I Am a Chocolate Addict! Is There a Way I Can Eat Chocolate and Not Feel So Guilty?

Hey JJ Here. Every year around this time, I get the urge to make my home feel a little extra special. A space that feels just like the holidays. And Wayfair is my go to for that. Think cozy textures, twinkly decor, warm lighting, and all those little touches that make you want to curl up with a good book and a blanket. You'll usually find my books stacked on a great little end table I got from Wayfair, proof that function and style can coexist. Now, whether you're adding last minute hosting essentials, picking out gifts for loved ones, or refreshing your decor for the season, Wayfair makes it easy with beautiful finds, great prices and fast delivery. And when the holidays wind down, Wayfair has everything you need to tuck it all neatly away. Smart storage solutions for every room from the kitchen to the closet. Plus, with free shipping for any order over $35, that's fast delivery and a total peace of mind. It's the perfect mix of joy and order, bringing the holiday spirit in, then storing it all with ease. If you're ready to make your home feel as good as it looks, get organized, refreshed and ready for the holidays. For way less head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Wayfair Every style, every home. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R.com hey, it's JJ here. You know, I've been talking about environmental toxins forever, and laundry detergent is a sneaky one. A lot of them contain harsh chemicals like dyes, preservatives, and even UV brighteners. Those brighteners don't actually clean anything. They just coat fabric so your eyes think things look whiter or brighter. That's more chemicals I don't want on my family's sheets or skin. And if you've got sensitive skin or allergies around the house, this can be a big problem. That's what got my attention about Earth Breeze. It looks like a dryer sheet, but it's actually laundry detergent. You toss one in the washer and that's it. No pouring, no mess, and no heavy plastic jug. Their packaging is lightweight cardboard, which helps reduce plastic waste. And if you choose the fragrance free option, it's gentle, hypoallergenic, non irritating and non sensitizing. I really like how simple it is and how fresh and clean everything comes out without those unnecessary chemicals. Right now you can try Earth Breeze for up to 40% off with free gifts@earthbreeze.com virgin that's earthbreeze.com virgin for up to 40% off plus free gifts on your first order.

Saving on your education should be a right, not a competition. At University of Phoenix, you'll get the best scholarship or savings you qualify for. Simple as that. Explore scholarship options at University of Phoenix. I'm a chocolate Addict. Is there a way I can eat chocolate and not feel so guilty? This is JJ Virgin, four time New York Times best selling author, celebrity nutrition expert and Fitness hall of famer. I've been on a lifelong quest for answers to the toughest health questions and now I'm sharing what I found with you. Welcome to Ask the Health Expert. Coralene from Instagram asks, okay, I admit it. I'm a chocolate addict. Is there a way I can eat chocolate and not feel so guilty? Hey, it's JJ and today I've got integrative medicine practitioner and researcher Dr. David Brady with me to answer this question. He has a super fun position as the medical director of FX Chocolates. This is a fair trade dark chocolate with therapeutic amounts of targeted nutrients. If you want a delicious way to take your supplements, FX Chocolate is keto, sugar free and makes you feel great. And when David's not seeing patients or advising on chocolate, he can be found.

Drumming with his rock and roll band.

We'll be right back with the answer. Stay tuned.

Hey, J.J. virgin here. Okay, real talk. So often the holidays sneak up on me. Travel, gifts, hosting, you know, all the things, and suddenly it's like, wait, who spent what and where? And I know I'm not the only one who's looked at a bill in January and thought, wow, that escalated quickly. If you want to keep your finances under control this holiday season, you need to be using Monarch. It's rated the Wall Street Journal's best budgeting app of 2025. Monarch is the all in one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one clean interface. On your laptop or on your phone, Monarch lets you link everything and gives you real time visibility so you're not shocked later. Right now, I've been checking the holiday spending category so I don't accidentally start the new year with that dreaded debt hangover. And honestly, just seeing everything laid out is already helping me stay more aware. This season, Monarch does the heavy lifting. It links your accounts in minutes, gives you smart categorization and super clear visuals. Yes, that end of year reset could be a real goal this time. Don't let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use the code virgin@monimal.com in your browser for half off your first year, that's 50% off your first year. @monarch.com with the code Virgin, the holidays.

