#15. Chocolate Monday, October 5, 2020 We all have goals. Some of us are trying to lose fat. Others are trying to gain muscle or improve performance. For each of these goals, chocolate is on the menu. I don't mean Snickers. Or anything else that can be pulled from a Halloween bag. Health food is not sold in "fun size" dimensions. Diabetes is. And cavities. And heart disease. When you fill your belly with the wrong chocolate, it always metabolizes into remorse. Instead, opt for a dark, unsweetened variety. You can sweeten it yourself with a reasonable sugar replacement, such as stevia or monk fruit. The benefits: Real, raw, 100% cacao contains several minerals (e.g., iron, zinc, copper, magnesium) and antioxidants (e.g., flavanols, polyphenols), and two wonderful methylxanthines (caffeine and its better half, theobromine). When you put them all together, in your mouth, and chew, you're rewarded with some very satisfying benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, management of inflammation and immune function, enhanced insulin sensitivity, increased cognition (cortical blood flow, memory, reaction time), and, of course, elevated mood. Some heavy reading: Kats (2011), Martinez-Pinilla (2015), and Magrone (2017). And some light tips: Tip 1) Choose your chocolate source wisely. Read the nutrition label and the ingredient list, looking for added carbohydrates (e.g., fructose, maltose, maltodextrin). While you're reading the ingredient list, make sure there are no fillers such as coconut oil. Coconut oil may have its place in your diet, but not as a cheap, oily substitute diluting your otherwise-pure cacao. Tip 2) If you're having trouble sleeping, finish your chocolate feast in the first half of the day. Remember: cacao contains two methylxanthines (more theobromine than caffeine), and both can awaken your attention right as you're trying to put it to bed. So if slumber is a fussy nipper, consider moving your desserts to an earlier hour. And keep your hairy little best friend (Spot or Toto or whatever) away from your "health sized" treats. As useful as methylxanthines are to us, these are the compounds that make chocolate poisonous for dogs. Tip 3) Skip cocoa. That's basically candy. Stick with cacao. I realize the flavor is more bitter, but that's nutrition you're tasting. Raw, unprocessed nutrition. To make cocoa, you take the cacao and roast it at a high temperature, searing away the bitterness and nutrition in tandem.