Amaze-balls

Yes, I’m a well-known chocoholic. When you feel like so many things have been eliminated from your diet, being able to enjoy an indulgent chocolate treat is so deeply satisfying. But here is the key takeaway – both quantity and quality matter. 

Common ingredients in chocolate that trigger flare-ups include lactose, fructans, sweeteners and high fat content, so choose the quality of your chocolate carefully.

But FODMAPs aside, there’s the unresolved matter of sugar and its impact on your microbiome. Here’s my entirely unfounded theory. Low chocolate content + high fat + high sugar content = cravings, so I tend to eat the whole family block to achieve that fabulous satiated feeling. This always ends in disaster.  

To avoid this vicious cycle, I have had to up my chocolate to 80%+ cocoa content, otherwise I simply can’t restrict the quantity I eat. The reason this is inconvenient is that supermarkets typically stock dark cooking chocolate, but rarely anything about 70%. That’s because you’re looking in the wrong section! There are plenty of rich & dark choc options in the confectionary aisle. My favs are Lindt, Green & Blacks and the world’s best chocolatier Sue Lewis.

For me, 85% dark choc is the perfect combination of luxury, sweetness and indulgence. I wish I could say that 70% works, but it’s simply too sweet and I end up over-indulging.

When choosing chocolate at the supermarket, avoid:

·      carob (despite the enhanced adjectives, it’s not a healthier choice because it’s often high in oligos (fructans);

·      avoid sweeteners (honey, syrup or sugar alcohols) which will rule out anything that mentions caramel;

·      avoid dried fruit and nut combinations that contain high FODMAP ingredients

So what does that leave you with? Plain, very dark chocolate.

How can we make a plain 85%+ chocolate bar more exciting? Go nuts for my amaze-balls.

Ingredients:

200g 80%+ dark chocolate

40 (@104g) macadamia nuts

salt flakes

Method:

Melt chocolate and cover macadamia nuts. Make balls with 4-5 nuts. Then sprinkle with high quality salt flakes.

Yes, you can try variations using almonds and hazelnuts BUT here’s the catch! Depending on your individual gut sensitivity, almond and hazelnut ‘skin’ can be troublesome. Plus, they’re only low FODMAP in small portions so limit your serving size.