I love chocolate
Chocaholics rejoice!
Hands up who indulged (or overindulged) in Chocolate over the Easter break. Come on, don’t hide it, we probably all ate at least one (or more) easter eggs or chocolate bunnies over the holidays.
If you did, then I have some good news for you.
Those of you who follow me on social media or read my blog posts, know that living a healthy life is one of my top priorities. I want to be able to enjoy life to the full, exploring the world with my husband and playing with my grandchildren. Having a healthy diet and exercise plan helps me achieve this, however, I don’t let it rule my life and enjoy being ‘naughty’ sometimes, following my own advice which I wrote in my blog ‘Everything in Moderation – the Key to Enjoying Life’s Pleasures for longer ‘.
Now getting back to chocolate!
Chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, chocolate gelato, chocolate full stop!
I love chocolate, especially dark chocolate and it is one of my guilty pleasures.
Last year we were in Quebec and I was reintroduced to hot chocolate which I hadn’t had for many years. It was absolutely delicious and quickly became my afternoon drink of choice. I eagerly awaited this time of day as the weather was quite cold in November and after a day of sightseeing and exploring the hot chocolate was one of life’s pleasures, so warming and comforting.
Chocolate can be quite sensual. Just think of that lovely, warm chocolate sauce oozing slowly over your…….. ice cream!
Speaking of guilty pleasures, I did indulge in chocolate over the Easter break AND I DIDN’T FEEL GUILTY!
Did I mention that Chocolate can be good for you?
Now I’m not saying that you should add a block of chocolate to your daily diet, however we all need to live a little and surprisingly, DARK chocolate can have great benefits which I would like to share with you.
1. Chocolate is yummy!
2. Chocolate can make you feel happy. It is high in magnesium which helps lift your mood and also releases endorphins which is the ‘happy hormones’.
3. Medical studies have shown that it MAY lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
4. Dark Chocolate is an antioxidant just like red wine (another guilty pleasure of mine – chocolate and red wine a fabulous combination). It contains flavonoids which help fight disease
5. Medical studies have shown it MAY improve brain function and MAY lower the risk of heart disease
The ‘healthiest’ type of chocolate is dark chocolate with 70%-85% cocoa content. Also, remember that as well as the cocoa, chocolate also contains sugar which is why you really should have it in MODERATION, especially if you have diabetes or are trying to lose weight.
So next time you feel like indulging OR you are feeling down, spoil yourself with some good quality dark chocolate and enjoy!
Oh and by the way, if you do over indulge then my articles on Exercise and Starting an Exercise Program will keep you in check.
Let’s Sizzle!
23 Comments
I ate some Easter eggs and they were yummy. But I like milk, not dark chocolate.
Enjoy!
Sue
Actually Sue, I do love dark chocolate but of course will eat any chocolate really! Hope you had a lovely Easter.
Thanks for permission to eat the chocolate. I LOVE it and unfortunately, can’t get enough of it!
No problem Becky! Chocolate is good for the soul.
I love all chocolate, but milk chocolate best. Last year my ‘resolution’ was balance. Part of finding balance was not over indulging. It can be tough, but better than calling a food, especially chocolate (!), off limits.
You are right Kim, balance is the key. Check out my blog on Everything in Moderation – The Key to Enjoying life’s pleasure. Enjoy!
Yay chocolate! I must admit that I don’t really care for dark chocolate, but since I no longer eat anything dairy it’s a great alternative to milk chocolate. Thank you for sharing! 🙂 #ibabloggers
Thanks for the comment Michelle. Yes you can still indulge and not feel queasy afterwards.
Great post and I eat dark chocolate almost daily!
#ibabloggers
Thanks for the comment Joanne! Yes I love dark chocolate – lucky I’m a runner 🙂
Have tweeted this for you. Love every morsel of information – #ibabloggers
Oh thank you Suzi T. I’m glad you savoured it LOL:)
Fortunately I am not the chocoholic that I once was. I do like dark chocolate! #ibabloggers
Thanks for the Comment, Teresa. Yes I try to be good. My husband is the chocoholic in my family so I do try to stick to the dark chocolate so that at least it is a bit healthier. Have a lovely day!
I do LOVEEEEEEEEEEE chocolate! Great post. Thanks for sharing with us at Wake Up Wednesday Linky Party.
Hugs
Angel
Thanks for your comment Angel. Yes chocolate is a guilty pleasure. I’m new to the Linky Parties so still getting my head around it all. Have a lovely day and keep in touch!
This is a great post to read after Easter. Thank you for making me feel better about the amounts of chocolate consumed in this house. #getyourshineon
Thanks Mariet for your comment. I’m glad I could make you feel better about eating chocolate 🙂 With four grandchildren the Easter bunny certainly left enough chocolate for a lifetime! Have a lovely day and don’t forget to Sizzle!
I can never hear too much good news about CHOCOLATE! Thanks for sharing with the Thursday Blog Hop!
Thanks for your comment Pam and yes it is good news about Chocolate. I enjoy your page by the way and follow you on social media. I’m a newbie to blogging so was very happy to participate in the Thursday Blog Hop. Have a lovely day and don’t forget to Sizzle!
No eggs for me!:( But i did get a block of Jamaican rum & raisin! I do love dark chocolate but cannot eat to much at a time.
Oh I love Jamaican Rum & Raisin! It was my Mum’s favourite as well.
[…] makes me happy and I’ve written before about the Benefits of Chocolate but do you know you there is a new way to indulge in your favourite treat without adding any […]