tips For Eating Chocolate 

1. Train yourself to eat dark chocolate and go as dark as you can, you can get 100% and it can be delicious.

2. Go raw! Very dark, raw chocolate is actually not at all bad for you and can be very good for you. Look for very dark raw Cacao (not cocoa).

You can still enjoy your chocolate, but now with less guilt and fewer negative consequences for your health and fitness goals. Chocolate should be enjoyed as a treat, go for the darkest, highest quality raw chocolate you can find. You will pay more and it will take time to acquire the taste, just like the first time you tried wine or beer, but it is so worth it.