A Chocolate a Day Helps Keep the Cravings Away

Calling all chocolate lovers! Join the Chocolate Mindful Eating Challenge February 1-28th with Dr. Susan Albers, psychologist and author of EatQ and Eating Mindfully. If you crave chocolate but worry about eating too much of it, this is the perfect challenge for you. Dr. Albers, an avid dark chocolate lover, is an expert in helping people, "Eat less and enjoy more," chocolate guilt-free.

If you have a chocolate craving, "Answer it-mindfully," says Dr. Susan Albers. Dr. Albers will walk Challenge participants through the steps of "mindful eating." If you aren't a chocolate fan, that is okay. The principles of mindful eating work for any food you crave.

The Mindful Eating Challenge is based on new research which indicates that "accepting" your cravings can help you manage your portion sizes better and reduce craving. Although it sounds counter-intuitive, working with your cravings is more effective than denying yourself or trying to fend them off according to a study in the British Journal of Medicine. It solves the emotional tug-of-war between really wanting chocolate and trying to tell yourself, "no," which is rarely effective.

Additionally, a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people who ate chocolate at least twice a week had a lower BMI (body mass index) than those who frequently denied themselves of it. The reasoning? When you allow yourself to slowly savor chocolate, you are less likely to overeat or binge on it. Eating it mindfully is key to eating just the right amount and maximizing pleasure.

The Mindful Eating Chocolate Challenge will include:

• Step-by-step instructions on how to eat chocolate mindfully!
• A chocolate crave meter for measuring your chocolate cravings
• Psychological tips for eating "just enough" chocolate to be satisfied
• A neuropsychologist will be discussing why our brains love chocolate so much and the connection between hormones and craving chocolate
• Guest sweet-tooth blogger
• Healthy chocolate recipes
• Advice from celebrity dietitians
• Chocolate giveaways

You can join the challenge by "Liking" http://www.facebook.com/eatdrinkmindful and signing up for Dr. Albers' newsletter. To find out more about "mindful eating," see EatQ: Unlock the Weight Loss Power of Emotional Intelligence (HarperOne, 2013).