Do you struggle with craving chocolate? Chocolate cravings are one of the most difficult cravings to fight.
They are difficult because they can be triggered by anything from stress to boredom, and they can be hard to resist.
Fortunately, there are a few ways you can help beat chocolate cravings and get your chocolate addiction under control.
The first step is to figure out why you are craving chocolate in the first place.
Some people crave chocolate when they are bored or stressed, while others crave it when they are hungry.
In some cases, people crave chocolate because it is comfort food that makes them feel better after a tough day or a bad mood.
Once you have pinpointed the cause of your chocolate cravings, think about how you can avoid that trigger in the future and find an alternative way to cope with your emotions or manage your hunger.
If you are stressed at work, for instance, try taking five minutes for yourself before tackling any more tasks; if you are bored during dinner with friends, grab a book and read for a while.
In this article, we will be talking about sugar in chocolate and how it affects your health.
Sugar is a sweet ingredient that is used in many foods.
It is often added to chocolate to make it sweeter.
Sugar can be found in many foods, but it is mostly found in chocolate.
But sugar also has some negative effects on your health.
The sugar that we consume in our diets may not seem important, but it can have adverse effects on our health.
Sugar may cause tooth decay and cavities, obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
A Brief History of Sugar
Sugar is a naturally occurring crystalline solid that is usually white or brown.
Sugar cane and sugar beet are both used to make sugar.
However, sugar is made from the juice of either plant and then purified to produce the final product.
The process of making sugar starts with extracting the juice from either plant, which can be done by crushing or pressing it.
The juice is then boiled until all the water evaporates and only the syrup stays.
The syrup is then cooled down and filtered to remove impurities before being heated again until it becomes a crystallized solid called “sugar crystals.”
The Ancient Egyptians first discovered sugar.
They found that, when mixed with water, the liquid produced a sweet taste.
This discovery was not made independently; they were influenced by the nearby plant civilizations.
The Chinese and Arabs used refined sugar to make alcoholic drinks (wine) and desserts (cakes).
For thousands of years, people have been using these plants to sweeten their foods, and they were unaware that it was sap from the plant.
The Asian people had a long history of cultivation and trade with India.
Knowledge of sugarcane was likely shared between these two countries.
The Arabs brought the knowledge to Spain by way of North Africa where it spread through Europe in a matter of centuries.
The key to reducing your sugar intake is to know how much sugar you are consuming.
This can be challenging because sugar is hidden in many foods that we do not think of as being sweet.
The best way to reduce your sugar intake is by limiting the number of processed foods you eat and drinking water instead of sugary drinks like soda or sports drinks.
The most protein you should eat in a meal is 20-30 grams.
Protein is a key part of any diet, and it is important to get the right amount in each meal.
Consuming too much protein can lead to weight gain and bloating, so it is best to eat around 20-30 grams in one sitting.
The Dangers of Sugar and How It Affects Your Health
Sugar addiction is common, but many people do not know the dangers and how it affects your health long-term.
A diet rich in sugar and processed foods can lead to many health problems and chronic illnesses.
Elevated levels of sugar can cause health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, tooth decay, and osteoporosis.
Too much sugar in a person’s diet can also cause some emotional disturbances such as bipolar disorder or depression.
People must keep a healthy balance in their diets because it is easier for them to control their emotions and moods.
Sugar is also a central nervous system depressant, which means that it slows down the brain’s activity.
Eating too much sugar can be dangerous because it will not only slow down your brain but might also give you anxiety or make you depressed or cause other emotional disturbances.
Sugar has the opposite effect on the body of what one would expect from eating sugar; this is because sugar turns into fat very quickly when digested in the body.
Sugar is a type of carbohydrate.
Carbohydrates are digested into blood glucose molecules and used as energy.
Sugar is broken down quickly and converted into glycogen or another form of sugar.
They are then transported to muscles, the liver, and the brain as fuel during physical activity.
Many foods have sugar: fruits, vegetables (especially starchy root vegetables), dairy products such as milk and yogurt, grains such as white bread and corn flakes, honey, agave nectar, chocolate, and molasses.
Simple carbs are absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and give a quick burst of energy.
Complex carbs have more fiber and take longer to break down, so they release the sugar into the bloodstream slowly over time supplying steady energy that lasts longer.
Simple carbohydrates are also called “white” or “refined” carbs because they have been stripped of the fiber, vitamins, and minerals that can make up 80% of the carbs in whole grains and vegetables.
They supply a quick burst of energy before the sugar is stored as fat.
The more highly processed food becomes, the higher the levels of refined carbs become.
Processed carbs cause more insulin to be released because they need more processing.
The body responds by secreting excess insulin just as it would when eating regular sugars.
Therefore, we need to stay away from highly processed foods like white bread, pastries, and sugar-sweetened drinks.
These foods release a sugar high that leaves you feeling hungry again in no time and can lead to weight gain.
Getting Enough Sleep to Stop Chocolate Cravings
Sugar cravings and binge eating is often a result of insufficient sleep.
Sleep deprivation can cause an increase in the levels of cortisol and ghrelin, two hormones that control appetite.
In turn, this change can lead to a higher intake of nutrient-dense foods like chocolate. To prevent these potential health risks, it is important to get enough sleep on a regular basis.
Glycemic Index and Insulin Response to decide how much impact something has on blood sugar levels over time, glycemic index (GI) is used.
This measure is a number between 0 and 100 that rates how quickly a food causes blood sugar levels to rise in the body.
