Is Chocolate Good For You?
So much fun filming this episode with my good friend Dana from wholehealthdana.com. Dana lost her husband to cancer and from that point on took on a new lifestyle of eliminating toxins from her diet and home. Talk about becoming the CEO of your health! She has awesome tips, blogs post and DIY recipes on her site. Do yourself a favor and check it out after you are done here!
EAT DARK CHOCOLATE… as if you need more reasons!
Did you know eating dark chocolate is good for your health? Thank goodness since I am fully addicted to it. Here are some go2tips to help you along the way.
- Eat DARK CHOCOLATE that is at least 70% Cacao or Cocoa. The higher the % the better for you. It will become less sweet with the higher %, adding some coconut or dried fruit can help.
- Cocoa is Cacao in a roasted and ground form.
- Because of all the “extra” ingredients in store bought DARK CHOCOLATE (milk, butter, and sugar to name a few) limit yourself to 7 oz. a week, that is about 4 bars.
- DARK CHOCOLATE has 5 times the flavonoids as an apple! Flavonoids are an antioxidant compound that increases the flexibility of veins and arteries. Hello, heart health!
- Skip the Red Bull for energy…One 3.5oz. 70% DARK CHOCOLATE bar has 70mg of caffeine. Ok, don’t eat a whole bar of DARK CHOCOLATE at one time. But break off a piece if you need a quick pick me up!
- If you can find ground raw Cacao Beans the flavonols can help with your skins resistance to the suns UV radiation.
For more awesome DARK CHOCOLATE info visit DrAxe.com.
Easy Paleo Chocolate
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Organic Coconut Oil (Solid)
1 Cup Organic Cocoa or Cacao
1/4 Cup Raw Unfiltered Honey
½ Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract
Sea Salt to Taste
Add ons for chocolate like Chia Seeds, Hemp Seeds or Coconut Flakes
Line flat pan with parchment paper, set aside. Melt Coconut Oil on low heat in saucepan. Once oil is melted add cocoa slowly while stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in honey and vanilla. If you are adding chia, hemp or coconut to chocolate then place that in the bottom of parchment lined pan. Spread chocolate mix over top. Place in freezer or fridge until hardened.
go2knowledge:
- Coconut Oil melts at 76 degrees, this recipe should be kept cool
- Use a melted version of this recipe as a sauce
- Pour this recipe over ice cream or cold yogurt for a nice candy like shell
- Add dried fruit for a sweeter variation and yummy snack
- Pour into molds for special events or make chocolate pops
