Chocolate's health benefits...

Liana do you eat chocolate? How can I eat it on The Earth Diet .... I crave it everyday! - Roger, NZ

Hey Roger! Good news - yes! I do eat chocolate quite regularly and have made it a part of my lifestyle.

Chocolate is actually healthy - well the cacao in chocolate is what makes chocolate 'chocolate' and also where the health benefits are. It is the processed ingredients in chocolate like lactose, sugar, soy lecithin, PGPR, emulsifier, and artificial flavor that create a chemical impact on our body and clog our digestive system hence gaining weight after eating alot of this kind of chocolate.

If you make your own chocolate without these processed ingredients, and instead use whole ingredients like cacao, nuts, honey/maple/agave, cacao butter - chocolate turns into something healthy to eat and is flavor full as there are no chemical substitutes for flavor! I have found by eating this kind of chocolate that I eat 1/4 of the amount I would usually eat of the store bought chocolate! It is extremely rich and fulfilling - especially the truffles!

Check our website for lots of chocolate recipes like chocolate balls, truffles, brownies, pies and more! Direct link; www.theearthdiet.org/recipes.html

 This week I also wrote a blog for KORA Organics by Miranda Kerr about chocolate and included a recipe for a simple chocolate ball recipe that takes less than 7 minutes to make :) I also write about the health benefits of chocolate and how cacao does good for our bodies!

Enjoy! To read the chocolate blog, direct link; http://www.koraorganics.com/blog/live-in-my-skin/all-things-organic/organic-certification/chocolate/

I am also teaching a raw food class focusing on chocolate next Friday 18th March at The Water Well in NY - see website for more details. 

www.TheEarthDiet.org