I know it says “diet” in the title, but I’m actually not going to talk about weight loss. I’m just using the term “diet” to refer to what I ingest each day. I learned a long time ago to separate the foods I eat from a goal of shedding pounds!

During the early years of my health journey, I got a lot of advice about what to eat. I tried it all, hoping that the next eating plan would swiftly resolve my health issues. I cycled though vegetarian, vegan, raw-foods, blood-type, food-combining, and macrobiotic diets. I began each one with high hopes and new cookbooks, purging and refilling my pantry with foods acceptable on each new eating plan.

I lost and gained many pounds over the course of my dietary explorations—but none of them “worked.” Finally, I realized I had to find the diet that was right for me, rather than just adopting a plan espoused by some cookbook author or celebrity. But figuring out what worked for me was a challenge. It required I be honest with myself about how food affected my body—how I felt when I ate too much sugar or too few vegetables. I also had to give up my obsession with weight because when I was very thin, I didn’t feel as well.

To tell the truth, my very favorite food is chocolate. But when I eat sugar, I crave more and more, and I’ve learned that cravings, as opposed to real hunger, control our minds. So, when I finally got tired of being controlled by my sugar cravings, I gave up sugar, entirely. It was hard work! But I learned I actually like the bitter taste of chocolate better than the sugary sweetness. In fact, I enjoy 100% chocolate more than the sweeter dark chocolate I had been eating. And I don’t need to eat much of that 100% chocolate to get the kick I like.

So, do I still eat sugar? Yes, once in a while. But after getting it out of my system for a while, the cravings are gone. I still have chocolate every day, but now it’s a small piece of 100% chocolate or a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder stirred in hot water for my favorite hot cocoa drink. Try it. You might like it!

Dr. Jennifer’s Blended Mocha

• 1 cup hot water
• 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tablespoon butter, ghee, or coconut oil
• Blend for 20 seconds until frothy