By Deb Martín, Holistic Health Educator
October 2014
The perfect storm of Science and Mother Nature is now conspiring for the health of someone you know– and the health of our nation. We are a seriously overweight and obese nation. The staggering statistic is: 70% of us are seriously overweight …and over 30% of us are medically obese. Here’s the good news, you or someone you care about can now lose weight– and get healthier hearts, brains and more–by, of all things, eating CHOCOLATE!
The science behind a successful chocolate diet is the cover story of the December 2011 issue of the American Journal of Bariatric Medicine. (Bariatrics is the branch of medicine which treats obesity.) This is no accident. It’s time something powerful and tasty like this came along to help.
The Healthy Chocolate weight loss plan is one diet plan that is gaining rapid popularity: “What? I can eat chocolate and lose weight?” Yes, there is plenty of proof. In a recent 3-month weight loss program, 50 participants all started–and completed–a chocolate-based weight loss program. That is amazing. No one quit the “diet”! Why is that? There are several answers, and three main answers come to mind for me: 1) Chocolate is a superfood and suppresses the appetite by nourishing the body at a cellular level, 2) The specific “fat” in chocolate, in conjunction with a cell signaling change that turns “off” the fat storage gene and turns “on” the metabolizing gene–actually burns stored fat, and 3) The “feel-good” properties of chocolate are at work! Who wouldn’t want a yummy chocolate shake? The 50 people in that 3-month program lost an average of 31.3 lbs each and an average of nearly 6 inches off the waist. Some had only 10 lbs to lose to begin with, but some of the most obese lost over 100 lbs. in that time. Percentage of weight lost was 6.6% to 24.6%. And the best news….all 50 people continued on for the next year with a combined weight loss of over 2500 lbs over the 15 months.
Cautionary Note:
Most processed chocolate is NOT good for you. For best effect, make sure your chocolate is dark, unprocessed and raw, e.g. Beyond Healthy Chocolate™ products, including solid chocolates and their Chocolate Shake (the study referenced above). Another supplier option: Sacred Chocolate makes organic, raw chocolate in heart-shaped bars.
Deb Martin
Holistic Health Educator
Lotus Blossom Clinic