How to Stop Eating Chocolate: Tips to Quit Now

Easy - it's simply addictive. Chocolate is rich in tryptophan, a substance that promotes the release of serotonin and anandamide. These hormones produce an intense feeling of pleasure and well-being. It has been observed that when a person eats chocolate, the intensity and duration of their heart rate and brain activity increases. In other words, chocolate is an organic stimulant.

Chocolate is rich in sugars and is therefore twice as addictive. You mustn't forget that when you eat high amounts of sugar, your body produces more insulin to try to remove the excess glucose in your blood; this causes you to experience insulin peaks. After these, your glucose levels falls sharply and you will therefore feel tired and fatigued, which is why your body will feel the desire to eat something sweet again.

As you see, it is a vicious circle that you can control by learning how to stop eating chocolate.

You often feel like eating chocolate due to the simple fact that you are hungry. And so, you succumb to the desire to eat what you like the most - on top of that, chocolate is so easy to eat; just grab a bar, and that's it! For this reason, it's essential that you follow a healthy and balanced diet which is full of nutrients and foods that satisfy your appetite.

It is very important that you split your food into 5 meals per day to avoid the sensation of hunger which causes you to raid the fridge.

If you want to quit eating chocolate now, consider these tips and alternative snacks in order to better satisfy your appetite:

• Chew your food thoroughly. You'll feel fuller before.

• Eat in more than 20 minutes, as this is the time it takes your stomach to send satiety signals to the brain.

• Do not skip your mid-morning or afternoon snack: Have a yogurt or a piece of fruit, and take a look at our healthy snack ideas.

• Fibrous foods fill you up and reduce the rate in which you absorb glucose from food.

Another reason why your body tells you to eat chocolate could be because it is lacking in sugar. The scientific explanation for this is that you haven't consumed enough glucose and thus your body demands it in order to get more energy and focus.

However, we often make the mistake of turning to foods with simple sugar, that is, that found in chocolate or pastries, cakes, cookies, etc. We should take healthier, more nutritious sugars like complex carbohydrates which raise blood sugar levels more progressively, rather than in a sharp increase. Therefore, they release energy gradually throughout the whole day, which helps us be more active.

Therefore, if you want to lead a healthier life and stop eating chocolate, you should NOT stop eating carbohydrates despite what many weight-loss diets say. Instead, consume them early in the day, for breakfast and lunch.

If you have huge urges to eat chocolate, OneHowTo suggests that you learn to substitute chocolate for healthier food that you also really like. Each time you go to the kitchen to get a piece of chocolate, change your course and pick up something else which you also love but which will be more beneficial.

For example, if you feel hungry mid-afternoon, try eating skimmed yogurt with fresh fruit, a fruit salad with orange juice or a handful of dried fruits or nuts. These foods will help you to satisfy your desire for sweetness, reduce your appetite and also provide you with interesting nutrients and not much fat.

Another factor that can make your body need extra glucose is if you've had a meal with too much salt or animal protein. Since both options can produce small drops in blood sugar, this makes the body feel that it needs glucose to recover. Therefore, you'll feel like eating a sweet dessert or piece of chocolate after a meal "to compensate".

Avoiding too many fatty, salty or fried foods and foods high in animal protein should be enough to stop this from occurring. Failing this, introduce whole grain cereals - such as rice - or vegetables to your recipes, which will balance them out. Thus, after eating you won't feel the need to eat something sweet and you'll be able to resist the temptation of chocolate.

Besides all these tips to quit eating chocolate now, there's an even more important one: If you really want to stop eating chocolate, it's essential that you stop buying it. This way, you won't be able to succumb to the temptation when simply going into the kitchen.

Changing your shopping list and substituting chocolate with healthier foods is the first step to start eating better and reducing the presence of unnecessary fats in our diet. If you don't have chocolate at home, you will considerably reduce your consumption and will gradually achieve your goal.

We often confuse thirst for hunger because our body needs something, but we don't know how to correctly interpret what it is trying to communicate. Thus, another piece of advice that we can give you is to drink a large glass of water when you have a craving for something sweet. By doing this, you'll be able to assess what your body needs.

Many people have cravings for something sweet just before going to bed. This may be because they eat dinner very early on. While this is one of the healthiest ways to ensure that digestion is carried out correctly, it can end up causing hunger, which can easily be satisfied by a piece of chocolate. To stop this from happening, there is nothing better than brushing your teeth right after dinner to thereby incorporate the minty taste of toothpaste and avoid the temptation to eat.

Now you know how to stop eating chocolate; doing it is up to you!

This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.

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