CHOCOLATE

Who doesn’t love chocolate?

What is the chocolate world all about?

In 2010, US annual retail sales of chocolate were $18 billion. According to the National Confectionary Association retail sales of chocolate have continued to increase 3 – 4% each year.

In 2011, each person in the US consumed 4.6 kg of chocolate. In the UK, in the same year, on average 11kg of chocolate was consumed per person.

In 2014, Mintel reported that 1 in 6 (16%) people in the UK ate chocolate every day and 17% ate chocolate 4-6 times per week.

During March, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) have a campaign called Dechox, challenging people to give up chocolate for March to raise money. 

Team DECHOX loves chocolate and quote they “Love it. Yet we’re still willing to give it up in March for life saving heart research”.

The Dietician at BHF is saying about giving up chocolate – ‘if you normally grab a chocolate bar to help cope with a tough day, a possibility could be you end up not getting the good mood endorphins released by chocolate and therefore be more prone to stress. This could result in stress headaches.’

Just for clarity, the British Heart Foundation are asking you to give up eating chocolate for one month to raise money. They are not asking you to consider giving it up for health benefits and there is no mention that eating chocolate affects your heart.

Also we are in Lent season in the Christian calendar and there are many who give up chocolate for 40 days, by a way of fasting, cleansing and purifying their body for Holy Easter.

Why are we a nation addicted to chocolate?

Who says chocolate is healthy for you?
Who is funding the chocolate research that says it is good for you?

Why do we give our children chocolate as a treat or reward?
Why is there more and more ways to eat chocolate?

Why are chocolates placed at the checkout in supermarkets?
What are chocolate adverts really showing us?

Why do we associate chocolate with emotions like being happy or sad?

Why do we want more and more chocolate?

Where does our craving for chocolate come from?
Why do we have an insatiable appetite for chocolate?

Would we bother to eat chocolate if it was the real thing, in other words without the milk and sugar it comes with in the fancy shiny wrapping?

  • Do we know that chocolate is full of sugar and dairy

    100g of many well-known chocolate bars contain between 47 – 72g of sugar.

  • Do we know that actual chocolate is very bitter tasting?
  • Do we know our favourite chocolate has caffeine?
  • Do we know that caffeine is addictive?
  • Do we know that caffeine affects our central nervous system?
  • Do we know our central nervous system includes the brain?
  • Do we know that our mood is altered after eating chocolate?
  • Do we know that our blood sugar levels are affected after eating chocolate?
  • Do we know that eating chocolate puts our whole body into an un-natural state?
  • Do we know that the sugar in chocolate is deeply harmful to our teeth?\
  • Do we know that chocolate might have a reaction to our skin and cause spots?

    Could it be possible that we actually need the sugar as we need the instant false energy          boost that sugar gives us?

    In 2012 just over 50% of chocolate eaters preferred to eat milk chocolate.

  • Could it be possible that we need the dairy for the comfort it brings to us in our mouth for the five seconds it takes to melt it?
  • Could it be possible that we eat chocolate to celebrate when things go well?
  • Could it be possible we eat chocolate to comfort ourselves after a bad day?
  • Could it be possible we eat chocolate to instantly numb how we are feeling?
  • Could it be possible that our body can produce the good mood endorphins that the BHF talk about, without eating chocolate?
  • Could it be possible that the caffeine in the chocolate gives us the false high to keep going when in truth we are actually exhausted?

Have we asked our body what it really feels like after eating chocolate?

I was a “chocoholic”. I would steal chocolate as a child from wherever it was hidden in the house. I could happily eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It would be true to say I was addicted to chocolate and life without chocolate, was not thinkable. 

I am chocolate free for 8 years now and there is not a cell in my body that craves any chocolate because I have come to realise that it was needed because I was exhausted and not living an honest life. Once I dealt with my exhaustion and started to become really honest about how I was choosing to live my life, the craving for sweet stuff and caffeine was simply not there.

New lifestyle choices mean my body is not having to cope and deal with the copious amounts of sugar which is in our chocolate and the desire to eat it or want it has gone forever.

