Chocolate And How It Fits Into GAPS

Chocolate is by far the most common cheat while on GAPS, often for two reasons. GAPSters are generally overloaded with pathogenic yeasts which crave sugars to survive. Secondly, as the body is supported on GAPS, pathogens and parasites are pushed out of the body, straining the magnesium stores. Regardless, chocolate remains the biggest cheat on GAPS and it’s important to know what to do when the cravings appear. 

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If craving chocolate is due to a magnesium deficiency, magnesium should be taken to fulfill the deficiency. Click here for GAPS magnesium. 

When sugar cravings exist due to yeast flares, Dr. Natasha says, “Cravings for sweet things and chocolate are due to unstable blood sugar eve. In order to remove your sugar cravings you need to keep your blood sugar at a steady level. Make a butter/honey mixture or a coconut oil/ honey mixture, put it in a glass jar and carry that jar with you everywhere. Eat 2-3 tablespoons of this mixture every 15-25 minutes all day long. Do this for a month or longer depending on the severity of your sugar cravings.”

The butter and honey mixture is not to be too sweet. She says, “Soften 200-400 grams of raw organic butter at room temperature or in the sun, add raw honey to taste (about 1-4 tablespoons) and mix well. Do the same with coconut oil, if you prefer it or cannot have butter for some reason.”

There are 8 tablespoons in a stick of butter. Eight tablespoons is just over 100 grams, so this ratio is roughly one to two tablespoons of butter per two sticks, one cup, of organic grass fed butter. 

Outside of the reasons for craving chocolate, there is comfort in having chocolate during certain times of the year, like Easter or Christmas. When looking for GAPS treats, chocolate is a viable way to nourish the body without straying from the healing protocol. Dr. Natasha says, “I find that many people can start having it occasionally on the Full GAPS Diet, once the digestive symptoms are gone. Find pure organic cocoa powder. Mixing the powder with some honey and sour cream makes a delicious dessert, and you can add it to your homemade ice cream or cakes. After trying it for the first time, observe your patient for any reactions. Cocoa is very rich in magnesium and some essential amino acids and, unless your digestive system is not ready for it, there is no need to avoid it.”

The basic recipe for chocolate is  a mix of cocoa powder, cocoa butter, vanilla and sugar. If honey is used instead of sugar, it’s GAPS approved. We make chocolate with equal parts cocoa butter and cocoa powder, then half of that in honey with a teaspoon of vanilla. 

This means the chocolate recipe is:

1/2 cup cocoa butter

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup local honey

1 teaspoon homemade vanilla

We put the cocoa butter in a saucepan and cook on low until melted. Then we remove it from the saucepan and stir in all the other ingredients. 

When discussing the chocolate recipe with Dr. Natasha, she said, “Cocoa has some carbs in it which are not allowed on the diet. I recommend that it is avoided until main digestive symptoms are gone: diarrhea, pain, bloating, etc. In people with no digestive problems it can be used in small amounts, and your recipe sounds good.” (Campbell-McBride, Natasha. “Re: Book” Message to Becky Plotner 10 March 2018. E-mail).

She went on to say, “People with migraines should avoid it, as all chocolate products are notorious for causing migraines. This plant has substances in it (theobromins, theophyllins and other methylxanthines ) which may cause an imbalance in neurotransmitters in the brain, which affect people with mental illness, epilepsy, tics and migraines. In my experience, nice as it is, all chocolate forms are better avoided.” (Campbell-McBride, Natasha. “Re: Book” Message to Becky Plotner 10 March 2018. E-mail). 

For those without digestive issues, cocoa and cacao are Full GAPS foods.

To put a twist on the recipe, making them peanut butter cups, we use:

1/2 cup cocoa butter

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup organic peanut butter

1/4 cup local honey 

1 teaspoon vanilla

We put the cocoa butter in a saucepan and cook on low until melted. Then we remove it from the saucepan and stir in all the other ingredients. 

For a creamier, more milk chocolate recipe, we use:

1/2 cup cocoa butter

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup grass fed butter

1/4 cup local honey 

1 teaspoon vanilla

We put the cocoa butter in a saucepan and cook on low until melted. Then we remove it from the saucepan and stir in all the other ingredients. 

When chocolate is still warm, in the liquid state, it is usually poured into forms like these, or these, however, they Dr. Natasha is not a fan of them (click here to read more). Personally, my favorites are the pig faces in these. 

To learn the difference between cocoa and cacao, click here. For a GAPS approved chocolate pie, click here. For GAPS approved chocolate brownies, click here. For GAPS approved chocolate mousse candies, click here. For GAPS approved chocolate pudding, click here. For GAPS approved chocolate chip cookies, click here. For GAPS approved chocolate cake, click here. 

*Nourishing Plot is written by Becky Plotner, ND, traditional naturopath, CGP, D.PSc. who sees clients in Rossville, Georgia. She works as a Certified GAPS Practitioner who sees clients in her office, Skype and phone. She has been published in Wise Traditions, spoken at two Weston A. Price Conferences, Certified GAPS Practitioner Trainings, has been on many radio shows, television shows and writes for Nourishing Plot. Since her son was delivered from the effects of autism (Asperger’s syndrome), ADHD, bipolar disorder/manic depression, hypoglycemia and dyslexia, through food, she continued her education specializing in Leaky Gut and parasitology through Duke University, finishing with distinction. She is a Chapter Leader for The Weston A. Price Foundation.  becky.nourishingplot@hotmail.com

“GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. The right of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patent and Designs Act 1988.