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Is Chocolate Really Addictive?
With the Monster Candy Season upon us (otherwise known as Halloween) I thought it might be good to address some questions regarding some of our favorite treats.
UnDieter: I read somewhere that chocolate has been found to have an “addictive” affect, similar to alcohol. Is this chocolate “addiction” concept accurate? Lots of weird information out there. I want to verify with the experts.UnDiet: I’m going to let “the experts” handle this one by passing your question on to Gay Riley, MS, RD, LD who is a Medical Nutrition Expert.
Chocolate contains chemicals that are known to affect the brain. Theobromine and caffeine are both stimulants and their affects depend on the amount consumed. It turns out that the amount of caffeine in a chocolate bar is about one-third the amount in a cup of coffee. Consequently, it might be thought of as a mild stimulant.
The phenylethylamine in chocolate combines with dopamine in the brain to produce a mild antidepressant affect. There is little reason to believe that there is any “secret” ingredient in chocolate to blame for chocolate cravings. Researchers have calculated that you would have to eat 27 pounds of chocolate at one sitting to get a psychoactive effect from them. You can read research on the subject here.
The anandamide in chocolate also affects brain chemistry to produce feelings of calm and well being. The effect is quite small, but noticeable.
The combination of sugars and saturated fat in chocolate also produce a neurotransmitter called serotonin that acts as an opiate or sedative in the brain. Kind of like antidepressants. Small amounts of chocolate will produce serotonin, however bingeing on chocolate can cause the serotonin to rise to almost a sedative affect and then crash. This type of affect might cause an addictive response for more chocolate in an attempt to keep the serotonin elevated.
It would make sense to say that if you eat large, frequent amounts of chocolate that it could possibly become addictive. The effects of the addiction would be obesity and weight gain for many people due to the dense caloric content of chocolate confections.
There is still controversy about the extent to which chocolate is addictive or harmful. It would be reasonable to say that more women are attached to chocolate than men are. Chocolate has been touted as the perfect food for women suffering from PMS. Women eat chocolate to elevate blood sugar, and increase serotonin 7-14 days before a period when hormonal changes cause blood glucose and serotonin to be lower than normal.
“Chocoholism” is different than alcoholism because the addiction does not directly kill. I do not know anything about different types of chocoholics.
We all, however, have similar but different blood chemistry. For example, if some of us are more sensitive to sugar, have hypoglycemia, or are allergic or sensitive to milk products or other foods, and some of us are not, then you could ask yourself the question “could it be possible that some of us are more addicted to chocolate?”
I hope I addressed all your questions. If I can be of further assistance, please just let me know.
Sincerely,
Gay Riley, MS, RD, LD
You can tap into more of Gay Riley’s wisdom through her web site The Net Nutritionist. While you’re at her sit check out her new book The Pocket Personal Trainer.
Getting Started on The UnDiet
Choose your UnDiet plan based on your eating habits, how much you like to cook, and your own personal food choices. Each plan (except Protein Binge) allows for deviations while still maintaining the fundamentals that will keep you on track. Obviously the closer you stay to the track the healthier you’ll be and the quicker you’ll lose all those unwanted pounds. But it’s much better to be happy with what you’re eating and be able to easily incorporate the plan you choose into your daily schedule. So start where you feel the most comfortable and phase into each successive stage or plan when you feel ready.
Start the first day of the rest of your life by going through your refrigerator, cupboards, and all your secret stashes looking for Forbidden Foods . Throw them away. You don’t need them sitting there in your cupboard calling your name.
Or if you’re like me and hate to waste anything, cook up a storm and invite a bunch of friends over for a Backwards Potluck. It’s “backwards” because instead of everybody bringing a dish and ending up with a hodgepodge buffet, you’re providing the hodgepodge and sending your guests home with the leftovers. I don’t call it a dinner party because none of the food “matches” – there could be a Mexican casserole, Italian pasta, lots of desserts … Then package up all the leftovers and give them to your guests as they depart at the end of the evening.
Even after the “backwards potluck” I still had lots of forbidden food around, so I cooked up another storm and delivered meals to some single parent families in my church and neighborhood with a little note of encouragement for the great job they were doing. Oh well, that’s what I did because I love to cook and hate to waste, you may just want to throw it all away, or donate it uncooked to a local food bank or a family who could use it.