References

Bradford, C. (n.d). How Large is the Chocolate Industry? smallbusiness.chron.com.
Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/large-chocolate-industry-55639.html

(2014, April 17). Nation of Chocoholics: Eight Million Brits Eat Chocolate Every Day. www.mintel.com. Retrieved from http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/food-and-drink/nation-of-chocoholics-eight-million-brits-eat-chocolate-every-day

Dental Helpline. (2015, August 28). How Much Sugar Is in Your Foods and Drinks? www.dentalhealth.org. Retrieved from https://www.dentalhealth.org/blog/blogdetails/170

(2016). Total Consumption of Chocolate Worldwide from 1999 to 2020 (in Million Tons). www.statista.com Retrieved from http://www.statista.com/statistics/238849/global-chocolate-consumption/

 

 

 

 

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Comments 42

  1. I too was a chocoholic – I couldnt go a day without it and used it to give me enough energy to get through each day (usually a few bars of chocolate a day). As you say, I too took the time to understand why I was using chocolate, particularly because I started to feel the highs when I ate it and the lows after I had eaten it. I realised I ate it because I was so exhausted and I had never really looked at why I was so exhausted. Once I started to address that (that I was people pleasing, taking on too much work, constantly busy and spinning around and around in a whirr of action, and never listening to my body) and made small but incremental changes to the way I was living over a few years with everything from rest, sleep, diet, hydration, exercise, I started to notice a lot of changes to my health and wellbeing, and my vitality, and some years ago I stopped needing chocolate and haven’t eaten it for years and I feel so much better for it too.

    1. You make a great point here Jane about how you realised that you ate chocolate because you were ‘so exhausted’. What is really interesting is how you share about ‘pleasing people, taking on too much work, constantly busy and spinning around’. Most of us live like this and call it normal and is it any wonder that we have a global plague and it is called Exhaustion. Of course it is not officially called a ‘plague’ as that would scare us all and we don’t want that, so instead we have more high energy sugary drinks with caffeine and then as we know coffee sales are up and at no point do we ever address the Responsibility we have to look after our own health.
      Chocolate is serious business and sales are on the up and up. I am living proof that the need for chocolate is simply not there if we deal with our exhaustion and why we have it in the first place. Mine was consistent late nights, overworking and getting involved in other peoples stuff and a diet high in sugar.

  2. As a person who really struggled to stop sugar (which obviously was devastating my body and my mental health on a regular basis) the understanding Bina brings here is so important!

    I fought my sugar cravings for 25 years with no success until I got honest, with Bina’s support and dealt with WHY I needed sugar.
    Now it is no problem and this is no small thing!

    I want to highlight what Bina says here about once having dealt with the ’cause’ for the craving, the constant struggle to resist was gone as the need for it had been addressed. This is certainly how it went with me. Oh how much trouble I could have saved myself…

    1. This comment Jo confirms why it is important to not fight the cravings but go to the WHY.
      Asking the why questions and then responding with total honesty is going to nail it once and for all.
      I had a 75 year old woman addicted to chocolate who got to the why and then applied the practical ways I suggested, to support herself and bingo things changed. She no longer eats any chocolate, cakes or biscuits. This is not a miracle, this is normal common sense stuff that actually works. It took her about 6 weeks and its been a year now with no desire to go back to chocolate.

  3. Top blog Bina about what chocolate truly gives us. I used to be addicted to chocolate until it was presented to me by Serge Benhayon that, actually, I didnt truly like chocolate, it was the dairy and the sugar that I liked. With this information I was able to start to reduce my chocolate intake and eventually stop eating chocolate completely and, like you, for the last several years I have been chocolate free and have no craving whatsoever. And you are so right, eating chocolate when I was happy and wanted to celebrate or being sad and wanted the comfort or simply just wanting to check out.

    1. Your comment here confirms Tim that it is the comfort we seek from the dairy and sugar that is behind why we crave chocolate. The actual real thing is super bitter and doubt it would be a craving for most of us.
      What is interesting is what you say about how you stopped. It is clear that having an understanding presented by someone – in this case Serge Benhayon who does not have chocolate in his radar, inside his system so to speak gives it authority. By that I mean this man is clear of the emotions and everything else that is associated with chocolate. This holds a quality, a vibration that is clear and others feel it even if they are not consciously aware of it at the time.
      You and me are living proof why it worked and the real bonus is having no cravings years later. This needs to be studied as this speaks volumes.

