Mmmm…chocolate! Anyone that knows me knows about my infatuation with chocolate and that the one thing you must never do is raid my personal chocolate stash in the fridge door! That first bite almost feels like ecstasy. I know for me it can change my whole mood around – from a bad day to a good day – in that one initial, irresistibly inviting bite!
That said, for obvious reasons, the ready-made chocolate consuming excuse of Christmas and the holidays are both a dream and a disaster at the same time!
The big challenge for me post-holidays – and let’s be honest I don’t think I’m alone here! – is how to gradually reduce the chocolate intake and substitute it with healthier treats? However, the one thing not to do is deprive yourself of snacks or food. If your body is telling you it wants something to eat you should satisfy that demand, but just not with sugary confectionary!
That said, in chocolate’s defense though, it’s not all bad. Some studies over the years show it could actually improve the heart by improving blood flow and reducing cholesterol, and that it can even lower blood pressure. Yeah, I know, the impassioned defense of the desperate! But come on, it’s chocolate!
The most obvious place to start is to replace the chocolate and less healthy indulgences with fruit and veggy snacks. They are mostly cheap and can taste great. So instead of sultry, smooth chocolate caramel squares…have a carrot stick. Ugh! I know it sucks in comparison, but get used to it buddy. It was your choice to take a step into the confectionery dark side over the holidays, so now you have to pay the reaper and right the wrong! You fell off the healthy snack horse, so now you have to get back on it.
If fruit and veggies don’t cut the proverbial mustard then try nuts, seeds and trail mixes. They are all high in protein, vitamins and fiber, as well as some of the good fats, which help you feel like you’ve eaten something more substantial and fill you up.
I find yogurt and bananas, either separately or together, as well as any fruit with a yogurt, can be a fulfilling and healthy snack as well. There’s a reason the Greek yogurt industry in the United States has exploded into a multi-billion dollar annual industry! They taste great, especially the 2% fat varieties, although the non-fat types can sometimes hold their own pretty well.
As always though when opting for more healthy snacks and food like veggies and fruit – which invariably carry a much-reduced calorie-count – make sure you have enough calories in a day to ensure optimum training performance the next.
Above all, remember there is no “me” in chocolate…although there is in “chocolate caramel” but that’s another story…
