Eating chocolate less often
Fat - The Basics
“Chocolate is made from roasted, ground cocoa seeds and its sweetness comes from sugar added during the processing”, explains Pinal.
“Chocolate, in moderation, can actually make a useful contribution to health”, she explains, “as it contains flavanoid antioxidants that can help to protect against heart disease”.
“Chocolate and other pleasant tasting high fat/high carbohydrate foods are associated with the release of particular hormones (endorphins) that contribute to improved mood. That’s why you often crave it in times of stress or when you’re feeling down”.
“Keeping chocolate within easy reach is not going to help you cut it down. It’s best not to have it around at all – this doesn’t mean you can’t eat it occasionally though. Work out when and where you mostly eat chocolate, and work out how you can ensure a healthy snack is ready to hand for those moments”, suggests Pinal.
“A low calorie hot chocolate drink is an excellent alternative, whilst still giving you your chocolate ‘fix’. Just don’t have a whole handful of chocolate biscuits to go with it!”
Common Fat Myths and Misconceptions
- “Low fat chocolate is low in calories” – Manufacturers of low fat chocolate will put additional sugar in the product to make up for the fat they have taken out, so the product may not be as low in calories as you think (compare the calories per 100g of different types of chocolate to see for yourself).
Fat -Tips and Tricks
- Would a life without chocolate be worth living? – we don’t think so! There is no truly satisfactory alternative to chocolate but eating it too often will slow weight loss. Try not to buy chocolate in multi bags – treat yourself occasionally with a single chocolate item bought on the day you plan to eat it.
- Everything looks good, especially chocolate, bread, cakes and biscuits, on supermarket shelves when we are hungry. Plan your main shopping trip within 1-2 hours after you have eaten a meal to help prevent you buying impulsively.
- Compare the calorie content per 100g of low fat chocolate and ordinary chocolate to see whether or not you are buying a lower calorie chocolate.
- Buy the smallest bars of chocolate – if you accidentally (!) buy a large bar, freeze it in cling-filmed squares of 2-4 for those planned treats
- Queue at the supermarket checkout that does not tempt you with a display of sweets – they do it on purpose don’t they! If possible, shop without children as they may pester you to buy sweets and confectionery – and slip them into the basket when you’re not looking!
- Try low calorie drinking chocolate (about 40 calories per cup) when you have a chocolate craving – sometimes all one actually needs is the taste of chocolate to satisfy a need.
- Make an effort to eat regular starch-based (e.g. bread, potato, rice, pasta, couscous, chapatti, yam) meals to help keep your blood sugar level stable and reduce the risk of going for the chocolate to feed the need.