  4. Brilliant blog, thank you. I too was a chocoholic from childhood, I used to save all my pocket money to buy the biggest bar I could. The comforting creamy feel in my mouth I just couldn’t get enough and I loved the taste which I now know was more about the sugar. If I felt sad , I ate it, if I was celebrating I ate it, if I wanted a treat I ate it, or if I wanted to escape what I was feeling. Even when I could no longer eat dairy I found a dairy free version that felt just as creamy in my mouth. I have been off this version completely now for 4 years and it doesn’t even come into my radar anymore, I am glad to say, as I really became aware of the full effects it was having on my body. By addressing why I wanted it in the first place meant I no longer needed it and my addiction stopped.

    1. Thank You Ruth and yes this is a ‘brilliant blog’.
      The bit that sticks out is when you say “I just couldn’t get enough”. Sugar seems to feed an emptiness inside us which is like a bottomless pit and you give it more and it wants more.
      Looking at the reasons why you ate it I am sure most of us could relate to.
      These alternatives like dairy free if we are to be totally honest are still giving us the same comfort factor until we make the conscious choice to ask WHY.
      Well done Ruth for addressing why you wanted chocolate in the first place and this stopped the addiction.

  5. What’s interesting to me here is the light this blog shines on the WHY of chocolate and particularly the bit about what’s going on behind the scenes in the chocolate industry. Not just the obviously manipulative ‘go on you deserve it’ style industry advertising, but the more subtle stuff. Like the health blogs on chocolate’s magnesium or potassium levels or some-such and the advice that’s it’s good to have a few squares of dark chocolate a day. It’s the same as the pseudo medical advice out there that a glass of red wine is good for you. We all know alcohol can never truly be good for us and we all know chocolate can never truly be good for us, yet these convenient claims make it easier for us to pull the wool over our own eyes so we can have our comforts. I remember once looking in the fridge for some chocolate and then my husband came over and we hugged and suddenly I didn’t want chocolate any more. For me that was a massive moment – to see that what I wanted was not the chocolate but the comfort. It’s not easy to look at what’s behind our choices but sometimes we get shown the mirror just at the right moment so the thing that needs to change become un-ignorable. A bit like reading this blog – once you’ve read it, it’s that much harder to go back … and of course also, therefore, that much easier to move forward.

    1. Thank You JS and what you say here is super important about the manipulative way chocolate is advertised and yet we all deeply know it is not a healthy food even if we would like to think it is.
      You mention health blogs that spell out the benefits of chocolate – are the people writing it needing chocolate in some form?
      Are we the consumer finding and reading what suits us so we can continue in the same way and make no real changes?
      Do blogs like this annoy us or ruffle our feathers?

      Finally – a wise man once told me once you read something, you cannot un-read it.
      Once you feel something, you cannot un-feel it.

  6. Another great blog Simple Living Global – so many hidden addictions in many of the foods and drink we consume, this is no different to a drug addiction.

    I can relate to the chocolate as a reward or comfort, personally it was more of a reward, my thoughts were ‘I have worked hard so I deserve it’.

    I watched a family member give their 5 year old child chocolate from early in the morning because their (mother) is struggling to manage / care for this spritely child, sad when this habit began at a very young age and now is their norm. Another teenager in the same family confessed he couldn’t go without a large bar / box of chocolate a day. What is he struggling with – exhaustion? He has no financial worries, everything handed to him, yet it isn’t enough?

    What’s missing in our lives to fill this empty space with chocolate?

  7. I was sat in my car outside a supermarket yesterday, before school time, and noticed a gathering group of about 10 children as they came out the supermarket.
    Five of these children were eating chocolate bars they had just bought, one had bought a multipack.

    Why were these children eating chocolate before school?

    Why are our children craving this stimulant?

    What did they have for breakfast?… did they have breakfast?

    Did they sleep well?

    Are they exhausted and if so why?

    What is it about school that they need chocolate to start the day?

    How would this affect them for the rest of the day? their nervous systems, their brains, their behaviour, their sugar levels? their ability to learn?

    Are they feeling appreciated for who they are rather than what they do?

    Do we need to look at our responsibility in how we are living as a role model?

    Is it time for us to ask these questions… and more?

  8. If someone filmed me as a child there would be no doubt left that I would ever give up chocolate. Easter time for me was bigger, more chocolate, as those small bars didn’t cut it.

    Once I got older and I could pay and eat however much I wanted, things got from bad to worse. Not once would I even think that I was addicted to chocolate.

