CHOCOLATE ANYONE?
If you are anything like me…A piece of chocolate is always so inviting. It is definitely MY TREAT of choice. I would choose chocolate over most any other dessert. There are many articles & studies that show how good chocolate is for you. Here is an excellant article by John Robbins that he recently published. He shows studies about chocolates heart healthy, antioxidant, mood-enhancing benefits.
So if chocolate is so good for you, why does it get such a bad rep?
It’s the ingredients we add to it.
Nearly all of the calories in a typical chocolate bar are sugar and fat. (worst combination out there!) In the article you read that the healthy benefits of chocolate come from DARK CHOCOLATE- chocolate without these added items. Unfortunately, 99% of the chocolate I eat isn’t pure, dark chocolate. It tends to be a hershey kiss or a easter egg candy.
Recently as I have been monitoring my treat intake as well as my overall “moods” when I do eat certain foods (thanks to wonderful advice from Maintenance Mommy)…and I have found a SECRET.
I know this secret is specifically for me…and it might not work for everyone- But I identified my TRAP. My snare…the specific food that when I consume, things change.
This SNARE is (of course) MILK CHOCOLATE. I’ve determined when I eat a piece of “unhealthy” chocolate- of any kind- my whole attitude about food changes for the rest of the day. Chocolate does something to my brain that makes me not care so much about the nutrients, not care so much about vegetables. It’s crazy…but so true!
So guess what I did? I absolutely, completely, entirely, eliminated this food from my diet. Not just cut back a little…but took it away completely. I felt inspired to do so…so it hasn’t been hard at all. And guess what? My body has thanked me. I have felt more intune with myself and felt like I have eaten better because of this small decision. If you were to ask me a year ago if I ever would have done this…I would have said you are crazy!!! But once I committed- and began…it has been wonderful! I still have sweets when I feel like them- just not one’s that are dark & creamy. It’s been a wonderful decision…I began it a little over a month ago- and I’m not sure when it will go away…or if I ever will go back. We will see how I feel. I will probably begin adding some HEALTHY DARK CHOCOLATE pretty soon to see how it affects me. I plan on having a fun journey figuring this out.
So- if you could identify ONE trap in your life- that you know isn’t good for you…and/or causes more harm than good…something that drives you away from your goals…EVERY time you partake-
WOULD YOU CONTINUE EATING IT?
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Just a thought to get your brain thinking…
LIFE IS GOOD!
Source: WFM 1-10