Why One Chocolate Is Never Enough

I wrote a section for my latest book Easy Tasty Healthy about the addictive properties of sugar and how once we start eating it we have difficulty stopping and I watched this in action recently. Some friends had brought a box of chocolates when they visited and I made the mistake of opening them thinking that they may be eaten by the time everyone left. However they weren’t and so the following night I decided to have just one which turned to two and eventually five. Now for someone who eats lots of chocolates and sweet things five chocolates probably doesn’t sound excessive but it’s something I never normally eat. I do eat sweet treats such as the truffles and marzipan cups from my book but they are far less sweet and not full of sugar.  I regularly eat two after my evening meal with no problem.

The first thing that happened after eating the chocolates was that I woke in the night and felt quite negative and flat and couldn’t get back to sleep for a while. When I woke in the morning I felt tired and completely un-motivated to get up. I’m normally up at 6am and work for an hour writing before I have an hour with my morning practices but on this particular morning I struggled.

I know my body is very sensitive and I’m not used to sugar hits but the same effect is going on in other people only they are less aware because they don’t know what it feels like to live without sugar. It was a good motivator for me, the rest of the chocolates went in the bin and I’m back to my normal regime and looking forward to treats such as my chocolate truffles (see latest recipes) which I have put down in the freezer ready for Christmas.

Interestingly enough I read an article a couple of days later saying that people who slept badly ate more sugary foods. At this point there was no conclusion as to whether the sugary foods caused poor sleep or those who slept badly ate more sugar. I have my suspicions and will watch this research with interest.