Writing helps me realize when I’m…in denial.
After sleeping on Friday’s post about sleep deprivation, it occurred to me that dark chocolate has been rearing its ugly head in the bedroom (ew, not like that!) for a little while now.
Um, hello, Marya? Wake up and smell the…chocolate.
Starting this low-sugar lifestyle, there was no way in heck that I’d give chocolate up.
But now that I’m six months in and feeling confident, it’s time to try it.
For a month.
Just to see how I feel without it.
There have been other symptoms besides difficulty falling and staying asleep.
There’s muscle tightness in my jaw, neck and shoulders (which could also be from all my computer time).
And a bit more anxiety. If I’m worried about something, a passing negative thought will stick with me for longer. Usually paired with a…bzzz…very low-grade jolt of…I’m guessing it’s adrenaline. And I have a harder time getting re-centered.
So, I officially started on Saturday. Covering my eyes, I handed my dark chocolate to my friend Nancy, who with a gleam in her eye, graciously agreed to take it off my hands.
Oh, I tried carob chips and they’re a no go. Too much sugar. Bummer.
So I immediately started concocting a recipe for a simple little nut-based treat for times of chocolate crisis. I’ll share that with you tomorrow.
I’m already sleeping and feeling better.
Who knows, maybe this change will stick around for good. Well, except holidays. Gotta have dark chocolate on special occasions.
Did you break-up with chocolate? If so, how? Leave me a comment below to share.
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I cut out all sweeteners (fruits, chocolate, etc) for a month and found it best to substitute with nut-based treats. Carob also works if you know how to use it properly. I am back on fruit (and chocolate) but my palate was certainly muted after that experience. No crazy sugar cravings anymore.. although I craved nachos the other day, weird.
Hi Janet, Woo hoo! Good for you. =) It’s definitely a bummer that carob has too much sugar for me. HA! Nachos, funny! It must have been all the Super Bowl food ads. =)
Is it just carob chips or carob powder that bothers you? I didn’t think there was any sugar in carob powder.
Hi Janet, Ah Ha! You may be onto something there! I hadn’t even thought of carob powder. You’re right, there’s no sugar in it. Have you ever had it? How does it taste? Thanks for the suggestion. =)
I’ve had it. I hear the toasted powder is more flavourful which is the only one I’ve tried. It is not the same as chocolate but you can use it as you would cocoa powder. I’ve tried these and they tasted so much like chocolate, you wouldn’t even really tell it was made with carob. In fact, sarob is naturally sweeter than cocoa, which is why you don’t need to add any additional (or as much) sweetener.
http://veggienook.com/2012/11/26/sugar-free-carob-almond-butter-cups/
Hi Janet,
You’ve inspired me! I bought some carob powder today and the experimenting has begun. I made cookies and you’re right, I forgot they were carob. And these carob almond butter cups look amazing. Thanks for sharing this! You completely made my day. =) Warmly, Marya
No problem, glad it all worked out.
Well, first I had to give up ALL chocolate because of a dairy intolerance. Then I got bags of those gluten free, non-dairy “chocolate” chips. But before I could even try them, I ended up being diagnosed with an intestinal candida overgrowth. So I guess it’s one of those situations where you have to pick your poison. Want to give up chocolate? Or fruit? Or both?! Yikes! Was I surprised at what I had to give up! So, thank you for the reminder about the sugar in those chips. I still don’t know if/when I will ever get to have anything chocolate again. I do love smelling it… or looking at it… It just isn’t tempting me much anymore now, though. It’s been about 2-1/2 months…
Woo hoo! Congrats for being off chocolate for 2 and 1/2 months. I’m doing OK without it. Mostly, I’m focused on my desire to be symptom free, which is reinforcing my motivation on a daily basis. You give me hope! =)
Hello Marya, I have not tried to kick dark chocolate. But sometimes when I can’t fall asleep it is because I have not actually consumed enough calories during the day. I don’t always feel hungry, jusy ‘kind of ‘light’ somehow. Usually if I have a serving of brown rice noodles before bed it will help. Since I have been eating vegan with no sugar or white refined stuff and gluten free, I almost always need something around 9 pm or I won’t sleep through the night.
Hm, very, very interesting. I know Baron needs food right before bed or else. This is something to consider for sure.
OH Marya…I struggle much the same ways you do, I would say I have a strong Dark Chocolate addiction. I often make hot Coco by grinding Navitas Cacao nibs in my coffee grinder then add a small amount of them to So Delicous unsweetened Coconut milk that I heat gently on the stove taking care not to burn it, then once heated I add if I have it ground Vanilla Vanille moulue, then I sweeten it with KAL brand pure Stevia. It is pretty good but I find the caffeine very difficult to deal with, so no I don’t have any good ideas on how to beat this other than the above recipe then I also make the above recipe and stir in chia seeds to make a chia type pudding that I use a few crushed raspberries with some water and stevia over the top. It helps, but the seeds are alot to digest so I don’t make it too often, so delighted to see ZuZu I feel the same way…sure is hard in a world that is all about change… I prefer not changing… I have a Russian Blue Cat and they are all about NO CHANGES ALLOWED …EVER:)So we are all doing our very best to learn how to be more flexible and to learn how to welcome “some” changes;)
Hi Kathy, Oh, I was drooling reading about your hot cocoa and chia pudding. Yum! Uh oh! I can only imagine how your cat shows its displeasure over changes. Our pups like to rip through trash cans. Not fun. Maybe one day we’ll outsmart them.