Just a Piece of Chocolate
It’s February and it is the season of CHOCOLATE! But do you find yourself going through a box of chocolates and not remembering well what the chocolate tasted like or really took the time to enjoy the taste? In our fast pace culture, we tend to eat very fast, and that includes chocolate. Instead, let’s learn how to really enjoy just a piece of chocolate.
What Kind of Chocolate?
There are so many different varieties of chocolates out there and chocolate being part of many other sweets, cakes, pastries, etc. I’m sure you have heard this before. Dark chocolate is healthier. Well… it’s true! The darker the chocolate, the less the sugar and extra calories consumed. Cocoa itself has a lot of natural health benefits that can even support your heart health! Perfect for this month right! Cocoa naturally has many antioxidants and minerals but we lose this benefit when cocoa becomes less than other ingredients in chocolate. The higher the amount of cocoa, the better! To learn more about additional benefits, check out this article. [1]
How Much?!
When following a Metabolic Balance lifestyle, it’s not about missing out or restrictions. Instead, its more about the experience of food and enjoying the flavors! The same goes for a sweet like chocolate. Though instead of a whole box of chocolate to enjoy, try a piece of dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa (higher is better). Just a piece of chocolate is only about 20 grams. While we are used to eating whole bags or boxes of chocolate, when you take the time to really enjoy something like dark chocolate, 20 grams is very satisfying! Remember, we need to understand healthy portion sizes and at what point are you indulging.
Experience Chocolate
When we talk about experiencing food in general, we are talking about the look, smell and taste of the food. Do you remember when you would put a piece of chocolate in your mouth as a kid and saw how long you could keep it in your mouth before melting? (I don’t know, maybe that was just me!) But I would do this to M&Ms. It seems like I experienced M&M’s a lot more as a kid than a lot of other food. It could also be because it was my mom’s favorite source of chocolate! But I loved getting M&Ms. I loved the smell of them when I opened the bag. I loved all the colors and would sort them out (sometimes). Then to make my bag last longer, I would put a few in my mouth and just let them melt. It tasted so good!
The Game
So this is the same concept. Before you even put the chocolate in your mouth, take the time to smell it. It is similar to the same concept of wine tasting. You smell the wine and think about what it smells like to you before you even taste it. Once you’ve taken the same kind of time and care with your chocolate, you take a dark piece of chocolate, just a bit off your 20 grams, and place it in your mouth. Let it sit on your tongue and even move it around in your checks. Taking the time to really taste the chocolate, feel the chocolate melt in your mouth and really experience it before you then swallow. Make it a game as you continue to bite off small bits from your 20 grams of dark chocolate. [2]
Coaching a Lifestyle
While this concept came from Metabolic Balance, it supports our coaching goals to help you build a healthy lifestyle. Learning about these little tricks and ways to experience what you eat is important to making a shift from eating in quantity, and fast, to enjoying eating quality, and slowly. FCM Coaching supports your health journey in the way you think about your food, your choices and how to make sustainable change in the way you eat. Learn more about Metabolic Balance by clicking the buttons below. To find out more about how we incorporate an individualized nutrition plan into a lifestyle coaching program, book a Discovery Call. This is your step for sustainable health at your optimal health and you get to enjoy a balanced approach to renewed health!
Resources:
[1] Gunnars, K (2022) 7 Proven Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-dark-chocolate#TOC_TITLE_HDR_8
[2] Piece of Chocolate Game. Metabolic Balance®
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