Are you a chocoholic?

Choc facts:-

Women buy 66% of all the chocolate eaten in the U.K. Men buy 26% and children just 8%

Yes, we know some of the chocolate women buy is for the children but so is some of the chocolate  men buy for their ladies!

Eight of ten PMT Advisory Service patients report a craving for chocolate as one of their symptoms.

People who overdose on chocolate can end up not only overweight but also tired and depressed.

Chocolate has a chemical in it called beta phenylethylamine which is also found in the brain, it's a natural substance similar in its effect to amphetamines and also similar to one which is released by the brain when a person is in love, so a bar of chocolate can give someone quite a lift!

A chocolate bar contains about 60% sugars and 30% saturated fats, a very small amount of protein and little in the way of nutrients.  To help you understand why athletes eat bars of chocolate after competing  in their sports, is that a small bar contains 300 or more calories - a lot of calories and what is a calorie - a unit of energy, therefore, a great number of calories in a small package easily eaten, quickly to replace lost energy.

So, unless YOU run marathons (the race, not the bar) you would NOT need so many calories, so quickly!  The sugar provides an almost instant rush of energy which means it gets into your bloodstream fast.   Your body responds by pumping out the insulin to bring blood sugar levels down again.

The trouble is the insulin often overdoes it, leaving your blood levels even lower than before you had the snack, so you feel tired, irritable and lethargic and crave another dose of sugar for an instant energy boost.  So, the vicious circle then goes on.

The typical chocoholic indulges her dark passion in private, because she feels guilty that the chocolate controls her and she can't control it and if she ate it in front of other people, she'd have to share it with them, wouldn't she?  Chocolate has strong psychological links for us as a consoler, comforter, as a reward or even as a token of our love for others.

All these powerful associations with our moods and feelings are ruthlessly exploited by manufacturer who spent a staggering total of £86 million on advertising in 1987 alone.

You alone must be the judge of whether your habit is really in the chocoholic category but if so it must be dealt with before you will be successful with your diet.

Guide to breaking the habit:-

• If you feel chocolate has been taking over your life, try weaning yourself off it for a minimum of six weeks.  You can then try to reintroduce it occasionally and gradually.
• Avoid tea and coffee - they both contain caffeine, an addictive drug (also found in chocolate) which can lead to sugar cravings.
• Drink mineral water, de-caffeinated drinks, herb and fruit teas instead.  The idea being  to restabilise blood sugar levels which can see-saw on a high sugar diet, leading to mood swings and in extreme cases severe headaches.
• Give up alcohol, because a drink or two will weaken  your resolve.
• Avoid sugar and other refined carbohydrates like white flour and rice, eat wholefood carbohydrates instead, like wholemeal bread and brown rice which give you a more sustained release of energy.
• To avoid cravings between meals, switch to eating five smaller meals a day, eating plenty of protein and wholefood carbohydrate together.
• Actively look for other ways to indulge yourself like a good book or some scented body lotion.
• So, chocolate is no health food.  It is not a nutritious food but there is no reason why you cannot indulge in the occasional bar.  A little of what you fancy, providing you are on a healthy diet, does no real harm.  This is providing it stops at a little, of course!