Happy Easter!
This may not be my finest piece but please bear with me as it’s been written in the midst of challenge and change. There may be repetitions and jumbles but the thoughts to help and ‘entertain’ were there in the making! I hope you can still find something of use to you!
Chocolate Box
I hope you enjoy this quirky and inciteful blog and enjoy your chocolate, especially over Easter as the country celebrates in a very different COVID-19 way. So here goes…….
That Special Moment
A moment of sublime inner calm as the chocolate melts in your mouth and slowly trickles down coating your throat. A deliciously smooth texture glides down leaving an after taste to cherish. The warm glow feeling that tempts you to try more tantalising bits of your favourite confectionary! Sound familiar?
It’s no secret that many of us will reach for chocolate for comfort and ease and joy. Everyone has their ‘pick me up’ sugar rush favourite.
Being a bit ‘gaga’, when requested to write this blog by Alltogether Active Essex they wanted to know how ‘us athletes’ stay motivated through the chocolate season avoiding too much chocolate and staying healthy, so I started to think of comparisons between the joy, the flavour, the melt in your mouth, your moment of luxury of allowing yourself your favourite chocolate to delve into for a few seconds of blissful taste on the tongue and the feeling of it melting in your mouth!
The Temptations…
Although I have a wonderful Mother / carer she does like to bring chocolate into the house. Most of the time I tell her to hide it and it only comes out in emergency situations.
Not only that biscuits of the chocolate digestive type! The pack size is just too big for my liking and admittedly though they will keep for a while in the tin but these must NOT be wasted so gradual intake of the ‘dietry intruder’ types will have to be consumed within the next week or so and then a note to self - back to healthy and no more purchases of this variety!.
My biggest downfall at this time of year though is Lindt! The creamy melt in the mouth chocolate is sublime and really gets my taste buds going! But a small box of these or one small egg and most definitely spiked on a cocktail stick to tip in a hot drink are just sensational. (Cocktail stick you may think? Well that’s to ensure no sticky fingers, chocolate falls into the drink itself and making it easy on my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome jaw that lies to pop in and out of place as and when it feels like it!) They only way it doesn’t is if it’s wrapped up like a bunny - they look so cute and so won’t be touched! Mad I know but a good thing as well as a few pretty bunnies to add to an Easter scene in the house somewhere!
My Thorntons Box - A selection remaining from Christmas!
In my box of Thornton's lies a crunchy praline baton which looks delicious but too crunchy for the jaw so what instead? How about utilising the image of sport and passing on a baton as inspiration, in celebration and just have half. Baton of hope being passed across the nation with better times ahead and everyone pulling hard to get to the end of this terrible war that we currently face.
However, the sensation of gliding through the water as I swim smoothly down the black line of a swimming pool is just as satisfying as a good caramel melting in my mouth. In these difficult times visualisation isn’t the same but will do in the interim if you can focus your positive powers of your mind you can remove the need for extras.
The strawberry cream is soft and creamy but so like the ski moose that I use for snacks and melt in the mouth. Just a lot less calories consumed but equally satisfying! For me chocolate and fruit don’t go so the same creamy sensations from a little pot is much more to my taste. Sometimes some fresh berries on top make it a bit more substantial. This isn’t a challenge to me!
If white chocolate is for you which is the preferred choice of my carer, then the crunchy praline treat would be tempting.well after the classic cream eggs then why not try a milky bar moose or a small cup of white hot chocolate which is divine in taste with the creaminess of a standard bar of chocolate and if you buy the low calorie option and make with milk you’ll hit a dairy intake for the day as well having the feeling of divulging a whole bar of chocolate.
Easter
Easter can be a difficult ‘season’ for you chocolate addicts out there! Being a swimmer (once at high level) you would think that Easter poses a challenge and don’t get me wrong a bit of chocolate here and they're creeps into my normal healthy, well structured and prepared meals. Yes, I’m afraid I have a rotation of food for lunch, dinner and snacks to ensure the well needed vitamins, minerals and nutrients to keep my body as healthy as possible. Diet is one thing I can control over and above a lot of other things and it’s something we should be be mindful of especially in our current situation.
In the lead up to Easter the temptation to buy is always an indulgent pleasure of our favourite chocolate creations and why not? It’s a special celebration. However, in the times of crisis like the COVID-19 we are limited on activity and stocking our shelves requires more thought and we are likely to succumb to purchasing chocolate which so far is in plentiful supply compared with some other foods you purchase normally that are not.