    Today chocolate is not on my radar at all. No advert, fancy wrapping or emotional message could make me want to touch that stuff. Those who know me thought at first it was my “new diet” and waited to see how long it would last.
    Well almost a decade later I am free of the NEED for chocolate.

    That’s what it was for me. I needed chocolate as it was a comfortable and a suitable way of avoiding my exhaustion and a way to not deal with all the issues I was happily burying.

  9. You speaking of Easter reminds me of the showcase of Easter eggs that I used to have as a child. I say showcase, as all the eggs that I was bought were placed in the glass fronted cabinet in my grandmother’s front room. Every time someone came to visit they would bring me an egg so there must have been at least 20 in there. It was a good excuse to eat chocolate for months!

    I knew there were times that I did not want to eat it, but kept going as it was a challenge just to see how much I could eat. I had to finish them all. Throwing any away was not an option.

    Today I no longer eat chocolate and recognise how harming it is. There is no nutritional value in it, it’s not a nurturing food product and so many people work in very poor conditions to produce this for us to eat.

    So why do we have it?

  10. I’ve noticed my youngest son is particularly drawn to sweet food, to the point of sneak-eating. We were having a big chat about it recently and he came out with something really interesting.

    He said ‘I like it, it makes me go faster’.

    For me that was huge. It shows how we know exactly what sweet food is doing to the body, even at 5 years old and that is why we eat it.

    As parents, we know this too. Where does that leave us if we reflect for a moment on the sweets/chocolate we give them?

  11. This is a powerful observation Ruth.

    As a parent, I really do get the challenge.

    Just yesterday we were in a cafe and there were loads of choclatey cakes and treats on display right at child height. They were even ‘heathy’ treats – gluten and dairy free and some without refined sugar.

    My kids just kept staring and asking and staring and asking.

    If giving your kids treats is the norm, then saying no stands out. It stands out with your kids, particularly where they see other kids having what they want. And it stands out with anyone watching, particularly other parents.

    Sometimes it’s not easy to say no. You want an easy life. You want the whining to stop. You want your kids to be happy. You don’t want people to stare or judge.

    But raising kids is a long game. Short term fixes don’t work. I know how my kids feel and behave when they’ve had chocolate/sugar and it puts you in a viscous cycle that’s hard to break.

    So I’m standing firm in the face of child temptation and certainly in the face of pester power.

    The knowing and the authority are mine and I’m not giving them away.

  12. I received an item in the post yesterday and inside was a voucher giving me big bucks off my first luxury box of chocolates. The big bucks in silver bolded caught my eye and I recall being a member of this chocolate club.

    The card was very inviting and the bit that struck me was how tempting it would be to just order, as the chocolates looked so real and most of us would want to eat them.

    Thank God I do not have any interest in chocolate whatsoever and it made me stop and appreciate how far I have come as I most certainly was known for being addicted to chocolate. No amount was ever enough.

    Once I started working on my exhaustion with the early sleep and a bedtime routine that supported me, things changed and the sweet cravings got less. ADD to that my understanding of what chocolate actually does and bingo things shifted fast.

    We cannot blame the chocolate industry for supplying us with more and more ways to eat chocolate. We are the ones demanding it and so it is really a case of supply and demand. Many people do not even join the dots to know that there is a strong correlation with obesity, diabetes, blood pressure and other health symptoms when we eat chocolate as it contains sugar.

    We all know sugar is a legal drug and it sure is killing us.

  13. The Office of National Statistics have released information on ‘shrinkflation.’

    ‘Shrinkflation’ is where manufacturers reduce the size of packaged goods whilst keeping the price the same. This is something I have been hearing about for some time.

    Chocolate has been noted as one area – with manufacturers saying that they have had to resize products due to rising raw materials.

    https://visual.ons.gov.uk/shrinkflation-and-the-changing-cost-of-chocolate/

    Various reasons have been given as to why prices have been rising.

    Mars told the Independent newspaper that ‘We have been absorbing rising raw material and operational costs for some time, but the growing pressures mean that we can’t keep things as they are.’

    So the real question is why is there so much pressure and demand for chocolate and it’s raw materials?

    We know that this is not a natural way of living and that chocolate is not a nutritious food substance – so what is really going on and why are we craving this substance so much?

    If we contemplated the questions in this blog by Simple Living Global, perhaps we would find the answers?

