One bite – are you kidding me?
I used to NEVER be able to have one bite of chocolate, or one bite of dessert.
- I needed to eat the whole thing!
- finish the package!
- have another one!
Moderation…I truly didn’t understand how to do that. I understood the concept, but actually “just having a little of something sweet” seemed impossible.
I would eat so much of any given delicious, luscious food that it would no longer feel delicious or luscious, it just felt like a sore tummy and a lot of regret.
Then, as I worked deeply and consistently on my relationship with food and body – when I delved into how I was using food to try to satisfy my emotional needs, when I learned how to make truly nourishing food choices – I was able to finally take one blissful bite of foods that I loved, and that also loved me back! (If you’d like to do that let’s talk!)
Loving the food that loves you back means choosing foods (and amounts) that give you great pleasure AND make you feel good in your body.
When it comes to chocolate (which I love), I choose high quality and natural sweeteners.
Let me break down what that means exactly:
High Quality:
- High Cacao Content
- No Soy Lecithin
- No refined sugar
- No corn syrup
- No gluten
- No chemicals – all real-food ingredients
- Organic ingredients
- Raw ingredients
- No dairy
- Non-gmo
Natural Sweeteners:
My 4 top choices for chocolate are…
- Stevia
- Raw Honey
- Maple Syrup
- Coconut Sugar
My current favorite chocolate brands and why I like them:
Rawmio – I love them ’cause they use “raw” ingredients – that means you’re getting super potent antioxidants (and it’s totally unprocessed)! They sweeten with coconut sugar and use plenty of superfoods for an extra boost of vibrancy in your treat!
Hu Chocolate – This one is my family’s favorite. It’s pretty much the only chocolate my husband will eat – specifically the Hazelnut Praline variety. It’s truly over the top amazing! It’s sweetened with coconut sugar and comes in many flavors. (It’s a little trickier to find, but health food stores are starting to carry it).
Pure 7 Chocolate: they sweeten with honey – it’s all real, it’s silky – and of course luscious. They also have one bar that’s just sweetened with stevia, to really keep your glycemic index low!
Eating Evolved Chocolate: it’s their Coconut Butter Cups that really had me fall in love with Evolve. They sweeten with maple syrup.
Jojo’s Chocolate Hope: sweetened with stevia and erythritol (a sugar alcohol that I’m ok with eating every now and then – not everyday). Jojo’s Chocolate Hope has interesting flavors like Currant Crush, and they give lots of money to charity!
Heavenly Organics Chocolate Mint Patties: mint and chocolate – a match made in heaven. Then add a little raw honey to sweeten, and it’s bliss. Heavenly Organics does it really well, in perfect two-bite chocolate mint patties.
Clearly there are some wonderful ways to indulge your love of chocolates in a way that deeply nourishes and honors your body!
Enjoy and please share with me your favorite nourishing chocolates!
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Nina Manolson, MA, CHC, certified Health Coach and Psychology of Eating Coach believes that every woman deserves to feel good in their own body. She helps women create a healthy and positive relationship with their food and body so they can love their body and life! She’s the founder of NinaManolson.com and NourishedWomanNation.com
She helps busy women look and feel their best. She specializes in working with women over 40 who have tried other diets and approaches but are still struggling with their body and food. She helps women step into a new wellness paradigm that makes it real and do-able and makes self-care a sustainable healthy habit.
She’s the author of “Feed Your Kids Well In A World That Doesn’t: an everyday guide to make healthy food happen in your home and beyond”. She’s also the recipient of the prestigious Health Leadership Award from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
To get your F.R.E.E. Video Series “What to do now, when everything you’ve done hasn’t worked” by mail and receive her healthy recipes and wellness tips click here.
Nina Manolson, MA, NBC-HWC, is a Body-Peace™ Coach.
She is a board certified Health Coach, Psychology of Eating Coach and Certified Body-Trust Provider, believes that every woman deserves to feel good in her own body.
She helps women create a healthy and positive relationship with their food and body so they can truly feel at peace in their body! She’s the founder of NinaManolson.com and The Nourished Woman Nation.
She specializes in working with women over 40 who have tried many other diets and approaches but are still struggling with their relationship to body and food.She’s the creator of the BODY-LOVE MAP and the recipient of the prestigious Health Leadership Award from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.To take a powerful step on the Body-Peace™ Path, download your Practicing Body-Peace Journal right HERE.
If you’d like help with navigating an authentic and respectful relationship with your body. Let’s talk.
