Why Bas Kast eats chocolate for breakfast

In the book " The Nutritional Compass ", the science journalist Bas Kast takes a close look at many foods. Most get their fat off. Bas Kast has declared war on sugar in particular. For dark chocolate, on the other hand, he only finds words of praise.

The sugar problem

There are probably few foods that Bas Kast dislikes more than sugar. To say he's not a sugar fanatic is probably an understatement. However, his problem is not the sugar itself, but rather the fact that it is so often hidden in other foods. In order to spice up the taste of industrially processed foods, they usually contain a lot of sugar. According to Kast, you can find it not only in muesli, yoghurt or red cabbage, but also in organic tomato sauces. Conversely, according to Bas Kast, practically every meal becomes a dessert. And that's exactly why he advises eating as little processed food as possible. And instead cook as much as possible for yourself. By the way: health aspects are just one reason why a varied diet with little processed food is important. The choice of what ends up on our plates also has a major impact on the environment and its biodiversity – you can read more about this here .

Bas Kast ©Raimond Spekking

Bas Kast - Chocolate for breakfast

Could that be the name of the remake of Bridget Jones' Chocolate for Breakfast? The film should probably be called "Bas Kast - dark chocolate for breakfast" more precisely. Because the author is very specific: he has filter coffee with a dash of almond milk for breakfast. And some large pieces of chocolate – mostly 90 percent, definitely always darker. Because he uses very dark chocolate, it only contains around seven grams of sugar per bar on average. So not even two teaspoons per bar. With such a small amount of sugar, even Bas Kast can enjoy his breakfast with ease. But not only the great taste and small amount of sugar make dark chocolate so attractive for the author.

The magic word: flavonoids

Dark chocolate in particular contains bioactive plant compounds called flavonoids. These are known to relax human vessels, lowering blood pressure while increasing insulin sensitivity . Flavonoids occur naturally in cocoa beans. Therefore, the following applies: the darker the chocolate, the more cocoa beans and the higher the flavonoid content. This health aspect, coupled with the low sugar content, makes dark chocolate - along with nuts - Bas Kast's absolute favorite snack.

The best breakfast: chocolate and filter coffee ©Julia Androshchuk

Would you also like dark chocolate for breakfast?

Here you will find a selection of great dark chocolates . You want a really dark chocolate like the author? Then try the 82% of Kuna . Do you want to give up sugar completely but not chocolate? Look no further! We have a super delicious, fruity 100% chocolate with cocoa beans from Madagascar , a creamy 100% chocolate from Chocolate Tree or the sugar-free yet mild 100% chocolate from Firetree .