All it took was one time and I was hooked. It was like I was having an affair. I got a rush while eating them and when I thought about them, my mouth watered.
I started a 15 day cleanse (Thisilyn Cleanse 15 Day Mineral Program) on January 4, 2012 and promised myself that I would leave the chocolate chip cookies alone, eat a strict vegan diet and so far so good.
It’s amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it. Especially when you know that something isn’t healthy for you.I don’t claim perfection, but I do claim that I am a work in progress.
Here’s the deal, I tasted chocolate chip cookies from McDonald’s (the cookies are not vegan), and that was the beginning of my brief love affair. No other cookies would do, they had to come from McDonald’s.
I needed help to kick this unhealthy habit. I picked up Breaking the Food Seduction
What I Learned About Chocolate
- Chocolate is an addicting drug, targeting the same spot on the brain as heroin or morphine.
- Chocolate affects the brain, but not to the degree of narcotics.
Chocolate now and then is okay, but every day is not okay. I can’t have it now and then, because I will have some serious problems.
There are other things I learned about chocolate, but learning that it is addicting and affects the brain was enough for me to drop Mr. Chocolate Chip (gooey) Cookie.
How I Got Caught Up in My Affair
Mr. Chocolate Chip Cookie tasted good, the chocolate just melted in my mouth. I would eat cookies slowly, savoring ever bite. Yes, I had it bad. I’m glad this love affair didn’t last long.
I learned from Breaking the Food Seduction that I needed to start with a healthy breakfast. I usually don’t eat until I’m hungry or when I hear my stomach growl, which is not always a good thing. As a result, I ate too much food and snacked a lot during the day.
Since I’ve been eating a healthy breakfast, I haven’t had cravings for Mr. Chocolate Chip Cookie. I don’t even have the desire to eat sweets or snack on foods that have no nutritional value and benefit.
What A Healthy Breakfast Looks Like
Forget about doughnuts, coffee, and foods that are low in fiber and try not to skip breakfast. Eating these types of foods and skipping breakfast only result in you eating more food for lunch and snacking throughout the day.
A healthy breakfast regulates your appetite. I experienced the hearty appetite because I was eating very little to nothing for breakfast. Lesson learned!
Include these foods in your breakfast:
- Fiber-rich foods: whole-grains, fruit, vegetables
- Healthy protein source: veggie sausage and bacon, tofu, tempeh, beans, protein powders (in smoothies), nut and seed butters
These types of foods carry you until your next meal and help you stop the unnecessary snacking and overeating.
If you are having food cravings and are always feeling like you haven’t eaten enough, give the healthy breakfast option a try. You’ll be glad you did!
Information Source: Breaking the Food Seduction: The Hidden Reasons Behind Food Cravings—And 7 Steps to End Them Naturally
Hi Evelyn
Is it the sugar in chocolate that we crave and get addicted to? Not having read the book I can’t tell, but I have been doing a lot of research on sugar lately and discovered that sugar is more addictive than cocaine (in mice), but it is has the same opioid effect on the brain as hard drugs.
I used to eat a family block of chocolate and a Chokito bar every day – so I know a thing or two about sugar addiction and how it makes you feel. when you get off the sugar, it sure improves your health. 🙂
Hi Jan,
I think it is both (sugar and the chocolate). But in the book, Dr. Barnard talks about the chemicals in chocolate that are addicting.
So, true! Thanks for sharing, Jan!
Hi Evelyn
Chemicals!! Oh no, that is something you never hear about. I know in Australia we have preservatives added because it is a much hotter climate so I think I better buy the book. Over the past two or three years, chocolate has almost become a health food with all the things that they have found in it such as the antioxidants, calcium, promotes the “feel good hormones” etc etc. So that is a side of chocolate that I haven’t even heard about!. Thanks for your post.
Hi Jan,
It’s more or less what naturally occurs in the chocolate. I’m sure there’s a lot of other chemicals that are put in the chocolate that are not naturally occurring.
Yeah, some say it is a health food, while others say other wise. Dr. Barnard did say in his book, that a little bit every now and then is probably okay. If you want it, but it becomes a problem when one eats it every day.
Thanks for chiming in!
I needed to read this today!
Hey Elle,
Glad you stopped by and got what you needed. 😉
Have an awesome rest of the week!
Evelyn
Evelyn, you are adorable ” Affair with Chocolate Chip Cookies 🙂 “. I use to have an affair with sugar in general, especially nutella and spanish cake tres leches. I am actually salivating just thinking about it. But the way I stay away from it is I simply don’t buy it.
Thank you for recommending the cleanse, I am going to try a good cleanse, it’s been a while since I’ve done it.
Hey Tatianna,
Yeah, chocolate has a way of making the mouth water. 🙂
So far, I haven’t had any cravings for sweets at all. Yesterday, I visited my neighbor and he offered me some cake. I politely said, “No thank you”, but it looked so good. It didn’t bother me at all. It’s amazing how we can do things when we are focused.
The cleanse is going very well. I plan to review the kit after completion.
Take care,
Evelyn
Oh girl, you are speaking my language with chocolate chip cookies. Being vegetarian, myself, I can tend to eat too many carbs in a day. I started limiting my carbs way back and eating more vegetarian. So, no choco chip cookies for me either. This morning I had some greek yogurt, vanilla low fat soy milk, banana, and almonds blended into some protein packed smoothie! 32 g. of protein to be exact. Great post and good for you for breaking that affair!
Hey Krisin,
So glad to see you! You and Bryan are doing great things over at Elevation.
You had a very good breakfast, Krisitn and got that protein in. That’s great!
Yeah, in the long run the affair would have killed me. 😉
Take care and thanks for stopping by!
Evelyn
I used to have it daily too but now that I’m doing WW I’ve not really had a desire for chocolate. Something tells me though that when my friend comes this month, it may change.
I love chocolte. Probably more than the average individual. We’ll always have a thing. For now, we are separated until I can get in control.
Hey Michelle,
I’m glad that WW is working for you. You’re on the ball, sister and I am proud of you. Do your thang! 😉
Women are the ones who love chocolate the most. It’s good that you’ve gained control over it.
Thanks for sharing!
Evelyn
Great tip! I absolutely agree about the impact of breakfast. What and how much I eat for breakfast definitely affects how hungry I am and whether or not I’ll crave carbs later in the day.
My wife and I sometimes make a cereal out of sunflower seeds, buckwheat, oats, ground cinnamon, raisins, maybe a little bit of honey, and almond milk. It’s quite tasty and all of the ingredients made the “World’s Healthiest Foods” (www.whfoods.com) list! It’s filling and a good source of protein and fiber. We soak, sprout, and dehydrate the buckwheat prior to use.
Hi Jon-Erik!
Welcome to my blog!
Your cereal sounds pretty good. Thanks for sharing about the World’s Healthiest Foods list! I have some oat groats, I’ll have to make me a cereal soon.
Take care,
Evelyn