Are all about family. But at the Chrysler Wrap of the Year sales event, it's all about you. Enjoy every mile in the most awarded minivan in America, the Chrysler Pacifica. With the most standard safety features in its class. Available Stow n Go seating and the available Stow and VAC built in vacuum. Make the most of the holidays with a great deal at the Chrysler Pacifica Wrap up the Year sales event based on Ward's small van segment. Based upon the latest available competitor information, Chrysler is a registered trademark of FCA US llc.

My first way of answering that for patients, because I get the question a lot because let's face it, many people are really into chocolate. Many people crave chocolate. I don't know exactly why, but I see this phenomenon more in women than men. I have more men that although they crave sweets and like that stuff, they tend to crave more crunchy, salty type of stuff, more like chips, for instance. Some women are like that as well. And sometimes there's metabolic reasons for that, you know, salt deficiency, adrenal dysfunction, so forth. But by and large, women tend to crave sweet things and they really have an affinity for chocolate. I don't blame them because I'm in that camp too. I love chocolate. I'm a chocoholic, okay? If I, you know, rarely I get like dessert. If I go out to eat or me and my wife will share a dessert, it's always a chocolate based dessert, always. But as we often say, it has to be worth it, right? It has to be good chocolate. And you know, I grew up in the 70s and 80s and you know, the chocolate we grew up on back then was junk, right? It was Hershey's Kisses and Hershey bars, right? Which was very American of that time. Milk chocolate with tons of sugar in it, very waxy. And that's kind of what we thought of as chocolate, right? This really sugary, candy like substance. But as we know, chocolate is so much more than that, right? And when you look to the South American traditions of cocoa and look at some of the applications of cocoa into more modern chocolates in Europe, the chocolate experience is much different now over the years that has come to the United States, which is great. And there's just so many great chocolates out there now. Chocolate, that's not milk chocolate, it's dark chocolate. And you get varying levels of percentages of cocoa in it. A lot of people who like dark chocolate, I think settle around that 70%. Some people go up to 80% and higher, although some people feel like it's just not sweet enough, it's a little too bitey for them. But there's so many great chocolates out now in organic chocolates, artisanal chocolates. So we really went and sought out the best of what's out there in that world. And we worked with a really very experienced, very successful chocolatier who was able to bring to us a chocolate platform for FX chocolate that is super healthy. We were able to do it with sweeteners to make it just the right amount of sweet without any kind of aftertaste, but without any impact on your blood sugar and your blood insulin, which is important and provide it in an organic form, but yet get these functional nutrients into it that you can enjoy your healthy chocolate treat, which brings some of the health benefits of the flavonoids in chocolate, but also the functional nutrients and nutraceuticals that we're using for a very specific clinical goal.

This is JJ with Ask the Health Expert. I do this five times a week, so make sure you never miss a show by going to subscribetojay.com.

Hello listeners, this is Anne Boeckle, author, blogger and creator of the podcast what Should I Read next? Since 2016, I've been helping readers bring more joy and delight into their reading lives. Every week, I take all things books and reading with a guest and guide them in discovering their next read. They share three books they love, one book they don't, and what they've been reading lately, and I recommend three titles they may enjoy reading next. Guests have said our conversations are like therapy, troubleshooting issues that have plagued their reading lives for years and possibly the rest of their lives as well. And of course, recommending books that meet the moment, whether they are looking for deep introspection to spur or encourage a life change, or a frothy page turner to help them escape the stresses of work, school, everything. You'll learn something about yourself as a reader and you'll definitely walk away confident to choose your next read, with a whole list of new books and authors to try. So join us each Tuesday for what Should I Read Next? Subscribe now wherever you're listening to this podcast and Visit our website whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com to find out more.