If you're a sucker for the sweet stuff, it could be time to start cutting down. The British Heart Foundation is encouraging the nation to get back on the health wagon by launching the DECHOX challenge: spending the month of March entirely chocolate-free. So what are you waiting for? Start beating your cravings with these top five tips...
1 Have a DECHOX friendly fridge
It’s simple – if you don’t have chocolate in the house, you won’t be able to eat it! Skip the aisles in the supermarket ladened with your favourite sweet treats and don’t get drawn in by checkouts with chocolate on display.
2 Thirst vs hunger
If you feel your willpower waning when it comes to grabbing a chocolate bar, chances are you’re thirsty rather than hungry. Make a beeline for some water instead and take your mind off those cravings.
3 Swap for your five-a-day
As much as we’d love a bar of Fruit and Nut or a Chocolate Orange to be part of our five-a-day, snacking on fruit is a guilt-free alternative when our chocolate cravings are at an all-time high. Whether it’s a few handfuls of dried fruit, low-fat fruit yoghurt or something from your fruit bowl at home, you’ll be getting fibre and nutrients as well as your sweet fix.
4 Start and end with good intentions
People are more likely to find themselves lacking in self-control around 11am and 4pm when it comes to gorging on food high in saturated fat and sugar. Eat regularly and fill up on a healthy, hearty breakfast to stand you in good stead for a snack-free day.
5 Mind over matter
If you find yourself surrendering to temptation, go for a walk – even if it’s just to the printer at work and back. By thinking about something else, you will soon forget about those pesky cravings.
Each year, around 160,000 lives are cut short by heart and circulatory disease – that’s one every three minutes. By joining the thousands of other DECHOX champions this March you can help keep more hearts beating. Stand up and say no to chocolate this March and join DECHOX! All money raised from sponsorship will help fund the BHF’s life saving research. Sign up now at www.bhf.org.uk/dechox.
