Indulge in Chocolate – Yes You Can!
Eating chocolate for me used to be a guilty pleasure. I was addicted to the fake euphoria I experienced with every massive sugar shot to my brain.
It triggered my reward centre to release a hormone called Dopamine – I felt fine when I was eating chocolate. I even felt pretty fine after I ate chocolate.
But about thirty minutes later I felt low, lethargic, irritable and disgusted – with myself and my lack of willpower; with my body and the excess fat I was carrying – the same fat I’d just fed a dose of creamy, sickly sweet chocolate to.
Every time I ate chocolate or sugar I would need to eat more to get the same sugar high, which made it very hard to stop craving it or eating it.
Needless to say, I had no idea what this was doing to my blood sugar imbalances or my hormonal upsets due to dieting, restriction, low-fat everything else, and the constant stress and worry about it.
Do you love chocolate, but always have this guilty feeling associated with it?
Many of you may feel that way after an Easter overindulgence of your favourite chocolate delights. Your brain and taste buds may have rekindled a love affair and awakened your sugar addiction.
(Check out my Orange, Fig & Pecan Hot Cross Buns here and my Fig & Double Choc Healthy Easter Buns here!)
Chocolate used to be a trigger food for me, that coupled with my severe dieting and low self-esteem was a frustrating opponent in my battle against an eating disorder for 18 years.
It was because of my recovery and making peace with my body and weight that I wanted to learn how to enjoy my trigger foods in a healthful way, mindfully, with allowance and pleasure, yet without being overcome by them.
In combating my relationship with chocolate, I decided to learn more about where chocolate actually came from.
I discovered that real and raw cacao contains highly beneficial nutrients that are largely destroyed when roasted and commercially processed.
This started me on a journey of learning and adapting classic chocolate making techniques and turning them into an easy, modern method that would protect these nutrients and deliver quality results (smooth, snappy and glossy!).
I figured if I was actually nourishing my body with actual nutrients, healthy sugars and fats in moderation, then I would eventually lose the taste for the fake stuff and help my body to heal with real food. It worked.
My sugar habit is a thing of the past and I find most things too sweet now.
My relationship with chocolate is now one of respect. I eat it if I feel like it, and when I do I really taste it, savour it, and thoroughly enjoy it in much smaller amounts.
Healing my own relationship with such a revered and feared food as chocolate has turned into a popular Healthy Chocolate Delights eBook with over 60 recipes, and raw & healthy chocolate and raw & healthy desserts workshops that I’ve been running for well over 2 years.
I love coaching others to heal their sugar cravings alongside teaching them how to make quality raw chocolate that retains its nutritional profile, tastes delicious, won’t induce cravings, and is nutritious for the whole family.
Real and raw chocolate made with natural sweeteners, is a full-flavoured version of the real deal. It’s a healthy relationship – no guilt, addiction, shame or cravings.
Just real food enjoyed with pleasure!
CLICK HERE for details of my next Toowoomba workshop on Saturday 9th May – perfect gift for Mother’s Day!
Cacao Love
Viki xo
About Viki
Viki Thondley is a Mind-Body Wellness Specialist and qualified Holistic Counsellor, Food, Stress & Lifestyle Coach, Meditation Therapist, and Eating Disorder Recovery Coach who inspires women to shift from dieting and restriction to whole-self nourishment, self-care and healing. Recovered from bulimia nervosa and the many years of hormonal imbalances, food prison and self-sabotaging behaviours’, Viki is an inspiring coach, speaker and event host who also provides personalised holistic programs, workshops and retreats to instil self-love, happiness, body confidence and real food freedom. She is author of “Achieving Your Wellness: Create a Life You Love” and “Healthy Chocolate Delights: Real Food Sweet Treats”.
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