‘Model Chocolate’ is the recipe book changing the way people think about and eat chocolate. The woman behind this healthy, raw chocolate revolution is Australian model, mother and writer, Abigail O’Neill (pictured above).
Released as an e-book in November 2012, and followed by an extended, print edition in 2013, Model Chocolate features over 70 easy, mostly raw, refined sugar free, gluten free and dairy free chocolate recipes.
Model Chocolate has made its way around the world, garnering celebrity attention both in Australia and Internationally. It really is the chocolate that models eat. International models Valentina Zelyaeva, who is the face of Ralph Lauren, Lonneke Engel, who has also worked for the likes of Ralph Lauren and Chanel, and Carolina Fontaneti who has been on the cover of Vogue, Elle and Marie Claire, are all fans of the book.
Within Australia, models including current fashion favourite Camille Boheme Piazza, Jemma Baines and Michelle McNamee have all declared their love for Model Chocolate. Australian celebrities including Phoebe Tonkin, Teresa Palmer, Olivia Newton-John and Isabelle Cornish have also given Abigail’s delicious healthy chocolate recipes their seal of approval.
Everyone has heard the saying, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too”. Model Chocolate is here to teach people not only that they can, but that they can feel better and healthier for it too. The recipes in Model Chocolate cover every occasion and meal from “Breakfasts And Snacks,” right through to “Fashionable Desserts,” and warm and cold “Cacao Elixirs”.
Abigail began work on Model Chocolate three years ago. Of her inspiration to create the book Abigail says, “I wanted to zone in on the kind of chocolate I make, because it’s so easy to prepare and we know everyone loves chocolate! My goal for Model Chocolate is that people everywhere are provided with easy, tasty chocolate options they can eat to actually improve their health. Making this kind of chocolate is so liberating. Instead of battling addictions to sugar, processed fats and unwanted additives, people can become equipped to make choices that contribute to a vibrant, healthy life.”
Abigail’s recipes promote the nutritional benefits of raw cacao, including its extremely high antioxidant levels and the presence of other vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals such as Oleic Acid, which helps to boost metabolism, and Sulphur, which Abigail refers to as the “beauty mineral” for its ability to make the skin more radiant and hair and nails lustrous and strong.
What truly sets Abigail’s recipes apart is that all the benefits of raw cacao are enhanced by the use of other healthy ingredients such as essential oils, spices, natural sweeteners like Jellybush Honey and other super foods, making them truly nutritious meals and snacks.
Model Chocolate is chocolate that nourishes the body, augmenting from the inside out. Abigail made headlines when she revealed the amount of her chocolate she consumed whilst writing the book and the fact that she gained no weight, her skin improved and she had no extra cellulite, even though she was doing very little exercise due to the amount of time she was spending on the book, whilst still working and taking care of her family.
Since finishing Model Chocolate, Abigail has continued to eat her chocolate everyday and see the benefits. At the age of 39 (40 in October 2014) and with no other enhancements, except a good, natural diet, she’s still an in demand model.
Abigail says, “Model Chocolate is full of real-food recipes you can enjoy without all the negative effects. This is simply one small area of our lives that can be transformed with minimal effort, that will deliver maximum results.”
In addition to the abundance of raw chocolate food recipes, Abigail also shares some of her favourite DIY beauty recipes in Model Chocolate, including a face mask, bath salts and a hair mask.
Abigail always envisioned Model Chocolate as more than a recipe book. She wanted to create something beautiful and inspiring, so she filled Model Chocolate with beauty and fashion images, like the ‘Vogue Italia’ inspired ‘fashion meets superfood‘ editorial, shot by well-known Australian photographer Damien Nikora.
These images, which capture the spirit of Model Chocolate, alongside Abigail’s exquisite food photography, make Model Chocolate a book that is as at home on the coffee table as it is in the kitchen.
Model Chocolate is a recipe for beauty and health and it’s one we can eat everyday, giving everyone a reason to have a lot of one of the things they can’t get enough of: chocolate!
For all media enquiries please contact Rhiannon@bleachpr.com.au
Model Chocolate the print version is available from select retailers, as well as from Abigail O’Neill.net for $64.95au (plus postage).
Model Chocolate the e-book is also available for $25, from: Abigail O’Neill Official Website
To see some of Abigail’s free online chocolate recipes click here
Click here for a behind the scenes look at the making of Model Chocolate
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More About Abigail O’Neill
Abigail O’Neill has become well known as the model that eats chocolate everyday and swears by it to maintain her model looks at the age of 39 (40 in October 2014), but she’s also a mother to three children, a busy writer and a natural whiz in the kitchen.
Abigail currently calls the Far North Coast hinterland of New South Wales home and it was there, with her family surrounding her, that she began to create the recipes for her first book, Model Chocolate.
Whilst Abigail is best known for her delicious, healthy chocolate recipes, she is also an avid and talented savoury cook. From a young age, she would spend hours in the kitchen whipping up meals from scratch, including her own sauces and breads for her family and friends.
She quickly became interested in nutrition and health and began to create her own recipes crafted from healthy ingredients and superfoods.
Abigail maintains a 90% raw food diet, “I like to make sure I have a balance and a bit of variation, but I love my salads, fruits and raw chocolate, so that dominates my diet.”
Although she was obsessed with healthy food from a young age, Abigail never envisioned pursuing it as a profession. Her dreams were always to be a model and a mother.
At 16, Abigail was approached by one of Australia’s leading modelling agencies, but she turned the opportunity down in favour of her relationship and the prospect of motherhood, which she felt modelling would take her away from.
At 32, after giving birth to two boys and one girl, Abigail decided to pursue her dream of being a model again and was immediately signed by Dally’s in Brisbane, who still represent her today. She was also represented by Chic Management and lived in Sydney in 2008, along with her family, but opted to move back to the country where she could concentrate on her passion for cooking and her children.
Today, Abigail is still as passionate about modelling and motherhood as ever, but Model Chocolate is the childhood dream she never had, that has changed her life.
The success of Model Chocolate and Abigail’s own blog have made her a sought after contributor for online health and wellness blogs and she is currently a regular contributor to leading blogs including The Chalkboard and Organice Your Life.
In her downtime, Abigail enjoys surfing, relaxing with her family. Experimenting in the kitchen remains a key passion and daily pastime for Abigail.
Abigail is a true advocate for healthy living; she does not believe in ‘cheat days’ and doesn’t need them. She eats organic foods and uses only organic products on her skin.
When it comes to health and wellbeing, Abigail has 8 Tips for ‘Super gorgeousness’ daily, “nutrition, exercise, water, sunlight, temperance (or balance), fresh air, rest and trust.”
Abigail’s mantra for life is, “Cacao Love,” and that love has made her a unique personality.
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