  14. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/16/super-sized-chocolate-bars-driven-hospitals-tackle-obesity/
    The Telegraph – 16 October 2017

    Super-sized chocolate bars to be driven out of hospitals to tackle obesity says head of NHS England.

    This health chief bigwig is saying ‘we need to fight the ‘super-size’ snack culture as he sets out new rules for sweets and chocolate sold in hospital canteens, shops and vending machines.
    The plan is to give extra funding if hospitals limit most sweets and chocolate on sale to a maximum of 250 calories.

    Around 700,000 NHS employees out of 1.3 million are thought to be overweight or obese + two in three adults in the general public.
    Without being a maths expert, with simple common sense we can work out this is a huge problem.

    Reading this blog what is clear is that the sugar content in chocolate is a killer and it is well documented that sugar is like a drug and highly addictive.

    I have been visiting a crazy busy central London hospital every day for two weeks and the thing I noticed was staff with the sugary drinks and snacks full of sugar including chocolate to keep going. On the ground floor of this 12 floor huge building it’s like a frenzy of food, coffee and snack shops with long lines and so many people all day including midnight !

    My question is are we on the front foot with this obesity crisis?

    Is the hospital ban of super-size going to mean any real changes?

    Have we forgotten how creative we all become if we can’t have what we want?

    Do we realise that there is another way as it was said to me in hospital today – buy it and bring it in if we can’t get super-size?

    Do we as an Intelligent species on earth think for a minute that our health practitioners are going to give up the high sugar they need to keep going as they are so overworked?

    Are we ready to do real life studies on people like me who were addicted to chocolate for over 4 decades and no longer and it’s been 10 years with zero craving?

    Are we ready to get real that these restrictions do not lead to a healthier workforce, as we tend to find other ways to feed our ill habits until we get to the root cause?

    Are our governments going to keep looking for solutions or can we get them to really support our NHS staff with true care and support?

    Can we add caffeine fuelled drinks onto the list of sugary foods and then take a look at everything else on the menu with added sugar?

    We also need to take into consideration – those dishing out advice, those in authority laying out the rules and those who have the power to make changes – How are they living?

    No point someone who loves chocolate and coffee telling us to give it up or cut back if they are still doing it. Somehow it feels untrue and inauthentic as the person presenting is not living what they are asking others to do.

    1. I do agree with what you are saying here. Just last week a friend told me about her visit to a hospital and the observation that a nurse was drinking a well known fizzy drink and then threw the empty bottle on the floor when she was finished.

      Where are our medical role models and how can any of us support anyone to heal if we are living unhealthy lifestyles ourselves, not only by what we place into our bodies but also through the way that we treat our environment?

      It all counts.

  15. I was in a cafe ordering a tea and I could see a jar of marshmallows behind the counter – presumably to put on top of hot chocolate.

    I like to take care of my body so marshmallows and hot chocolate are not my thing.

    Nonetheless, I was standing there waiting and the marshmallows were talking to me! My eyes kept being drawn to them and I was thinking what it would be like to taste them.

    Then my eyes landed on a display of cakes I hadn’t previously bothered looking at. An ‘ooh, what would they taste like’ thought popped in.

    If this happens to others too (which it must, otherwise shops wouldn’t display treats at the til), and we know the consumption of chocolate and sweets and the like is terrible for our collective health, then there’s an easy way to reduce it: put them out of sight.

    If people get the ‘I’d like chocolate’ thought, they can go and find/ask for it. But all the people not otherwise thinking about eating something sweet, wont have their thoughts ‘infected’.

    Supply and demand speaks, but as we’ve seen with cigarettes, there are ways to support us to think twice about our choices.

  16. An article in ‘news.com.au’, 12th December 2017, talks about how a well-known pizza company launches first ever 1822 calorie dessert pizza.

    The pizza company officially launched its first ever dessert pizza this week with the chocolate dessert pizza.

    It comes with a chocolate base, chocolate drops, chocolate fudge brownies and marshmallows (what, no chocolate marshmallows??), and is smothered in more chocolate and icing sugar.

    The pizza has an enormous 1822 calories and the pizza company’s CEO Australia and New Zealand said the demand for dessert pizza was growing.

    It also follows the launch of the company’s other new product, which boasts 16” pizzas with three times the cheese of a regular pizza and eight long “foldable” slices.

    The amount of sugar in this dessert pizza must be staggering.