Easter can be a challenging time for people who have medication and are finding it hard to suppress your appetite. If small healthy meals aren’t hitting the spot for you and the post easter stash is still in the house as you’ve been tempted to ‘stock pile’ then why not try an alternative such as complan. A GP suggested this when I was struggling to maintain my weight. It’s a nutritious dietary supplement and safe to use. It comes in powder form or sashes of powder to mix in different flavours, including chocolate! You simply mix with water and if you use less powder water then they recommend then you can make it into a ‘milk shake’ that’s thick and creamy, a moose that’s tantalising and yes you will be consuming calories like you would be but at least your body will be getting all the good nutrients you need.
What about an Easter Egg Hunt over FaceTime? Hide lots of Easter eggs in the home and then get a friend on facebook to tell you where to hunt and see which pairings can find the most eggs and then swap over and see who wins? Make it a race against the clock to burn some calories first!
Chocolate & Health
Our exercise comes via the swimming pool and theres just no way to replace that unless you have the luxury of a mansion with a pool. So that means a careful balance of exercise versus calorie intake. With medication side effects of weight gain and increased appetites this is going to be a difficult time for many and not just those of us with health problems.
However, treats should be eaten and we should not be banning this when times are tough and lives are changing BUT there are alternatives out there and we need to be mindful that we ‘don’t bulk buy’ chocolate as we face the fight to remain healthy and eat a balanced diet. With food flying off the shelves it’s sometimes just the easy options that are selected and instant buys can kick in without thought.
Make it a family affair or a solo outing and mix the shake up, pour into a chocolate mould and freeze. Once set you can dip in (within moderation!) to a yummy concotion of home made ‘healthy’ chocolate.
Just a few pointers for now that are key to remember;-
Our medication can cause weight gain and straying home may mean activity levels are lower and therefore less calories may be needed.
Eat treats in moderation
Healthy and nutritious food is still on the shelves
Try something different
There are lots of nutritious snacks out there.
Find ways to keep moving - use ‘We are Undefeatables’.
Substitutes to manage your chocolate addiction;
White hot chocolate
Complan chocolates - Of course this needs to be sauced and right now that could be a bit of an issue. However, it can always be one for the future. If your medical health disability / illness means you need extra calories then check in with your Doctor as you can access it through a prescription.
Visualisation techniques -As i blow into my power breathe (a gadget to help improve lung function and improve your breathing capacity), down the glittery silver line of my duvet I can imagine the glide, the smoothness, the vibrant push under the water, the push and drive to get to 15 metres underwater. The knowledge that as an asthmatic I am keeping my lungs strong which is vital and as much as I can do right now in case coronavirus does .
If you are tempted but want to resist do some yoga and feel the inner calm and sanctuary. As you breathe think about the bar / egg/box, how it tastes and smells and the feeling once its momentary sugar rush wears off. Then think of your happy place and how that feels. Take yourself there. Imagine the thing you wish for most once we have pulled through this difficult time. Keep that in mind and the feeling will last so much longer. Think about the ‘buzz’ you’ll get from being able to resist. Willpower being developed, strength of character, the use of yoga as a new skill to help you be calm and focus.
Food substitutes - there are plenty out there, you just need to look
Think about turning it into a positive mindset - I have plenty of chocolate but I can use a small amount at a time and it will last me longer.
Give yourself something to look forward to and test your motivation!
Moderation is the game - eating a square a day of Dairy Milk if the rest of the day you eat properly is not going to make a huge difference.
Switch a large bar of your favourite temptation for a small one.
Treat yourself after a physical challenge. Perhaps running up and down the stairs 10 times a day to help your fitness and mental health then indulge!
In Conclusion
If we can manage lock down then we can manage our health and diet. We need our bodies to stay strong, be healthier, help ourselves, our families and others to stay safe and not end up a nation of TV and junk food addicts. I am not ashamed to admit that in these challenging times I have delved for ‘treats’ more often but balanced against an exercise regime means I have balance and eating healthy meals and getting nutritious meals inside me is still at the forefront of my mind.
Being sedentary and eating poorly could lead to a rise in obesity, bad body image and become a wheel of downfall to bad habits putting more pressure on the NHS. They DO NOT need to have another crisis have their monumental efforts to put themselves on the line for us. We owe it to them to do as much as we can for them.
Website Links Some handy sites worth looking at!
'9 Of The Best Healthy Chocolates'
Cadbury’s
A Fact Sheet About How Chocolate is Manufactured by the experts at Cadbury’s. A great way to combine some ‘Easter Schooling’ over Easter. Why not make it a project and research the different manufacturers & learn about what other countries do.
This one will provide a bit of history!
The Bournville Site
Channel Five
Download the app or watch on line - The Secret World of Chocolate and Inside Cadbury’s.
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