Make sure to print out and read through Forbidden Foods and the Food Pyramid.
Several book titles are mentioned throughout these pages. They are each linked directly to the site where you can order them. If you choose to order them now, do so, then return to this site using the “Back” arrow of your browser to continue gathering UnDiet information. If you don’t choose to order these books now, there’s a series of Book Review pages towards the end of this site, which is also listed in the Home Page table of contents.
I’ve given each UnDiet Plan it’s own page to make it easier to access and print out. I’ve written each plan out as it’s own entity which means that certain sections may be repeated for each plan. I did this because I think it’s irritating to be following a plan and have it say something like “follow previous plan steps 1-3, then …” I’d much rather have each plan spelled out in it’s entirety. Since many of you may be reading through each plan though, I’ve marked in bold the information that is new to make it easier to skim.
You’ll find links throughout these pages which will lead you to more information about the linked item. It’s not necessary to follow these links to achieve success with the UnDiet. The information is there for those who want to know “why?” If you’re the studious type I’ll be continually expanding this background information, so go ahead and bookmark this site and check back every now and then. Remember when you follow a link other than “Next Step”, use your browser’s “back” arrow to return to the page you were on.
Protein Blast
If you or a loved one are balking at the idea of dieting, or maybe you just don’t want to throw away all that meat and cheese in your refrigerator before starting your diet, then the UnDiet Protein Blast is just the thing for you. You’ll lose around a pound a day (sometimes more, sometimes less) on the Protein Blast. Even if you’re not interested in doing a full-on Protein Blast, it’s good to know how to use proteins to your best advantage as there’s bound to be times when you don’t have control over your food choices (dining out, on a cruise, at a dinner party) and following the Protein Blast guidelines will often be your best choice to stay on track.
Eliminate All Complex Carbohydrates
Eliminate: grains starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, cooked carrots, peas, cooked beets
Separate Starches from Proteins
If I had to choose between a dish that contained rice and chicken and a dish that contained chicken and veggies, I’d choose the chicken and veggies. It’s a healthier choice and one that will continue to move me towards my weight goal.
Eliminate Sugars
You don’t want to have any sugar, even unrefined sugar on the Protein Blast and you want to limit your consumption of Nutrasweet. So even if you don’t plan to use Protein Blast as your plan of choice you should read through it to be armed against the unforeseen.
First 7-14 Days
Try not to stay on Protein Blast any longer than two weeks. After one month many people stop losing weight. Eliminate all complex carbohydrates such as grains and beans, Fruits, starches (potatoes, carrots, beets, corn, sweet potatoes, yams, and popcorn), caffeine, and all sugars (honey, white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, fructose, date sugar, maple syrup, Nutrasweet, aspartame …) from your diet. Limit your vegetables to 10-20 grams of carbohydrates a day. Get yourself a Carbohydrate Counter as it is extremely important that you limit your carbs to 10-20 grams. What does that leave on the menu? Dairy, fats, meats. Don’t worry about the calories you’re consuming, DON’T COUNT THEM, EAT THEM! Don’t be afraid, Protein Blast really does work. For full documentation of a high-protein program check out Lose The Belly Fat. Protein Blast is the only plan that must be followed to the letter. Small deviations like drinking regular coffee instead of decaf, eating just a little bit of sugar … will sabatouge your metabolic response to the Proteins and fats you’re eating and you will not lose weight.
Beverages
The best beverage choice is plain, filtered water. While it’s not necessary to use filtered water to succeed with the Protein Blast, I suggest it here to give you a head start on the detoxification process that you’ll begin with the next stage of the UnDiet. You can also enjoy herbal teas, decafblack tea and decaf coffee (hot or cold). You may use whipping cream, in your tea or coffee, but not half and half or milk, and not more than six tablespoons of cream per day. Since I’m not crazy about the taste of plain water I usually keep a pitcher of tea such as Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger teas or Good Earth Caffeine Free Tea. Make sure to subtract the carbohydrates in your beverages (if any) from your daily carb allowance.
