People find out I'm a dietitian and, almost always, they will ask if I'm vegan or vegetarian. Par for the course. My typical response? Actually, I'm chocolatarian.
Forget falling in love; I'd rather fall in chocolate. I've been making up for lost time since I didn't even like it until college years. Blame it on underdeveloped tastebuds before 18... but we grow wiser with age, and apparently we grow better palettes, too.
Forget falling in love; I'd rather fall in chocolate. I've been making up for lost time since I didn't even like it until college years. Blame it on underdeveloped tastebuds before 18... but we grow wiser with age, and apparently we grow better palettes, too.
Many of us assume there's something wrong with craving sweets, but the truth is we all crave different things for different reasons. Some of us are salty, crunchy eaters; others of us are big Cheese Heads (a few Cheeto fiends I know come to mind... ); some of us really enjoy the sweeter end of the food spectrum, and I fall into the last category. I don't recommend hunting down your sweet tooth and trying to extract the thing. Tried it years ago, and the darn thing still evades me.
What I do recommend is making peace with the fact that you like sweets and start enjoying them mindfully. When you give yourself permission to enjoy the food you like, you take power away from food. This leads to us consume less of it and enjoy it more fully when we do. So let's stop getting into food fights with ourselves and start honoring our palettes, sweet teeth, and food preferences.
What I do recommend is making peace with the fact that you like sweets and start enjoying them mindfully. When you give yourself permission to enjoy the food you like, you take power away from food. This leads to us consume less of it and enjoy it more fully when we do. So let's stop getting into food fights with ourselves and start honoring our palettes, sweet teeth, and food preferences.
Off that soapbox and on to beetboxing. Turns out, when you pair the sweet earthiness of beets with the richness of chocolate, it's a match made in heaven. These indulgent truffles satisfy my sweet tooth and are deceptively nutritious. Rolled in beetroot powder (available here), they're the loveliest ruby hue. Y'all know I'm constantly looking for ways to convince you to give beets a try because their health benefits are incredible. Like my love of chocolate, my love of beets is boundless. Give these a whirl, and leave a comment to tell me what you think.
Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients:
2 cups medjool dates, pitted (*if dates are dry, soak in warm water for 10 minutes, reserving the drained water)
1.5 cups walnuts
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1 tablespoon coconut oil
~3 tablespoons water
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup beetroot powder (*you could also dust with matcha powder or more cacao)
Method:
2 cups medjool dates, pitted (*if dates are dry, soak in warm water for 10 minutes, reserving the drained water)
1.5 cups walnuts
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1 tablespoon coconut oil
~3 tablespoons water
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup beetroot powder (*you could also dust with matcha powder or more cacao)
Method:
- Puree dates in food processor with coconut oil and water until well combined (should form a thick, whipped date paste).
- Add in walnuts, cacao, and salt; process until batter forms with small walnuts bits remaining.
- Scoop batter 1 tablespoon at a time. Form truffle by rolling batter between palms, then finish by dusting in beetroot powder.
THE BENEFITS OF CHOCOLATE
Cacao (unprocessed cocoa powder) is high in:
- flavonoids: phytonutrients that are high in antioxidants which protect cells from free radicals
- magnesium (Mg): more people are lacking Mg in the diet than not; important for muscle and bone health, energy metabolism, and for nervous system health.
- iron (Fe): essential nutrient that transports oxygen in the body; involved in immune function and cognitive performance
- phenylethylamine (PEA): a compound that elevates mood and energy
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