Isn’t real chocolate perfect enough to speak for itself? Why do we keep eating chemicals when food science has proven that real food is better?
Close your eyes and image a piece of rich chocolate melting in your mouth. Notice how it engages all of your senses... how it makes your heart feel warm... and lights your mind with BLISS... how you feel perhaps kissed, loved, sensual, joyous––this is the power contained in chocolate. The latin translation for the cocoa plant which produces chocolate is “food of the Gods.” I’ll admit I have to agree!
In contrast to consuming chocolate choices of any kind, one has to consume the raw kind to get true health benefits. Raw cacao—the plant that makes chocolate—is one of the top 9 superfoods according to world chocolate and raw food expert David Woolfe, author of Superfoods.
One component of chocolate that has received a lot of attention is the lipid Anandamide. Anandamide is said to have natural feel-good qualities that are similar to THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. In a recent article written by David Wolfe he says “The word “anandamide” means “the bliss chemical”. Further he explains: “Anandamide is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘ananda’ meaning bliss and ‘mide’ meaning chemical.” I have to hand it to the scientist behind that naming—they knew what they were talking about.
As a self–proclaimed chocoholic by the age of 9 and family given nickname of M&M, I thought I was a chocolate expert. Undoubtedly, I wasn’t—and in fact was causing myself harm just to get those feel-good qualities. I wasn’t eating the raw chocolate “food of the gods,” I was eating chemicals—packaged, extended shelf-life, processed chocolate laden with sugar, milk and fat. I often wonder how I could have binged on the stuff daily for years. I was gaining weight, getting headaches, having mood swings (yep—I was a grumpy pants, looking for my next high, but crashing on too much sugar) and I always had an upset stomach. I guess my body knew, but my mind wasn’t listening. If this sounds all too familiar don’t worry. I have a recipe for reset.
As the the feelings of sickness continued I started to hear my Dad’s voice on repeat in my head saying “all good things in moderation” (a mantra which is roughly translated from popular Greek, pan metron ariston)––a great mantra for life! I finally decided to take this advice and make a change, because I thought I shouldn’t feel sick as twenty something and I wondered what my life going to look like if I kept mistreating my body. I was surely headed for obesity and diabetes, not a pretty picture!
Here is my recipe for how I kicked my habit and found a little pan metron ariston:
- Admit to overdoing it
- Go cold turkey—throw out all site of any chocolate and sweets
- Don’t eat any chocolate, raw or not, for a month (let your body detox). Even better—do a three day juice fast
- After a month reintroduce chocolate as treat, this time make sure it’s high quality good stuff
- Repeat daily mantra “all good things in moderation”
Whether you attempt at total detox or decide to take the more moderate route: just remember that when you're looking for a little piece of BLISS grab the raw thing. Otherwise read the labels: look for minimally processed cocoa with a percentage of 70 or higher. Steer clear of GMO, milk, and any artificial additives including sugar and fat.
To elevate your BLISS further you can eat superfood chocolates––that’s right! Here are some exciting options:
- Aloha superfood chocolate bar made with organic cacao and superfood greens––it’s just delicious
- Sacred Chocolate red wine infused chocolate with resveratrol (found in grapes and is believed to be anti–aging)
- Bhang Medical Chocolate a mixture of fine chocolate and medicinal cannabis (sorry prescription required)