Chocolate – this is a topic near and dear to my chocolate-covered heart.  For some giving up coffee would be tough, for me, it was chocolate.  Thankfully I didn’t have to give it up for long, and maybe that bit of hope will be enough to get you through too!

Things to Remember:

• AIP is not meant to be a life-long restriction – that means reintroductions come with time … so for the love of chocolate, learn the AIP rules!!
• Not all people react the same to all chocolate! Dark chocolate has been all the health-rage for awhile now, but some people (like me) react VERY BADLY on dark chocolate, but I’m okay with lower cacao content chocolates! GO FIGURE! And that is my 2nd point – AIP is meant to be PERSONALIZED! So for the love of every food you love, work properly and carefully toward reintroductions when the time comes and from the beginning work at PERSONALIZING your AIP Diet.

Chocolate – Friend or Foe?

According to the Paleo Mom, there is no scientific connection between nut/seed consumption and autoimmunity. However, they’re part of the autoimmune protocol list of foods to avoid because they can be difficult to digest, and people with autoimmunity usually have digestive problems.
Therefore, if you’re following the AIP, eliminate cocoa for a minimum of XX days, and then reintroduce to see if it’s a safe food for you to eat. During the XX-day elimination, if you’re missing the taste of chocolate, carob is an AIP alternative (I say “XX” days, because everyone’s journey will be different).

NOTE: This doesn’t mean go CRAZY after XX days people!! READ THE FULL ARTICLE – Chocolate – Friend or Foe – here, and find out how many days minimum you should eliminate it, and find out if Chocolate Good is or Bad For You? Also, learn how to choose the best product if you do choose to consume it. And of course … MODERATION is always the key!

The Alternative

Life without chocolate doesn’t have to be that bad.  Let me introduce you to the best alternatives – one I’ve quite grown to love – Carob!! 

I hear the nay-sayers now, so trust me when I tell you that I remember carob bars from when I was a kid, and they were horrible – REAL carob is not like that! If you’re using it right, I think you’ll learn to love it too – it’s delish! I’ve even chosen it over reintroduced cocoa in many recipes!

If you’re in the elimination stage of the AIP or you’ve found you react to chocolate or have any difficulty with it at all, opt for toasted carob! It’s really not so bad!  I’ve found some amazing carob recipes that I serve regularly to non-AIPers and they have NO idea they’re not eating chocolate! 

You’ll find lots of great carob recipes in our Facebook Group – just use the search function in the group and enjoy your carob in moderation.

Looking for quality carob or cocoa and cacao if you’re started reintroductions? Visit our Food Sourcing page for these and so much more!