Day 8 or 15 through to your goal weight
Switch to the Basic UnDiet Plan or if you or your family need to ease into healthy foods like whole grains and pastas, you could go to the UnDiet Family Plan.
Recipes
- The HCG Dieter Gourmet Cookbook
- Breads
- Soups
- Salads
- Snacks
- Party Foods
- Recipe Index – go to the Protein section
- Negative Calorie Foods & Recipes
Related Links
- Sugarless Shoppe – sugar-free products with the diabetic in mind. Excellent selection, good prices.
- The Grain & Salt Society – finally a source for grain-sweetened chocolate chips! Wide variety of other hard to find ingredients.
- Nature’s Flavors – large selection of high quality, natural, and organic baking ingredients.
More Protein Blast information and recipes
- The Atkins Diet – info on low carb, high protein diet, also link to Atkins products
- Atkins Diet Revolution – what types of eating challenges this diet helps to overcome
- Atkins Diet – book reviews, order books at discount prices
Step By Step
If you’d like help getting started with the UnDiet you’ll recieve an e-mail every week with a new UnDiet step, which will also provide you with tips, recipes utilizing that week’s step, and encouragement to keep on following through with previous steps. There’s no charge to give the Step-By-Step E-Mail Program a try. When you request one month of FREE UnDiet Steps you’ll also be added to the UnDiet Update list which will notify you when new recipes and info are added to this site.
Fat Blast
If you’ve been a yo-yo dieter or are very overweight your metabolism may be extremely resistant to losing weight. It’s like your metabolism says, “Oh yeah. I’ve been through this before. You’re going to lose some weight, but then you’re just going to gain it back again. Well I’m not playing anymore. You’re just not going to lose the weight this time.” To kick your weight loss off to a rousing good start or propel yourself off of a plateau, spend three to five days on the Fat Blast Plan.
Caution: The Fat Blast is dangerous for any person who is not metabolically resistant. For those who are able to lose weight fairly easily, this is not a safe diet plan. But the Fat Blast carries little risk for those who have tried other regimens and have barely lost any weight.
The Basic Idea
You can eat 1000 calories a day (same for men as for women) but it has to be the most fat-laden foods you can think of! Sound fun? To make it easier, we’ve divided the 1000 calories into blocks of 300 for each meal and one snack of 100. Here’s some suggestions, each bullet represents one block, i.e. choose one bulleted item(s) from each time block.
Breakfast
- 9 slices of bacon
- 3 eggs with 3 T. sour cream or 1 oz. cream cheese or 1 oz. cheddar cheese
- 3 eggs (237, 79) with 1 oz.(62) ham
Lunch
- 3 oz. oil packed tuna mixed with 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
- 1 oz. cream cheese spread on 3 oz. deli-sliced ham, spread with a little mustard (optional)
Dinner
- 5 oz. ham
- 1 oz. ham (62) mixed with 2 T. (200) mayonnaise
- 1/4 pound corned beef (144), spread with mustard and 1 1/2 oz. cream cheese
Snacks
- 1 oz. Brie, topped with 1 T. caviar (optional)
- 1 oz. Camembert, topped with 1 T. caviar (optional)
- 1 oz. cream cheese spread on 1/2 oz. deli-sliced ham, spread with a little mustard (optional)
- 1 tablespoon caviar (40)
Beverages
- filtered water
- water processed decaf coffee (drink this only if you have to)
- no Fruit or vegetable juices
- herb teas (You may add Sweet N Low or other non-aspartame sugar substitute – when you go back to any other UnDiet plan nix the Sweet N Low and use honey, or date or maple sugar. Try one of Celestial Seasonings “Zinger” teas, or Good Earth’s decaf cinnamon tea. They are so flavorful that you may find you don’t need to add sweetener.)
Detailed Information
For more detailed information on the mechanics of the Fat Blast, such as the science and research behind it check out this article at The Low Carb Connoisseur READ MORE
More Recipes
LowCarber – readers share their Fat Fast recipes in the forum.
