Everybody deserves a little treat once in a while. And let’s face it, life is too short not to eat at least a little of the foods you love.
Personally, I used to have a very sweet tooth; cakes, muffins and brownies were my vice. But now I never get junk food cravings. Not ever. I have 2 secret-weapon, fat burning foods that make sure I don’t get sugar cravings and keep me eating healthily. And these weapons are…
1. Organic fruit 2.Dark chocolate.
I include quite a bit of fruit in my day-to-day diet, and I try to include at least one portion with every meal I eat (my favorites are mango and raspberries). But when I really want to indulge myself I reach for high-quality dark chocolate.
Make sure you go for dark chocolate, and stay well away from the milk and white varieties. There is a very good reason for this: Milk and white chocolate contain very little cocoa, so the vast majority of the ingredients are sugars and other processed junk. On the other hand, dark chocolate has a higher cocoa content with less of the processed stuff. My favorite is a 90% cocoa blend, and I would never go below a 70% to keep away from processed nasties.
Is Cocoa Good For Me?
Cocoa is great for you because it is rich in flavonoids, which are plant based antioxidants. As you probably already know, antioxidants are vital for controlling the damaged caused by free radicals in your body. Did you know that a cup of hot cocoa contains almost 3 times as many antioxidants as a cup of green tea? And I’m a huge fan of green tea’s antioxidant power!
One of the reasons that it is so effective at controlling sugar and junk food cravings is because of its bitter taste. This actually helps your body regulate appetite.
Why the heck would you decide to choose chocolate with a bitter taste if you only eat chocolate for a “sugar hit”? Well the reason you’re craving sugar in the first place is down to the blood sugar spikes you get from unhealthy food, and the lows you experience after digesting them. Surprisingly, dark chocolate’s bitter taste actually satisfies these cravings. And won’t result in a blood sugar spike, causing you to store less fat and avoid the junk food cravings in the first place.
Cocoa butter is rich in stearic acid, which provides another method for controlling appetite. This fatty acid slows digestion, keeping you feeling full and satisfied for longer.
Portion Control
Just a few pieces at a time, every couple of days will provide you with all of the indulgence you’ll ever need, and still keep calorie intake low.
If you are just switching over to a healthy nutritional program then this fat burning food is amazing for controlling junk food and sugar cravings. It could make all the difference in those first few crucial weeks as you try to stick to a new regime.
Of course dark chocolate is a “high calorie” food. But because it helps you control your cravings you are less likely to go on a sugar binge. So dark chocolate is actually helping you to reduce your calorie intake!
I hope you learned a lot from this article. Don’t forget that this is only one of the delicious Fat Burning Foods out there that can help you lose weight. I cover my favorites in my List Of Fat Burning Foods, why not come see them for yourself.