A Healthier Homemade Chocolate Frappuccino

Name: A Healthier Homemade Chocolate Frappuccino
Ingredients: 1 cup cooled coffee; 1-2 pitted dates; 1 tbsp cashew butter (or other nut butter of choice); 1/2 frozen banana; 2 tsp cocoa powder (or 1 serving chocolate protein powder); 1/2 tsp gluten free vanilla extract; 1/2 cup baby spinach (optional); 1 cup ice

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We all love frappuccinos. They wake us up, cool us down and taste delicious. However…the ones from coffee shops are full of sugar. A lot of sugar. It sabotages our weight loss efforts and wreaks havoc on our bodies. I’ll discuss this further below.

Here is the nutritional breakdown from the Starbucks Website:

A tall, nonfat, no whip mocha has 40 grams of sugar. The American Heart Association recommends the maximum amount of added sugar per day for a woman is 25 grams and for a man 37.5 grams. So just one tall frap, with skim milk and no whip is almost double what a woman should have in one day.

Added sugar is talked about so much because it really is bad for us. Sugar

causes our bodies to be more acidic
weakens our immune system
causes us to stay sick longer
robs nutrients from our bodies
promotes tooth decay
feeds to “bad” bacteria in our guts
causes blood sugar spikes and abrupt drops
turns off leptin, also known as the “I’m full” hormone, leading to overeating
much, much more

Just to be clear, I’m not talking about the sugars that are in fruits and starchy vegetables. I’m talking about sugar, cane sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, agave, brown rice syrup, honey and maple syrup. Now honey and maple syrup do have their health benefits but you still have to watch how much you add on a daily basis. I also want to be clear that I am not saying to get the sugar free version. I’d rather you eat sugar than artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are basically neurotoxins, promote overeating and are incredibly detrimental to your health.

I’m all for indulging in cravings. However, it is my hope that I can help you satisfy those cravings in the healthiest ways possible. Love food that loves you back. This recipe is sweetened with dates and banana. It’s incredibly delicious, filling and satisfying. I use a nut butter to add a creamy consistency that also boosts the fat and protein content. Spinach for the nutrients and you can’t see or taste it. And of course, cocoa powder for chocolate. If you have a favorite chocolate protein powder, you can sub the cocoa with a serving of your powder of choice. This seriously hits the spot.