5-Ingredient Anti-Inflammatory Pistachio Bark with Cacao, Coconut Oil and Raspberries

The Problem With Milk Chocolate

Dairy

Despite being promoted for years as the best source of calcium for healthy bones and teeth, dairy is doing a lot more harm than good. The truth is, many people are starting to wake up from the milk product dream, and it couldn’t have happened too soon.

Dairy products including milk, cheese, and chocolate are very fatty and add significant amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat to your consumption. They also are the largest contributor of estrogen intake (for women and men!), the excess of which leads to a multitude of complicated health problems like headaches, mood swings, thyroid dysfunction, gallbladder disease, hypoglycemia, increased risk of stroke and cancer. Dairy has also been linked to contributing to the risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers.

High sugar

The ingredients in a food product are listed in order of amount. The first item on the list is essentially the main ingredient of what you’re about to eat. For many popular chocolate products sold in the United States, milk isn’t the first ingredient… it’s sugar!

What happens to your body when you fill it with all types of sugar? The most well-known effect is high blood sugar and insulin resistance which leads to type 2 diabetes. But more than that, a high sugar diet has been found by researchers to inhibit cognitive abilities like memory and learning. One study found that after a 2-month diet full of saturated fat and refined sugar, animals already show a decline in their ability to remember old tasks and learn new ones.

High glycemic index

A glycemic index (GI) is a way to measure how a carb affects your blood sugar when you eat it. A GI at or below 55 means that it will slowly, but steadily increase your blood sugar. A GI at or above 70 means it will cause a very sharp increase in blood sugar. It’s better to stick to foods with a low GI so that your blood sugar stays balanced throughout the day, and doesn’t spike after meals. This is a good habit for everyone, not just those living with diabetes.

Generally, the lower the GI, the more gradual the effect it will have on your body. While a serving of low-fat yogurt has a GI of about 14, and barley has a GI of about 25, milk chocolate has a glycemic index of around 50! This is much closer to an unbalancing sugar spike than you want.

How to Get Your Chocolate Fix The Healthy Way

Luckily, you can say goodbye to fattening milk chocolate without missing out on the goodness of a naturally chocolatey taste. Our hero is cacao! Cacao powder is made from cacao beans that are milled at a low temperature and don’t have any of the over-processing or additives that cocoa powder does (which start from the same bean). Cacao manages to preserve the original nutrients of the plant, and offer several different health benefits.

Very low in saturated and trans fats (Yes, folks… chocolate for weight loss!)
No cholesterol

No sodium
No sugar
Good source of dietary fiber

Great source of magnesium (boosts brain power!)
Good source of potassium and iron
Natural antioxidant

Glycemic index of ZERO!
It tastes like chocolate…. Because it IS chocolate.

Raw Chocolate Pistachio Bark Recipe

This healthy bark recipe is the best combination of energizing snack and delightful dessert. We love how we can make it a little differently every time. Variety is the spice of life!