An average milk chocolate bar has around 23g of sugar in it and 13g of fat. It’s little surprise that the British Heart Foundation encourages us to Dechox every March!
But if you’re one of the thousands of people who take part in BHF’s Dechox, just how do you get through it? We run through what to expect and how to cope when you’re cutting out chocolate…
What to expect
If you’re a regular sweet eater you’ll likely find the first couple of weeks a real struggle with regular cravings. Ideally, it’s a good idea to build up to Dechox by gradually reducing your intake for a more comfortable ride. However, even if you haven’t there’s nothing to stop you making a success of it.
Cravings might be quite annoying at times and disrupt your thought processes, so the best solution is to busy yourself doing something else, snack on a healthier alternative and drink a glass of water. You might also find yourself craving more sugary or fatty foods to help substitute but where possible aim to make healthier choices throughout.
The real positives are that as the weeks go on your cravings will reduce and you won’t feel the need to give in. Plus, your waistline, skin, heart and teeth will all be much the better for it!
Being a responsible Dechoxer
Crucially, you don’t want to put yourself in temptation’s path, which means you should avoid walking past the bakery on your way to work and salivating over the chocolate cake in the window!
It also means being mindful of what you eat – those sprinkles on your morning cappuccino? We’re afraid so…
If you buy food for a family, perhaps ask your partner to buy the treats and keep them hidden in a special place you’re not likely to venture. And if you’re going out for a meal, try to get a copy of the menu in advance so you can prepare your meal plan.
Finding alternatives
The British Heart Foundation website has plenty of tips and recipes on how to survive Dechox, as well as stories from previous Dechoxers who share their experiences.
However, some good alternative snacks to choose for your teeth and heart include:
- Low-fat dairy including cottage cheese and non-sweetened yoghurt
- Cucumber and carrot sticks or apple slices
- Rice cakes
- Nuts and seeds
- Low-fat rice pudding
- Strawberries, blueberries and fat-free yoghurt
- Porridge with cinnamon
- Crepes with fresh fruit
Shift your attention
Not every antidote to your chocolate cravings will be food-based and for those who seek comfort in food, simply substituting chocolate with another food item could just be shifting the problem. Instead, use this opportunity for making more changes in your life.
Starting a new project or going for a run around the block are all great ways of ignoring cravings and can release the same endorphin hit as chocolate but without the sugar crash, making you feel much more positive!
You might wish to do a holistic practice such as yoga, meditation or even just write down the day’s events in a journal. And there’s nothing better than getting lost in a good book or film.
Then what?
April 1st might be Easter Sunday and signal the official end of Dechox, but we don’t recommend you return to scoffing chocolate just for the sake of it.
Hopefully you’ll have discovered you no longer have cravings and will be able to appreciate a modest amount of chocolate without needing to finish a whole bar or snack on it throughout the day.
If you’re worried about Easter undoing all your hard work, make sure family know you’ve been actively cutting out chocolate from your diet and ask for a chocolate-free (and preferably sugar-free) alternative to an egg.
