In today’s business world, there are many Black women making history. Dr. Tabatha Carr, ND, is one such woman. Besides being a talented naturopathic doctor who specializes in women’s hormonal conditions, Dr. Carr is also a successful entrepreneur who launched the first, permanent, Black woman-led organization in Penn Square Mall. The business, “Good Girl Chocolate,” opened its doors to the people of Oklahoma City on July 3
rd, 2021.
Good Girl Chocolate contains healthy ingredients that can be part of a diet that promotes health, unlike many commercial chocolate brands. While healthy chocolate may sound like an oxymoron, Good Girl Chocolate, the brainchild of Dr. Tabatha Carr, ND, evolved from her personal belief that “chocolate is a girl’s best friend.” Dr. Carr’s products are plant-based, vegan, Paleo, non-GMO, soy-free, organic products, many of which are made of at least 70% chocolate. Using natural, low glycemic index ingredients—including coconut sugar and natural, organic cocoa beans—the chocolate supports a healthy diet and lifestyle. Good Girl Chocolate’s sugar-free products are suitable for diabetics. Farm to table ingredients are used to make the chocolate, which involves an elaborate process that takes up to three days to roast and grind the cocoa beans, temper, and mold the chocolate.
A Beyonce’s grant recipient, Good Girl Chocolate was featured
in the GRAMMYs gifting suite and D.A. select Oscar nominee gift bags,
presented on Good Morning America, USA Today, Forbes, Food & Wine, The Grio and Black News Channel, and over 100 other media outlets.
During her formative teenage years, Dr. Carr struggled with her weight and was first prescribed blood pressure pills when she was just 16 years old. During her high school years, she weighed over 200 lbs, wore a women’s size 20/22, and had to be started on antihypertensive medication (high blood pressure pills). She suffered a significant loss of self-esteem that resulted in a negative impact on her social life. Dr. Carr’s weight would continually fluctuate; she tried all kinds of diets and weight loss methods, but she couldn’t lose weight.
Wanting to learn more about women’s health and wellness, Dr. Carr studied naturopathy, an alternative medical field based on the premise that many health challenges can be successfully treated or prevented by modifying diet and exercise and employing other natural healing modalities. Dr. Carr enrolled in the Holistic Health Practitioner program at Trinity School of Natural Health. After graduating, she became immersed in using her scientific knowledge, along with the powerful healing potential of naturopathic medicine to help women, particularly those with health challenges related to hormonal imbalances. Her work is helping women across the country learn about how to heal from conditions such as fibroids, prediabetes, and other conditions associated with hormonal imbalances. Like most success stories, Dr. Carr says that there have been a few challenges along the way.
When asked how she overcame obstacles to success, Dr. Carr told BDO, “I was preventing myself from achieving my dreams because I had a lack of confidence, partly because of being teased for being overweight when I was young. Later in life, I studied pre-medicine, but felt like a hypocrite because I was overweight. Despite these obstacles, I lost over 80 pounds by changing my relationship with food. It was a process, but I finally got myself on track. It was only then that I could really focus on what I wanted to do in life.”
Dr. Carr is on a mission today to let women know they can face their fears and adopt the courage to make the changes necessary to live life to its fullest, just like herself. During one-to-one virtual sessions, she helps each client discover exactly what they need to reach their individual goals.
Motivation is perhaps the single most important factor in changing one’s diet and lifestyle. To motivate and inspire clients, Dr. Carr uses the story of her own health and wellness journey. Dr. Carr’s personal journey is a testament to the advice she gives her clients and others attempting to change their lives. “Don’t give up. If I had given up, I would not be where I am today,” says Dr. Carr.
When asked in a BDO interview to share some simple tips on changing a person’s relationship with food, Dr. Carr shared a few simple, but essential tips, including:
Dr. Carr’s tips for BDO readers include advice on healthy eating, which she says to keep in mind, “everything in moderation. It’s essential to avoid depriving oneself from ever having certain foods.”
Journaling is yet another principal Dr. Carr suggests for those working on improving their relationship with food. “I tell clients to write what they are grateful for and what they ate each day, as well as how they felt before they began eating. This helps pinpoint what’s going on and lends itself to identifying underlying causes of unhealthy eating, such as when a person is a stress eater. Stress related eating often involves strong cravings for comfort foods.”
In the United States, obesity is considered a national endemic. Obesity can have an adverse impact on everything from chronic health conditions, emotional wellbeing, self-esteem, proper sleep patterns (sleep apnea), energy levels and can lower a person’s overall quality of life. Obesity is on the rise in the U.S. and some groups are more prone to the condition than others. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), In the U.S. obesity rates increased from 30.5% to 42.4% from 1999 to 2018, and the group with the highest prevalence is Non-Hispanic Black adults.
The CDC reports that obesity-related health conditions, including cardiovascular (heart, arteries and veins) disease, such as heart attack and stroke, diabetes, and some types of cancer, represent the highest rate of preventable diseases in the U.S.
Hormonal related problems, such as prediabetes have a direct impact on weight gain and obesity rates, and this is one area in which Dr. Carr’s private practice has helped many women.
By helping her clients create a plan that will help them change their relationship with food, Dr. Carr helps women with obesity to lower their risk of chronic health conditions. When women implement the essential action steps to balance the body’s nutritional needs, their body has the astonishing ability to heal itself. Dr. Carr’s clients often experience dramatic changes in their physical and emotional wellbeing, reaching a state of increased energy and a new sense of freedom. Observing these positive changes is what Dr. Carr describes as “the greatest reward I could ever imagine!”
Having helped women improve their diet and lifestyle and manage their hormone levels, Dr. Carr embarked on a new entrepreneurial journey that eventually led to the founding of Good Girl Chocolate. She realized there were not enough healthy and tasty snack options for rewarding the hard work and diligence necessary to achieve a weight loss goal, so she stepped in to create an award-winning, delicious, healthy chocolate. She’s even created a special offer for BDO readers who want to try her delicious, plant-based, healthy chocolate by entering the code “BDO,” to receive 10% off any
Good Girl Chocolateorder. What more could we ask for?
Despite her focus on her exciting new business venture, Dr. Carr still sees clients in the early morning at her private practice. You can visit her website to learn more about how to book a consultation with her, from anywhere in the country.
Visit Dr. Carr’s Instagram page or Facebook
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Adult Obesity Facts.
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