Cleansing For Health & Weight Loss
“The Isagenix Cleanse For Life program is my favorite internal cleansing product because it’s organic, has vitamins and herbs that not only work as an internal body cleanser, but it keeps me from feeling woozy on days when I’m doing an intense cleanse. I use the Isagenix Cleanse Drink both to get healthy, clean out the toxins and to lose weight. It works beautifully on all counts.” Heather – Beverly Hills, CA More info.
The Isagenix Cleanse For Life internal body cleanse works as a:
- kidney cleanse
- body cleanse
- super colon cleanse
- weight loss cleanse
- full body detox
- detox cleanse
- colon clense
- total cleanse
- whole body cleanse
- colon flush
- natural detox
- ultimate colon cleanse
- total body cleanse
- detox tea (hot or cold)
- intestinal cleansing
- herbal cleanse
These “Tips For Successful Cleansing” can be applied to any type of internal body cleanse that you choose. These tips will help to make your Master Cleanse, Natural Colonix, Cleanse Smart and other popular cleansing program easier and more successful.
Want more energy, better focus and a leaner body? Cleanse for Life is the answer! It’s unique because it actually replenishes vital nutrients as it cleanses your body.
Over time, impurities from the environment, your food and water build up and cause your body to function less efficiently. Isagenix Cleanse for Life helps rid your body of unwanted impurities with gentle cleansing herbs such as Pau D’arco, Yellow Dock and Aloe Vera while infusing it with vital nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. So, your body can function more effectively. Cleanse for Life helps you to have more energy, think more clearly and cleanse to safely lose weight. *
You can use Cleanse for Life in two different ways for best results. First, you can drink two ounces each day to aid the removal of surface-level impurities. Second, you can do a deep cleanse once or twice a month to help remove embedded impurities and shed unwanted pounds. You’ll be amazed by your results!
Choose either the 9 Day or 30 Day Program
Drink to your good health every day.
Cleanse for Life offers a number of healthy benefits:
- Helps increase energy and endurance.
- More effectively lose unwanted fat and inches when combined with proper diet and exercise.
- Increases resistance to oxidative stress.
- Improves mental and physical performance.
- Strengthens the immune system.
- Supports heart health.
- Aids digestive health.
Internal nutritional body cleansing unlocks the miracle of the human body. The herbs, vitamins and minerals that aid cleansing do two things:
- Accelerate the removal of impurities from the body.
- Nourish the body with vital nutrients to rapidly revive health.
A body that has experienced a nutritionally supported cleansing and detoxification is a body that is stronger, resists illness better, is more efficient and performs at a higher level than one that is filled with impurities or that has gone through the stress of a non-nutritionally based cleansing. Many people notice an ability to reach and maintain their ideal weight with less effort.
Dr. Lynn Hardy, N.D., C.N.C., Director of the Global College of Natural Medicine says that …
Internal Cleansing Pretty Much Guarantees Significant Weight Loss
When you have a sluggish, toxic digestive system, your metabolism becomes slower, your energy level drops and you’re generally not strong enough to burn off stored fat by exercising or moving enough throughout your day. A cleansing program can help restore the balance in your body and increase your metabolism, which will kick start your body’s fat-burning machine. After a thorough detoxification, you’ll find yourself more inclined to eat healthier and make healthier lifestyle choices. Once you’re living with a detoxified system, improved digestion and a balanced metabolism you’ll find – that you have little trouble reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.
Other Benefits of Internal Cleansing
- The Prevention of Illness
- An Improvement in Physical Appearance
- A Boost in Emotional Well-Being
- A Sharpening of Mental Capabilities
- An Enhancement in Digestion
- The Elimination of Unhealthy Food Addictions & Allergies
- The Attainment of Ideal Weight
- A Minimizing of the Effects of Aging
Click Here to get started on the path to better health and real weight loss!
The Power of Water
We all know that water is good for us, but often the reasons are a little fuzzy. And even if we know why we should, it’s not a habit that many people form.
But there are some very powerful reasons to drink lots of water every day, and forming the habit isn’t hard, with a little focus. The above is the beginning of an excellent, short & very informative article published by Dumb Little Man. Read the rest of the article here.
How to Keep Your Family Safe From Toxins
Make Drinking Water More a Part of Your Life
Replace your plastic water bottles with stainless steel.
