Sunday, August 8, 2010

5 Easy Ways to Love Chocolate (and Not Get Fat)

SAVE SOME FOR LATER. Break up a chocolate bar into seven pieces and enjoy chocolate everyday, guilt-free.

"You don't look like someone with a chocolate blog." I get this accusation a lot, and I'm totally not offended. Just because I love chocolate doesn't mean I want to look the part. Who said being a voracious dessert-eater meant weighing 200 pounds anyway? I wear a size 2, and I plan on staying a size 2 for as long as my body and my appetite for chocolate will let me. You've heard that plenty of exercise keeps your gut in check. But let me tell you something you don't already know... and actually want to hear.

Five Easy Ways to Love Chocolate (and Not Get Fat)

1. Eat chocolate for breakfast. I can write a book about this philosophy but all you really need to know is this: eating the good stuff earlier in the day means you get the whole day to burn it. Research shows chocolate boosts energy levels (comparable to coffee) anyway. The first thing I did when I woke up this morning was eat two squares of Cote d Or's dark chocolate with pistachios. I ate it with my eyes half-open—and no shame.
  • (Psst, I'm not the only one who thinks chocolate for breakfast is cool. See what Serious Eats had to say about the phenomenon.)
2. Make dark chocolates your new BFF. And unless it's your favorite thing in the world, stay away from white chocolate. That's all milk, cream, and sugar and none of the good stuff. Don't like dark chocolate? There's a way to transition. Several chocolatiers have begun developing a hybrid called "dark milk chocolate." Read up on what a Tuscan chocolatier is doing to resolve tension between dark chocolate and milk chocolate lovers here.

3. Eat chocolate when you're happy. So you know that logic that justifies a chocolate binge when you're feeling low in spirits and high in cravings? Well, that logic makes you fat. Make chocolates a reason to celebrate instead and save yourself the mindless eating. Pity parties are never cool anyway, and waking up next to empty candy wrappers? Not sexy.

4. Saving some for later saves you calories. I've been known to tear through a box of truffles like nobody's business but on days when I practice more self-control (i.e. bikini season), I eat chocolate in bits and pieces. It once took me three days to finish a 2X3 brownie (and it tasted better the more I ate it!). Break that candy bar into seven pieces and enjoy chocolate everyday—minus the guilt.

and my favorite rule of thumb...

Kat, Pam, and I shared this cup of Pink Berry between the three of us.. and took funny photos while we waited

5. Sharing is caring...for your body. Your pre-school teacher was right all along. This no-fail rule cuts your calorie intake by as much as half—or so much more, depending on how many dessert buddies you have. Believe that good chocolate must be shared, if only because calories must be split. Keep this in mind the next time you hide chocolate under your pillow.

And that's how it's done.

- Kris Alcantara

7 comments:

  1. love the pics in this post ;)

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  2. The last rule is my favorite :)

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  3. kris, totoo ba yung number 1? -rach chanco

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  4. Hi Rach! Totoo! But let me clarify - it won't make you sexiER, and it's not for people trying to lose weight. It's just better than eating chocolate at night, when your metabolism slows down.

    Of course, a healthy well-balanced meal still trumps chocolate for breakfast. But if you're the type of person who has to have chocolate at some point in the day (like me), plan on eating it as early as you can!

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  5. Hey Josh, great job finding me! Let me have a look and I'll get in touch with you through your web site.

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  6. Love this post Kris! You and your girlfriends are so adorable

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  7. i super love your blog kris:) are you still in the philippines? let me know - KG

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