I'm a huge dark chocolate lover. Whether I'm eating it plain jane, dipped in peanut butter, or drizzled over fruit, I am a happy camper! Today I want to share with you the benefits of dark chocolate, healthy fats, and what my favorite chocolate brand is!

I think most of us have heard that "a piece of dark chocolate a day is great for our health because it is antioxidant rich"... but how are those antioxidants really helping us? I'm here to explain it to you!

Dark chocolate is antioxidant rich, meaning that it helps remove free radicals from the bloodstream. Free radicals are atoms that seek out electrons in the body. If free radicals and electrons pair up, they can damage cells and DNA in your body! This is why it is so important for us to eat antioxidant-rich foods (like dark chocolate)!

Dark chocolate is also a great source of healthy fats- I love Eating Evolved Chocolate because it is higher in healthy fats and very slow in unrefined sugar.

Eating Evolved chocolate is vegan and paleo, meaning it is gluten, grain, dairy, and refined sugar FREE! It is sweetened with coconut sugar, an unrefined sugar that is low glycemic, meaning that when it enters the bloodstream, it doesn't spike your blood sugar as much as high fructose corn syrup would. When your blood sugar spikes from sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup, you experience an energy crash shortly after eating it. This makes you feel tired, fatigued, and like you need another cup of coffee.

Hence, I love Eating Evolved because it does NOT make me feel like crap after eating it. Instead, since it's loaded with healthy fats, it helps my brain function better, not to mention it tastes delicious!

Want to try Eating Evolved Chocolate yourself? Use code emilymtmt at checkout to receive an extra free chocolate treat with your order!

Next topic: why are healthy fats essential for our health?

60% of ours brains are made up of fat! Your brain needs fat to function and perform its best. Fat is one of the most basic building blocks of our body- it makes up anywhere between 15-30% of our bodies. Healthy fats also help your body absorb nutrients from fruits and vegetables which is why it is great to pair a piece of fruit like an apple or a banana with nut butter so you can absorb as much of that fruit's nutrients as possible. As Dr. Mark Hyman says, "The right fats increase metabolism, stimulate fat burning, cut hunger..." and so much more (Click here for a great article by Dr. Hyman).

Lastly, here are my favorite sources of healthy fats:

Eating Evolved Chocolate (duh!)
Avocados
Nut butters (almond, cashew, )
nuts + seeds (cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds)
Avocado Oil- I love avocado oil because it has a really high smoke temperature (~500F). What's so great about a high smoke point? It allows the oil to retain its nutrients even when it's being sauteed/cooked at a high temp. Therefore, I'm still reaping the benefits of the avocado oil even after it has been cooked with. Others like coconut and olive oil are great sources of healthy fats but begin to lose their nutrients when heated above 350F.

I hope this post was beneficial to you! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or send me a message on Instagram (@cooking_emily)!

xoxo,

Emily