Fill a stainless steel bottle 1/2 full of water and place in the freezer. When you’re getting ready to leave the house fill the bottle to the top with fresh water and you’ll have ice cold water for quite a long time.
Fill ice cube trays with orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit or watermelon juice. Pop them into your water glass for a little extra flavor.
Puree mint with enough citrus juice to make a smooth puree. Freeze in ice cube trays and add them to your water glass whenever you need a flavor boost.
Use herbal tea bags to add flavor to your water.
Eating Out on the UnDiet – General Guidelines
Eating out can often be the undoing of a good UnDiet day. It doesn’t have to be that way though. Once you understand the principles of The UnDiet you can eat anywhere and make choices that will support your weight loss and health goals.
Appetizers
Before ordering an appetizer or drink peruse the menu and decide whether you’ll be having a Protein, Starch or Neutral (veggies, nuts, tofu) meal, then order your appetizer and drinks accordingly.
When the waiter comes to the table, ask if there are any whole grain breads which can be substituted for some or all (depending on who you’re eating with) of the bread in the bread basket. If not, or if you’re having a Protein Meal, don’t eat from the bread basket.
If you don’t think you can survive watching everyone else eat from the bread basket, order Fruit juice, vegetable juice drink or UnDiet favorable appetizer (small salad, veggie plate, Fruit …). If you really feel you need a treat, order a glass of wine and a bottle of sparkling water and mix the two.
Choosing a Meal
Since few restaurants use whole grains, you’ll find that it’s usually easier to choose a Protein or Neutral Meal when eating out.
A burger is fine, just ask the waiter to bring it without the bun (it’s easier to not eat something that’s you never even see).
A tuna or chicken salad alone or on greens is a good choice, just don’t order it as a sandwich filling.
And of course there’s steak, shrimp, chicken, etc. dishes. Just make sure they don’t contain any breading. Don’t worry about the fat in these dishes.
A baked potato topped with butter, salsa, tomato pasta sauce, bruschetta or veggies makes a good Starch Meal, especially with a side salad or all vegetable dish from the a-la-carte menu. Even a little sour cream or cheese is okay.
It is next to impossible to find a soup in a restaurant that perfectly conforms to the UnDiet guidelines, so I suggest that you make your best choice and don’t worry about things like the fact that your bean soup is made with chicken broth. Many soups are hearty enough to make a meal, especially if you add a salad, or a sandwich (if you can get it on whole grain bread and the soup is Neutral or Starch).
If rice, potatoes or pasta comes with your meal ask the waiter to replace them with vegetables, preferably grilled or steamed but take whatever you can get.
UnDiet Your Beverages
Often when someone decides to change their diet either to get healthy or to lose weight they forget about their beverages. So here’s a quick checklist for getting your beverages to match up with your new eating plan.
Go through your beverages and eliminate any that contain:
- Caffeine – don’t forget that many diet sodas have caffeine. Caffeine has the same insulin-stimulating, weight-loss-inhibiting effect as aspartame.
- Sweeteners: Aspartame, Nutrasweet, high fructose corn syrup, refined sugar, sucrose, corn syrup or corn syrup product and dextros.
Read labels! I had been drinking this delicious fruit-flavored mineral water for some time when I looked at the label and was horrified to find that it contained high fructose corn sweetener! What can you drink? While plain water would be ideal sometimes you want a little variety – especially when you’re trying to drink half your body weight in ounces. So to make it easier for you to get your beverage on check out some of the suggestions below to add some excitement to your water:
- water with a squeeze of lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit juice
- herbal teas, hot or iced
- vegetable juice (be careful of the sodium content in store-bought juices)
- hot vegetable broth
- Stevia is an excellent choice for a natural sweetener in your beverages. Some people (myself included) think it has a bit of a bitter after-taste. Liquid stevia generally has less additives than powdered stevia. Read your labels!
- Monk fruit is another natural sweetener which like stevia has 0 carbs and 0 calories and less of an after-taste. The problem with monk fruit is that it’s difficult to find pure monk fruit. Skinny Girl Monk Fruit Extract Liquid Sweetener, Monk Fruit in the Raw and Monk Fruit to Go have 0 carbs and few to 0 additives.