The GI of food can be found by measuring the amount of glucose released after eating something, then dividing it by the amount consumed: GI = glucose released / carbohydrate eaten.
The human body can only process so much food at a time and it needs to release the excess as waste.
When the body is using too much glucose for fuel, it releases it into the bloodstream, and this leads to an increase in uric acid levels in your blood.
This increased uric acid level reduces how quickly nutrients are absorbed by your intestines and slows down digestion to prevent overloading your system with food.
It also causes your body to store fat around your abdomen, known as “spare tire” or “beer belly.
“Chronic high blood pressure contributes to circulatory problems, kidney disease, and heart disease.
There are many types of blood pressure measuring devices, including aneroid sphygmomanometers and electronic BP monitors. I have a BP monitor for you to get right below.
Tips to Stop Chocolate Cravings
Here are some ways how to stop chocolate cravings
- Eat small snacks.
- Drink lots of water.
- Make a list of healthy things to eat instead of chocolate, such as fruit and yogurt.
- Have a glass of wine and let it relax you instead of craving more chocolate.
- Eat the foods that would make the cravings go away, like nuts, celery, and carrots before eating anything else.
- Plan so that you can always have healthy snacks and lunches on hand.
- Get enough sleep.
- Exercise.
- Pray for help, I find it always helps.
Conclusion: You Can Stop Craving Chocolate with Hypnosis
There are many reasons people crave chocolate, and these reasons vary from one person to the next.
One of the more common ones is that they are eating too much sugar in their diet.
That is not to say that sugar does not have its own side effects, and cravings for sugar can be a sign of craving for something sweeter – or even different.
The good news is that hypnosis and hypnotherapy have been shown to be useful for stopping cravings and curbing addiction.
Hypnosis shows an important level of success in treating addiction with a variety of methods and techniques.
With hypnosis, you can explore the subconscious mind to find out what holds you back from overcoming addiction.
You might find that self-doubt or anxiety is at the root of your problem and using hypnosis will help you overcome whatever is blocking your progress.
A type of psychotherapy known as hypnotherapy uses hypnosis to aid clients in changing their behavior.
These days, you can download hypnosis sessions for your convenience as an MP3.
Hypnotherapy has been proven useful for a variety of goals, including weight loss, and stopping smoking.
The hypnotherapist audio uses a variety of strategies to set the stage for effective hypnosis.
These methods consist of visualization, suggestion, and relaxation.
The individual must first be put into a deep physical state of relaxation.
Once they are at ease enough, the therapist will begin giving suggestions on how to give up chocolate for good.
By using visualization techniques, the therapist on the audio recording will show how they would feel if they were no longer dependent on chocolate.
Hypnosis is a safe, easy, and effective way of breaking the habit of “chocolate cravings” by making it possible for someone to give up or reduce the consumption of unhealthy food.
Leave a comment about how to stop chocolate cravings, and I will respond shortly.
Georgiana
Hey a great post a.d certainly useful for us chocolate addicts!
I can agree chocolate cravings are for sure one of the hardest to fight. I personally have to have a good amount of chocolate regularly otherwise I feel like I’m missing something. If I can’t have chocolate I resort to baking or making something sweet! It is definitely a bad habit especially when consumed in unhealthy amounts!
Thanks again for bringing something like this to light!
Hi Sariyah,
You’re welcome. Since chocolate is enjoyable, giving it up can be challenging, but moderation is also important with everything. I hope someone won’t feel compelled to buy chocolate every time they go shopping. I don’t want to crave it to the point where I have to go buy Oreos. I don’t want to let unhealthy foods with a lot of sugar control me.
I liked this article and the way you presented the subject. As a woman I can say, it’s hard to stop craving chocolate, but I take it only on my period time. I stopped consuming sugar after noticing how much its effect our body, physically and mentally.
According to the functional medicine schools’, carving sweets is the main reason of getting diseases, in addition to other factors such as Carbohydrates effectiveness.
Nowadays, with this internet revolution we must think twice before craving sweets. It’s interesting to read your blog to understand the hypnosis and hypnotherapy strategies could be helping in stopping cravings and curbing addiction.
Thank you for sharing this useful blog!
Hi NedaS,
We often treat chocolate like a candy bar and eat it without thinking about it, but if we want to quit needing it, we may need some help. It’s great since I’ve noticed how other behaviors are being controlled organically since I started using hypnosis on myself for various goals in my life. It appears as though I’m pursuing my goals rather than letting my body define how I should respond to its desires. This is a complete paradigm change.
I used to be addicted to taking chocolate and coke. I long yo drink a bottle of coke once daily and chocolate after every meal. But when I saw my father die from diabetes, I knew it was time I stopped. The risk is high. So I replaced my chocolate with fruits. I now take pawpaw, and oranges after the meal and it is healthier for my family and me
Hi Parameter,
I appreciate you sharing your past chocolate addiction. I don’t eat candy often even though I crave chocolate and am aware that it will ruin my teeth. Additionally, it’s bad to consume too much of anything, particularly sweets.
Changing your diet to live longer is a terrific idea. Sadly, my father smoked and drank, and he passed away in his early 50s. Because I don’t want anything to rule or control me, I don’t drink or smoke.
Occasional tea drinker. I am currently progressively weaning myself off of meat since I don’t enjoy how some meats make me feel like something is crawling under my skin.
Fruits can also add a sugar level so you have to be careful with that as well. I know it’s strange but they also have sugar in them as well.