I heard that caffiene causes weight gain is that true?? Well why? && Is this organic dark chocolate a good idea when I’m wanting something sweet really bad?? The thing of it is , im looking for something that taste’s sweet that wont cause me to gain weight. I am always craving sweets bad usually after school, work or soccer practice. I just got back from working out for two hours and drank some chocolate milk and i feel pretty mad at myself. But it needs to be easy access so i dont get to something unhealthy firts….PLEASE HELP. =D

Dark Chocolate can be a good thing. The important thing is too make sure it is actually made of Cacao. The higher the percentage of this the better. Milk chocolate or imitation dark chocolates dont hold a candle to this, so make sure it is the real deal. I would aim for anything with 70% Cacao. It has many anti-oxidants that will help ward off free radicals which contribute to cancer risk and help to prevent premature aging. Caffeine causes the body to hold onto fat cells, but it also speeds up your heart and on average your movements, so I wouldnt be too concerned about the caffeine causing the weight gain. Remember that even though it has MANY health benefits, dark chocolate is also high in calories, so moderation is key. In the end though, I think it is fine to add some to your diet. Depriving yourself too much will only ensure that your diet will fail, and besides without that bite, you will be missing out on all those anti-oxidants! Good Luck!

PS: I try to eat Blueberries with some Soy Milk and a splash of Soy creamer for my sweet fix! It is sooo good, and since it is cold it takes a little longer to eat to help those cravings pass! Good luck!

Im planning on making some (mostly) organic dark chocolate and macadamia nut cookies. Any suggestions for a base recipe?
I have pretty much all of the stuff that I think I would need…such as dark chocolate chips, chopped macadamia nuts, organic cane sugar and organic brown sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, unsweetened vanilla almond milk (prolly won’t need that, but might add a little instead of some of the water), butter….etc…

Also, I’m planning on substituting half of the butter with pureed avocado. I read in a cooking magazine that doing so will not only make the recipe healthier, but will also make the cookies softer and chewier. If anyone has any suggestions about using the avocado in place of butter, please lemme hear ‘em.

Thanks!

P.S. I know, I know…macadamia cookies are traditionally made with white chocolate. I’m mixing it up a bit. I love dark choc, plus it (70% cacao) is much healthier.
mmm…thinking about adding oatmeal too….

Try a traditional Toll House cookie recipe, just use your organic ingredients…It’s such a versatile recipe…we use it as a base for almost all of the cookies that we make at our deli. You can add, change…do just about anything to it…and it almost always turns out a great cookie!

So, I am at my local grocery store, and in the bulk aisle, there are:

a) milk-chocolate almonds
b) dark-chocolate almonds
c) no sugar added chocolate almonds (they are similar in color to that of a milk-chocolate almond)
d) organic chocolate almonds (they are similar in color to that of a dark-chocolate almond).

I’m not overweight or anything, but I do watch what I eat, and chocolate-covered almonds are definitely my favorite! MY question is, which of the above are better for my waistline?

Thanks!

Almonds are a good food choice since they contain Omega-3 fatty acids. So good call there. The best choice, though, would be organic chocolate almonds. There is no sugar added to these and the only fat added is the fat necessary to turn the chocolate to a solid form (this is done in all types of chocolate). It might not be the best tasting, but it is the healthiest. If I were you, I would go with dark chocolate almonds. They taste good and there is very little sugar added. Make sure you don’t have more than a handful (or two haha) though.

Chewy Organic Whole-Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies Makes 3 dozen 2-inch cookies;
Serving size: 1 cookie To get uniform cookie sizes, use an ice-cream scoop to form the batter on the sheet pans. Then, create a gift bag, basket or box of these classic cookies turned healthy.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

1 1/4 cups organic unbleached white flour
3/4 cup organic whole-grain pastry flour
2 tablespoons each: oat bran, wheat germ and brewer’s yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons each: baking soda and baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup organic unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sucanot, ground
2 extra-large organic eggs
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
1 10-ounce package grain-sweetened semisweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine flours, oat bran, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium-size bowl. Set aside.

3. Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl cream together butter and sucanot until fluffy, about 4 minutes.

4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.

5. Slowly blend in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

6. Drop spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 - 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes on the sheet pan. Transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Could someone loose weight on a diet like this one?

Think of the chocolate eclair lollies as a replacement for Barley Sugars (lollies used whilst fasting)…

Yes, but after awhile,
the chocolates will give you a
bit of diarrhea, & you will get terribly
emaciated. Anorexia will probably ensue.
If you plan on dieting this way, you should add
a protein to your diet as well as a vitamin w/ iron
to get yourself in fair health. You need the protein to
keep your liver functioning correctly and to keep
your hair and fingernails from falling out and
off. While the chocolates provide you
will a simple carbohydrate, you
would be better off adding
a complex carbohydrate
to your diet every
two or three days. You
will still be able to lose weight,
but at least you won’t be malnourished.
Also you will need to add a tiny bit of fat to
your diet, avacado or olives are a good source.
I say add these because your body needs a certain
amount of fat to metabolize certain vitamins,
such as A and E. The vitamin pill is a
necessary evil, when you go on a
strict diet.