Are you ready to kick sugar and give up chocolate this March?
1st March marks the start of Dechox month, a whole month dedicated to giving up the sweet stuff. Anything containing cocoa is off limits; from the sprinkles on your cappuccino to that chocolate bar.
How often do you eat chocolate? Once a week? Every day? You’ll be shocked to know that the average Brit spends more than £325 on chocolate every year. Recent statistics also show that we eat an average of 187 chocolate bars a year.
As adults, the maximum daily intake for added sugars is 30g. This is the equivalent of 7 teaspoons. Some of the worst offenders available in supermarkets contain your recommended daily intake in just ONE bar.
Take a look at some of Britain’s popular chocolate bars containing the most sugar below.
Mars (51g)
Mars bars currently contain 30.5g sugar. That’s more than your recommended daily intake. This is the equivalent of eating 2.4 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed donuts.
Double Decker (54.5g)
The popular Double Decker contains a shocking 29.5g sugar. Approx. 7.5 teaspoons.
Twix (58g – Both fingers)
Another favourite is Twix, which contains 28g of sugar.
If you’re looking to cut down on your chocolate consumption and watch your sugar intake, then we recommend looking at alternative low sugar choices. All types of chocolate will affect your teeth and health if eaten too regularly, but reading labels carefully will help when it comes to cutting down on sugar. We can help you swap to chocolate bars that are better for your health.
Keep an eye on the ingredients
Have you ever picked up a chocolate bar and noticed it’s advertised as ‘Low Sugar’ or ‘No Added Sugar?’ Make sure you check the labels, as most of the time the main ingredient in low sugar chocolate bars is an artificial sweetener. These artificial sweeteners can be as bad as sugar and can wreak havoc on your digestive system if eaten in large quantities. They are just as sweet and fuel your sweet cravings and also make you feel hungry afterwards.
Artificial sweeteners go by many names, including xylitol, glucose syrup, corn syrup, sucralose, sorbitol, fructose and many more.
It’s not just chocolate bars you should look out for. Dechox month means cutting out anything containing cocoa. Do you know how much sugar is in a regular jar of Nutella?
Take a look at this diagram below to see what you’re really consuming…
Craving chocolate? Try these tasty chocolate swaps:
- A handful of fresh berries
- Plain popcorn
- Whole fruits such as oranges and peaches
- Yoghurt
- A handful of almonds
If you would like to find out more about Dechox month, our friends at the British Heart Foundation can tell you more here.
A dentist over at Bow Lane Dental group has also put together a helpful blog called ‘Is chocolate good for you?’ which you can read here.