February,
though the shortest month of the year, poses unique challenges to the healthy
eater. After the joyousness of the end-of-year holiday season, many take
January to recover, get back on track with eating and health goals, and
re-motivate themselves to reach goals. However, when February comes, some of
those health goals may have fallen wayside to old habits of comfort food or
quick fixes—especially when it’s too frigid to go outside to the supermarket or
even the gym. Those Valentine’s candy bowls are looking especially tempting.
However, fear not—here are some ways to overcome these challenges.
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| Research shows that clear candy bowls can increase snacking |
Challenge
#1: The candy bowl.
It’s 3:30 PM and the candy bowl is just calling your name, right? A way
to avoid high-sugar binges— that result in the 4:30PM crash and ultimate desire
for more sugar— is to re-route your path in the office to avoid walking by the
candy or remove the bowl from direct eyesight on your desk. Not seeing the
temptation will reduce your unconscious picking— when the “it’s just one” turns
into a garbage back full of wrappers.
Out of sight, out of mind not working?
Try swapping sugar-rich candy with dark chocolate pieces. Dark chocolate (60%
or greater in cocoa content) has been linked with many health benefits such as stress and fatigue reduction,
mood improvement, and cardiovascular improvements. Dark chocolate, compared
with white or milk chocolate, contains cocoa solids that are loaded with
antioxidants called flavonols and polyphenols. Though the mechanism is not
completely understood, these antioxidants, as well as the monounsaturated oleic
acid from the cocoa butter, can protect your heart by reducing inflammation,
decreasing blood pressure, and improving blood vessel health. Studies have also
linked dark chocolate intake with increasing insulin sensitivity and a reducedrisk of stroke. Despite these health benefits, do not throw caution to
the wind and eat uncontrollably—dark chocolate is still a dessert.
For more information about chocolate, look here for its history and science.
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| Dark Chocolate |
Challenge #2: Portion control.
