Why I Eat Chocolate Every Day to Stay Lean - High Fat Superfood Series

This video does contain a paid partnership with brands that help to support this channel. It is because of brands like these that we are able to provide the content that we do for free. The best way that you can directly support my channel, is by supporting the brands that help make this all possible. Any product that you see on my channel is a product that I also use personally, regardless of any paid promotion.

Special Thanks to my team and Nicholas Norwitz - Oxford PhD Researcher and Harvard Med Student - for working diligently on research as well!

It's important that I am honest and to say that this video does have sponsorships from SunWarrior & Cacao Betulia, supporting them is a good way to support my channel!

Chocolate Processing and Terminology
Cacao pods, each containing 50 or so cacao beans, are harvested from the Theobroma cacao tree.

The beans are removed from the pods and fermented for about one week. They are dried in the sun for another week.

The fermented, dried beans can then be roasted. This converts the “cacao” to “cocoa.” The high temperatures from the roasting process destroy some of the polyphenols and other “healthy” components within cacao.

The roasted cocoa beans are then crushed into “cocoa nibs.”

The cocoa nibs are be ground into “baker’s chocolate.”

Melting ground cocoa nibs makes “chocolate liquor.”

Chocolate liquor is usually then pressed to separate the fat, the “cocoa butter,” from the remainder, “cocoa mass.”

The cocoa butter and cocoa mass are then recombined with sugar in different ratios to make chocolate of different darkness percentages.

Macros, Vitamins, and Minerals
Cacao and dark chocolate made from pure cacao actually contains slightly more protein (3.1g/oz) than net carbs (2.5g/oz).

Cacao and 100% dark chocolate are packed with fiber, containing 2.33 grams of fiber for every gram of net carb.

Most of the calories in dark chocolate come from fat, which can be split almost equally into three parts: oleic acid (MUFA), stearic acid (SAT), and palmitic acid (SAT).

Polyphenol Antioxidants
Chocolate is chock-full of polyphenol antioxidants, including flavanols, catechins, anthocyanins, and dozens more.

Decreased blood pressure and increased coronary blood flow, via NO. Consuming just 2 ounces of flavanol-rich dark chocolate per day increases the production of nitric oxide (NO), a gaseous hormone that causes your blood vessels to dilate, decreasing blood pressure and significantly increasing blood flow to the heart.

Decreased blood clotting. By decreasing levels of “thromboxane A2,” cacao/dark chocolate inhibits platelet aggregation and blood clotting. This is especially important when one considers that atherosclerotic plaques are internal blood clots.

Neurodegenerative Disease and Brain Function

Mood and Depression

Also contains the “happiness hormone” serotonin and “bliss chemical” anandamide.

Nicholas Norwitz - Oxford PhD Researcher and Harvard Med Student:

[wytwabit]

Thomas, I'm a 67-YO grandma with some mobility problems, inflammation, & high BMI. Working on mobility, strength, weight loss with keto. Thank you for the great info. It's motivating, educational, and I'm sharing w/kids :)

[traillife]

100% chocolate, walnuts and MCT oil in the blender. Mix in some chocolate protein powder to firm up the consistency and refrigerate. I eat it like fudge. Great post workout treat.

[weightbegonecouple]

I never clicked on a video so fast...try to validate me still eating chocolate 😋🤣🤣

[leliuthelement]

95% Dark chocolate and a handful of macadamia nuts. that's my desert and the flourless dark chocolate cake! Love the dark chocolate science! Nerdy Things are important

[koko_-ejvo]

A piece of chocolate takes my hunger away for half of the day and makes me feel full 😬🥰

[marcospedroso]

I am from Brazil, one of the largest producers of cacau and coffee on the planet. You are missing one important factor. Cacau or coffee are good antioxidants, however, both are burned/roasted in order to be processed/prepared. As a result, most beneficial properties vanish. Eating cacau fruit or lightly roasted cacau nibs are your best bets.

[jeffchilds]

I have been adding Hershey's cocoa powder to my workout drinks for years. All the benefits without any sugar.

[ckuz]

Yep! I eat Trader Joe’s Montezuma Black with pink salt and almonds. Soooo good. It’s a bit bitter but when you don’t eat sugar, it’s sweet enough. I noticed the more I eat, the leaner I get. Got the ( ) developing on my abs. Now I get it! Great info as always.

[BookofShadows]

Thomas I lost 15lbs in 3 weeks of doing a Keto-based diet. My question to you is how often do you have a cheat day/meal? Mine is every Sunday. Give me some feedback.

[nikkiamurphy]

Thankyou for this im in bulimia recovery and this helps me feel less guilt around eating chocolate

[adamcuthbert]

I love mixing 5+ Grams of Cocoa with 5 grams of Ashawaghanda in my morning coffee with some potassium / salt, awesome natural Nootropic, mild thermogenic, anti-inflammatory, vaso-dilation, cortisol control and hormone regulation stack, i don't do hot coffee so sometimes i'll even add in some olive oil / protein powder.

[optimizewithscience]

There are some cool studies showing that chocolate polyphenols feed beneficial microbes in the gut and some studies even suggest that we only benefit from the polyphenols in cholate when we have the right set of microbes.

[mattshelfreliance]

Awesome Vid Thomas! Just broke my 2 years doing Medi-Keto with you.😊👍 I eat dark choc everyday too...but I admit...I have probably slipped into over eating it a bit...but I feel great and weight and inflamation seem great so...yay chocolate!😂👍 Thanks man

[Jaquebelle]

100 pounds down. His videos are my bible and has taught me a great deal about what we put into out bodies.

[pbpb]

Crunchy hot chocolate...
Tablespoon (or more) of Organic Cacao Nibs.
Place in an old coffee/spice grinder and pulse (not too fine).
Heat with 300-350 millilitres of A2 Milk (bit more than a cup).
Sweeten with any combination of Monk Fruit, Golden Erythritol, or Coconut Sugar (small amounts).
If your total calories are on the low side for the day, add some Grass Fed butter.
Froth it up with a mini stick blender.

You're welcome 👍

[silverstararrow]

Super excited to hear that you're putting out a Mediterranean Keto book this year!!

[joshstump]

I’ve been following a meal plan the past few weeks where I fast in the morning, eat just about 500 calories below maintenance, making sure I hit my protein macros (carbs and fats usually get there easily)
To finish the day off I have about 500 calories of chocolate, from bars stored in my freezer.
I go to bed feeling satisfied.
p.s. Credit Greg O’Gallagher for this plan.

[omarreyesortiz]

92% Dark Chocolate with 0 sugar and Stevia sweetened is my #1

[justlookattheflowers]

84% dark choc square every night . Glass of Rose wine every night. Happiness is important.

[audiostuff]

15 seconds into this video I realized the excitement is false - the reality is I can't have chocolate in my house otherwise that entire bar is gone that night. None of that 1 square a night business for this guy. Guess I'll have to put it on the same list as quest bars, nut butter and pecans haha.