    Without even considering the health implications, especially if we have this new pizza with its triple cheese as the main course, will something like this actually be edible?

    The average calorie intake per day for men is 2500 calories and for women it is 2000 calories.

    This company’s new medium size pizza contains:

    1624 calories
    78g fat
    14g sugar

    With the chocolate dessert pizza coming in at 1822 calories, that makes for a whopping 3446 calories.

    The CEO of this company said that demand for dessert pizza was growing, but is this product really necessary?

    Is it possible that the creation of this product is totally irresponsible?

    With all things, we can easily blame the manufacturer for creating products that are not good for us but in all cases we are the ones that create the demand.

    Of course, the ultimate responsibility, as in everything we do, is down to ourselves.

    We are the ones that can make the difference between a product like this staying around or being consigned to the bin.

  17. Citizen Journalism

    Reporting on the street news as it is today.

    Giant chocolate Easter Egg at £40 at the supermarket by the front doors.

    At the checkout out goes the ‘healthy type non sugar snacks as it is now Easter Eggs and of course more new stuff with lots of packaging to keep the thing looking how we want it to look.

    What about this new tackle on waste?

    Do we forget that stuff as its Easter and we want our chocolate eggs perfect?

    Who can eat that size and are we seriously indulging in our demand for more chocolate?

    Once upon a time, I was a serial chocolate eater and it would be true to say I was addicted from childhood up until 10 years ago.

    I would dream about chocolate, eat it at anytime and one jumbo bar was never enough.

    I liked the triple chocolate cake melted at the pizza place and for me that was the only reason I would go, not really for the main dinner.

    Chocolate left me feeling like something was missing and so I just wanted more and more was never enough.

    I now realise that I used chocolate every single time that I felt tired, exhausted, fed up, bored, excited, hurt or in any reaction. It was a best friend and I could have as much as I want as it was stock piled in the house at all times throughout my life.

    It would be true to say that I was using chocolate as a false way of operating my body and this is now gone. Chocolate is no longer in my back pack to pull out on an off day or wobbly moment. It just does not happen.

    I have completely dealt with my exhaustion, I have committed to life and that means got my act together with that word RESPONSIBILITY at the core of all my choices everyday.

    I have nailed the exhaustion by having a strong sleep rhythm for over a decade and dealt with my buried hurts and issues.

    I have a strong connection to purpose and that means I know what is needed to get on in life and bring awareness to others and share what I live because life now is amazing in every way and there is Another way to Live.

    ALL the above means the agony and misery that I used to wake up with everyday is just no longer there and so the need for chocolate is not there.

    There is nothing whatsoever that even tempts me, no advert and no fancy wrapper would make me go towards eating chocolate again. This is confirmation that once we get to the root cause of anything and knock it out, then we can evolve from an ill behaviour like eating chocolate.

    I do not need to be double blind tested and stuck in a lab – I am a living science and proof that you can totally recover from being a chocolate addict. It is never too late to have a go.

  18. The last day of term this week at my kids’s school and an Easter-themed celebration.

    It was all literally about chocolate.

    The Easter egg hunt. The cake sale. The activities. All the promotional material and communication in the run up.

    Talking to the organisers, they had not considered this singular focus and the messages it sends. Communicating that Easter equals chocolate. Celebrations involve sugar. Fun equals eating. Activities need reward.

    Just taking a stop to consider it had them coming up with other fun ideas, none of which involved chocolate, or in fact sugar.

    It feels to me we sleep walk into our behaviours – including indulging our own chocolate obsessions – and in doing so we pass them down to our children and confirm them in each other – perpetuating the cycle.

  19. So we have just had Easter, a time when our intake of chocolate is at its max.

    I read an article this last week on a £5,000 Chocolate Easter Egg that was made for a shop display. It is the biggest and most expensive Easter Egg to date. It was adorned with gold leafs and took 192 hours to make by a team of people. The team worked throughout the night to get it completed.

    Knowing that chocolate contains caffeine, as detailed in this blog on Chocolate by Simple Living Global and this one on Caffeine https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-caffeine/ also by Simple Living Global, we know that caffeine is harmful to the human body but why do we ignore this so that we can make the next big and better thing? The harm does not feature in any discussion.

    A few years ago I know that I would not have questioned this as I too ate chocolate, but as I began to make other lifestyle changes I could feel how I would reach for it to avoid dealing with uncomfortable situations or to not feel something.

