Don’t assume that you have to give up desserts when you start eating Paleo-style. There are plenty of ways to eliminate carbs and sugars and replace them with healthier alternatives.
In fact, by including healthy fats in your diet, such as those included in the recipe below, some desserts can actually help you lose weight!
Although conventional wisdom has assumed that dietary fat causes weight gain and other health problems, recent studies have shown that eating fat can actually provide the benefits of both satiating hunger and reducing body fat.
According to the findings of a recent study at the University of California at Irvine, fatty foods work in the body to curb hunger by triggering a substance called oleoylethanolamide, which sends a message to the brain that the body is no longer hungry.
Although many people experience cravings for sugar and refined carbohydrates when they first start to transition to the Paleo diet, adding healthy fats to the diet are a great way to keep the cravings under control.
In fact, by including healthy fats in your diet, such as those included in the recipe below, some desserts can actually help you lose weight!
Although conventional wisdom has assumed that dietary fat causes weight gain and other health problems, recent studies have shown that eating fat can actually provide the benefits of both satiating hunger and reducing body fat.
According to the findings of a recent study at the University of California at Irvine, fatty foods work in the body to curb hunger by triggering a substance called oleoylethanolamide, which sends a message to the brain that the body is no longer hungry.
Although many people experience cravings for sugar and refined carbohydrates when they first start to transition to the Paleo diet, adding healthy fats to the diet are a great way to keep the cravings under control.
Here’s a recipe that includes ingredients that can help keep those cravings under control and satisfy your sweet tooth!
You can get the ingredients listed from most grocery stores, but if your local grocery store doesn’t have the organic product available, no worries. Just be sure that you get a product that is labeled “no added sugar” or ”unsweetened”.
Also, you can substitute the almonds for other nuts such as brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, or walnuts, if you prefer.
Coconut Chocolate Almond Fudge(Serves ~12)
- 1 cup organic coconut or almond milk, unsweetened
- ¼ cup raw almond butter
- 4 oz. unsweetened baker’s chocolate
- ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- small amount of stevia to taste
- ½ cup chopped nuts
- Optional: top with toasted coconut flakes.
Directions:
- In a medium sized saucepan, warm coconut/almond milk over medium-low heat, and add broken chocolate pieces. Stir with a wooden spoon, melting them completely. This should make a chocolate cream.
- Add vanilla extract, almond butter, and stevia.
- Stir until velvety and smooth.
- Add nuts.
- Next, transfer the fudge into a baking dish lined with wax paper, and cool in your fridge overnight, or until it hardens to a “fudge like” consistency.
- After cooling, cut fudge into ~12 small squares and enjoy!
That’s it…pretty simple right?
Nutrition Facts: Serving size: 1.5 oz. (40 g) Calories 162 Total Fat 16g Carbs 6g Protein 4g
Mark Harris, PhD
Exercise Physiologist/Nutritionist
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