Blog post by Lindsay Mustard, Holistic Nutritionist

Hands up, did reading the title of this blog post get you excited? The fact that you get to reach your goals AND eat chocolate, well, it's a dream come true!

Chocolate, more specifically, its sister bar, milk chocolate, has gotten a bad reputation over the years. You’ll see headlines floating around reading “Chocolate Causes Weight Gain” and “Chocolate - The Highest Fat Food of Them All!” But the truth of the matter is, those headlines are being written by businesses who make money when you are dieting! There are no good or bad foods for weight loss. There are foods that are more nutritiously dense than others, but the more we look at food through the lens of a detective, the more restrictive we become with what we allow to pass through our lips. This creates a vicious cycle of depriving yourself of the foods that you do want, only to binge on them when you allow yourself to indulge instead of allowing yourself to eat a small portion of it regularly.

Let’s rewind for a moment and look at what ultimately causes weight gain. Excessive caloric consumption - period. That’s the equation. When we consume more calories than our body expends on a regular basis, our bodies tap into fat storage mode to preserve the energy for future uses. Each of us has a unique internal thermostat that registers the number of calories we expend on a daily basis. Some of us are a small, 5 foot, 100 pound female that runs twice a week. While others are a 250 pound, 6 foot 5 male that does CrossFit daily. Their bodies require vastly different amounts of food to meet their needs and help them excel in their everyday lives.

Let’s take the 5 foot female for example. Her basal metabolic rate, or the number of calories her body requires for her to operate, is roughly 1200 calories. This is the minimum amount of food her body needs on a daily basis in order for her organs to function properly. Then we tack on a short 30-minute run, a 2 km walk to and from work and a few trips back and forth from her desk. This lands us at a new term called Total Daily Energy Expenditure - the combination of her Basal Metabolic Rate and her daily activities. This is the total number of calories that she burns on a daily basis. If she eats below this number, her body will use some of her body fat reserves as energy to help her power through her day. If she consumes more than this total, her body will simply store the excess calories in the form of body fat to provide a reserve for her to draw on when she needs it. Think of it as a teeter totter, if you’re looking to maintain your weight, you’ll want to stay in the middle. If your goals are on the other end of the spectrum, you’ll choose the appropriate caloric goals to put you in a long enough deficit or surplus so that overtime, you reach your desired weight.

Before we carry on, I do want to preface that there are numerous factors that come into play when we are talking about metabolism and weight loss. Some individuals are genetically gifted with metabolisms that run at the speed of a race car, while others can gain what feels like 5 pounds just looking at a piece of chocolate cake. Everybody is different. We have different goals, routines, lifestyles, diets, genes and talents. These all need to be factored into the equation before you determine your caloric allowance to help you reach your composition goals.

Now, back to the good stuff - how chocolate can actually help you lose weight! We’ve discussed one’s caloric needs - now let’s look at how we can meet their goals with the help of delicious food, and, you guessed it, chocolate!

Let’s say we are working with a food goal of 2000 calories per day and we fill with a few pieces of fruit, 3 servings of meat or protein, a handful of nuts/seeds and 8 servings of vegetables to meet that goal. Who’s to say that we can’t change the quantity of those foods to include chocolate and still come out with the same calorie goal? The only difference between the foods listed above is their macronutrient profile. Macro, meaning the nutrients that we require in the largest amounts, protein, carbohydrates and fat. These macronutrients each have a different effect on our bodies. Protein helps to build, maintain and repair lean muscle tissue, while also stoking one’s metabolism and reducing one’s appetite. Carbohydrates on the other hand, is the body’s preferred source of energy. Our brains and body thrive on sugar when we are in need of an energy burst. Last but not least, fat. Fat is used to feed our brains, lubricate our joints, reduce inflammation and satiate our appetites. Our bodies require all three macronutrients to function optimally and feel satisfied after a meal. If we’re missing one, we typically feel hungry a few hours after our meal or find ourselves munching on snacks frequently throughout the day.

Chocolate, unlike most other snacks, has all three macronutrients. Chocolate naturally is higher in fat, due to the cocoa butter that gives it its rich, creamy texture. The combination of healthy fats mixed with a small amount of protein, carbs and a slow releasing sugar, make dark chocolate the perfect dessert or snack to satisfy your sweet tooth, while keeping your blood sugar levels and appetite in check.

Dark chocolate is also a nutritional powerhouse! Packed with antioxidants, such as flavonoids and polyphenols, dark chocolate single handedly helps to fight off free radicals from wreaking havoc on our bodies. When it’s not helping to reduce sugar cravings, control insulin levels or fight off free radicals, dark chocolate is working to reduce our blood pressure and improve blood flow to the heart. With improved blood flow to the heart, means improved blood flow to the brain. This results in improved cognitive function and performance - chocolate actually makes you smarter!

Tying it All Together:

When it comes to weight loss, it is a balance of calories, hormones, sleep, exercise and lifestyle. Choosing to eat healthier foods will result in improved energy levels, deeper sleep and reduced sugar cravings. As long as you are incorporating dark chocolate into your diet as a snack or as part of your meal and not eating an extra bar or two per day, controlling your weight and boosting your metabolism will be easy! Sneaking in some dark chocolate to your diet will not only reduce your cravings, it will enhance your blood pressure, brain power and insulin levels. Whenever you’re craving it, grab your Zazubean dark chocolate, let it melt in your mouth, and then get back to work. You can’t waste that brain power that chocolate is about to provide you!

Dark Chocolate and Weight Loss - It Is Possible!

Tying it All Together: