By Oritsegbubemi Peace Pessu.
Chocolate… Hmmmm, yummy. In as much as I am not a sweet tooth, I love chocolate. However I avoid it because I gain weight pretty fast. Recently though, I saw an article on chocolate eaters who weigh less which marveled me because I thought it was the other way round. So, as usual, yours sincerely went on an investigation as your PI, to find out for you and here are the facts I came up with.
A chocolate diet sounds too good to be true to most seasoned dieters. While there is no one true chocolate diet, there are ways to lose weight while still eating your favorite chocolate treats. Weight loss is just one of the many benefits of dark chocolate.
Chocolate is as good for your body as it is delicious for your plate. The pleasure properties of chocolate have never been a secret. It has been found that the very link between chocolate and cholesterol has a positive effect on reducing body fat around the midsection. In this article you will learn a little about how this works and how to make it work for you.
To consider chocolate as a healthy addition to your diet you must first understand its effects on the body. Dark chocolate and semi sweet chocolate are sources of monounsaturated fat. This kind of fat, often known as a MUFA, has a positive impact on the body and has been proven in studies to cause more weight loss than a typical low fat diet. Monounsaturated fats have a different chemical composition than other fats and take on a liquid state at body temperature. So where other fats have a hardening effect on the liver and cause clogging of the arteries with fat, the MUFAs actually soften the liver allowing for it to better do its job of excreting the bad stuff from our bodies. Without the MUFA’s help, those toxins and fats grab hold and do not get eliminated from the body, thus forming fat which results in a widened midsection. As a bonus, monounsaturated fats also promote LDL (the good cholesterol) which hunts down HDL (the bad cholesterol) and quickly ushers it to the liver where it can be excreted most efficiently.
Add a serving of dark or semi sweet chocolate to every meal. A serving is equivalent to 1/4 cup. The monounsaturated fat from the chocolate will make sure that your food processes efficiently.
Eat 4 or 5 small meals per day, rather than 3 larger meals. Smaller meals are easier for the body to digest and more frequent food gives the body a constant energy source. To reduce belly fat and tighten up the waist line you don’t have to count calories or make any changes other than the addition of the dark or semi sweet chocolate. If you have a bigger weight loss goal, reduce calories as well as some splurges from your diet, such as soda or chips.
Exercise for 30 minutes per day for maximum results. Adding the chocolate will reduce fat around the midsection even without working out, but exercise is recommended in any case for added health benefits.
Tips & Warnings
Studies have also proven chocolate to boost metabolism and burn fat for hours when digested in the morning. Try adding semi sweet chocolate morsels to your oatmeal or making low sugar oatmeal chocolate cookies for breakfast to eat with fruit.
Stick to the proper serving amount. Chocolate is still a fat and if used improperly will cause weight gain. Only dark chocolate and semi sweet chocolate have these health benefits. Milk chocolate or other chocolates will only add to your fat and calorie intake for the day while providing no additional benefits.
Always remember to enjoy chocolate in moderation, and choose the right kind of chocolate which can help you lose weight without feeling deprived. Add the benefits that chocolate can have on your mood, and a diet that allows you to eat chocolate may be the perfect fit for you. So there it is people, a delicious weight loss routine but like I’d always say DON’T OVER DO IT.
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This article was first published on 6th November 2012 and updated on December 18th, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Comments (0)
Chocolate… Hmmmm, yummy. In as much as I am not a sweet tooth, I love chocolate. However I avoid it because I gain weight pretty fast. Recently though, I saw an article on chocolate eaters who weigh less which marveled me because I thought it was the other way round. So, as usual, yours sincerely went on an investigation as your PI, to find out for you and here are the facts I came up with.
A chocolate diet sounds too good to be true to most seasoned dieters. While there is no one true chocolate diet, there are ways to lose weight while still eating your favorite chocolate treats. Weight loss is just one of the many benefits of dark chocolate.
Chocolate is as good for your body as it is delicious for your plate. The pleasure properties of chocolate have never been a secret. It has been found that the very link between chocolate and cholesterol has a positive effect on reducing body fat around the midsection. In this article you will learn a little about how this works and how to make it work for you.
To consider chocolate as a healthy addition to your diet you must first understand its effects on the body. Dark chocolate and semi sweet chocolate are sources of monounsaturated fat. This kind of fat, often known as a MUFA, has a positive impact on the body and has been proven in studies to cause more weight loss than a typical low fat diet. Monounsaturated fats have a different chemical composition than other fats and take on a liquid state at body temperature. So where other fats have a hardening effect on the liver and cause clogging of the arteries with fat, the MUFAs actually soften the liver allowing for it to better do its job of excreting the bad stuff from our bodies. Without the MUFA’s help, those toxins and fats grab hold and do not get eliminated from the body, thus forming fat which results in a widened midsection. As a bonus, monounsaturated fats also promote LDL (the good cholesterol) which hunts down HDL (the bad cholesterol) and quickly ushers it to the liver where it can be excreted most efficiently.
Add a serving of dark or semi sweet chocolate to every meal. A serving is equivalent to 1/4 cup. The monounsaturated fat from the chocolate will make sure that your food processes efficiently.
Eat 4 or 5 small meals per day, rather than 3 larger meals. Smaller meals are easier for the body to digest and more frequent food gives the body a constant energy source. To reduce belly fat and tighten up the waist line you don’t have to count calories or make any changes other than the addition of the dark or semi sweet chocolate. If you have a bigger weight loss goal, reduce calories as well as some splurges from your diet, such as soda or chips.
Exercise for 30 minutes per day for maximum results. Adding the chocolate will reduce fat around the midsection even without working out, but exercise is recommended in any case for added health benefits.
Tips & Warnings
Studies have also proven chocolate to boost metabolism and burn fat for hours when digested in the morning. Try adding semi sweet chocolate morsels to your oatmeal or making low sugar oatmeal chocolate cookies for breakfast to eat with fruit.
Stick to the proper serving amount. Chocolate is still a fat and if used improperly will cause weight gain. Only dark chocolate and semi sweet chocolate have these health benefits. Milk chocolate or other chocolates will only add to your fat and calorie intake for the day while providing no additional benefits.
Always remember to enjoy chocolate in moderation, and choose the right kind of chocolate which can help you lose weight without feeling deprived. Add the benefits that chocolate can have on your mood, and a diet that allows you to eat chocolate may be the perfect fit for you. So there it is people, a delicious weight loss routine but like I’d always say DON’T OVER DO IT.
