Does chocolate make you feel romantic?
Love is in the air. And that means chocolate for many.
Chocolate contains anadamides – a chemical taken from the Sanskrit word Ananda for ‘bliss, happiness, and joy’. Scientists have named it the bliss molecule because it creates a profound feeling of pleasure and wellbeing.
You may have heard of the love or cuddle hormone ‘oxytocin’. Well, cocoa, which is one of the best-known ingredients in chocolate stimulates the release of oxytocin.
Valentine’s day is a celebration of love, friendship, and admiration.
Do you know what men want, ladies?
And do you know what women want, chaps?
According to John Gray, author of “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”,
men want to be admired (and appreciated) amongst other things. Maybe that’s why they give us chocolate!
Ladies on the other hand want to be understood and validated (amongst other things).
The problem is that most chocolate (that men buy us) is full of sugar, which is highly addictive – I mean who can stop at just one piece or one truffle? And most chocolate stops you from losing weight. (It halts lipolysis). Sugar imbalances can also cause severe mood issues like anxiety and depression after the high from the sugar rush has passed.
So, how can we eat chocolate without guilt and still stay healthy?
Well, I have admitted many times before that I am a chocoholic. As a previously overweight person, I used to eat a box of chocolates instead of lunch sometimes. I used to comfort eat with chocolate and eat to switch off. The problem was I was on a blood sugar roller-coaster, and it felt really bad.
But you don’t have to give up chocolate! You choose the healthy chocolate and train your tastebuds to enjoy the flavours in darker chocolate that don’t cause sugar imbalances.
And you can make your own hot chocolate or delicious chocolate smoothie with healing collagen (providing protein with every delicious sip). Just see the recipe below. To purchase the collagen and other products I recommend as a frequent TV nutritional and weight loss expert, check out www.eatslim.co.uk/collagen and www.eatslim.co.uk/products
Chocolate Bliss Recipe –
Serve as hot chocolate or as a cold smoothie
- 1 or 2 TBS organic cocoa/cacao powder – provides extra protein https://www.eatslim.co.uk/cacaopowder
- 2 – 3 scoops of high-quality protein (providing 25 – 30+ grams of protein) https://www.eatslim.co.uk/collagen or https://www.eatslim.co.uk/veganprotein
- 1 TBS MCT oil https://www.eatslim.co.uk/mctoil
MCT oil is very healthy, especially if you are following a diet that focuses on fat-burning. (And drastically reducing your sugar intake and balancing your blood sugars). MCT oil helps you burn your body fat by switching off your insulin (sometimes referred to as your fat storage hormone). Yes, you can burn your fat as fuel! It is not the same as coconut oil, because MCT oil is a specific part of coconut oil that in studies has been found to be remarkably healthy. Especially for your brain!
- Liquid (e.g., ½ cup/120ml unsweetened almond milk and ½ cup/120ml water)
- Liquid stevia If you have a sweet tooth https://www.eatslim.co.uk/liquidstevia
- Ice – handful – or more ice for a thicker shake
Combine all ingredients into a good blender – I recommend Vitamix. Omit ice and heat for a mug of delicious hot chocolate.