    In my experience most of us do not want to be honest and feel the raw truth of what we are feeling and so substances like chocolate are the perfect comforters designed to stop us from being honest about what we are feeling.

  20. It seems the chocolate epidemic is getting worse.

    When I do school pick up these days, it seems every other child is eating chocolate. Older kids, younger kids – they are all munching on it. Even the babies in the pushchairs waiting for their siblings and the toddlers toddling around behind.

    Why is this? Are we simply giving this to them because they want it? Does it give us something too, like 5 minutes of peace?

    I see my kids come out of school wanting something. It is like there is a relief there. But we walk and we talk and it passes.

  21. Walking to my seat in a restaurant yesterday, I pass a man eating a chocolate dessert made in a glass and in my usual way I stop to chat.

    Out comes whatever needed to be said with no holding back. In brief, it was about how I was addicted to chocolate and how does he feel when he eats it and does he always want more.

    The conversation opened up and he said he has been addicted to sugar and chocolate since he was a young child. We then talked about caffeine. As a chef in London he has tried to give it up and is now really aware of the harm. End of conversation.

    Soon after he comes up to my dining table and tells me he never had anymore of the dessert and just left it. He got his phone out and we looked at this website and he had the recent caffeine blog ready to read. His handshake was warm and in my words I would say very open, caring and loving as was his face.

    Could it be possible that when someone has a conversation and they are actually LIVING that truth, then another instantly feels it?

    In other words, I am chocolate free in my body for 10 years and when I talk about this a vibration is felt, so to speak and the other person feels that on some level.

    Some of course may choose to not be aware but nevertheless, could it be that something has been registered in that moment.

    With this example above, it was confirmation to me to continue doing what I do and that is never shutting up my mouth when I know and can feel what I have to say may just be of benefit.

    Whether this guy stops eating it or gets onto this website or not makes no difference to me, but the very fact that I did not stop and follow posh eating place protocol by going up to a stranger and talking sense, is my way of saying I will do what it takes to expose the ills we are all living.

    I have a duty to my fellow brothers to bring awareness and that includes talking in the middle of a chocolate dessert in a fancy restaurant.

  22. In a shop the other day, my youngest son pointed out how many different types of chocolate bars there are.

    He couldn’t process what they all were and was picking up the packets trying to work it out.

    And it is true. It is hard to compute. The amount of choice is insane and new varieties are created all the time.

    It got me asking myself what would happen if there was only 1 taste, only 1 flavour?

    How would that affect our consumption?

    I suspect we would get bored and eat less.

    Hence the demand for all the myriad chocolate options laid out in shops all over the UK, keeping us hooked in.

  23. Asking a cafe at the weekend if they had a gluten/dairy free cake of some kind for our kids.

    They offered a vegan chocolate bar, made with raw chocolate.

    I thanked them but said that didn’t work – I have worked through a chocolate addition (literally an addiction) and seen the physical affect it has.

    The lady burst into a stream of reasons why we should eat the bar, listing out all its health properties and how amazing raw food is for the body.

    It was fascinating to see the wholesale sell out this woman had made to this information – stating all these health facts as true.

    And yet when you look at that vegan chocolate bar, it looks like a black stick of sweet goo. It says ‘eat me, you will get both comfort and a buzz’. Nothing about it says ‘eat me, you will get nutrition here’.

  24. A chocolate brownie company has started coming to our office to sell their wares.

    They bring in a fancy trolley specially made to transport the brownies.

    The office building has lots of different floors all with different businesses. The brownie people wheel their trolley around all the floors, park up in each reception that says yes, and start selling.

    The businesses send an email to the whole office and people come up and queue to buy. In our office, there is always a queue.

    They have different types of brownies – different flavours, to keep it interesting.

    They time their arrival to mid-afternoon, when there is often an energy slump and people have a feeling of wanting something and needing a boost. The brownies serve well.

    Once upon a time, you had to wait til your work break to eat. Now you can snack any time, sitting at your desk.
    Once upon a time, you had to buy your food outside and bring it in. Now many employers provide food for staff in the kitchen.
    Once upon a time, if you wanted chocolate, you had to plan for that. Now the chocolate gets wheeled to you in different flavours – anything you could possibly want.

    Do we see this continuum and where it is going?

  25. At a school fair this weekend, manning the chocolate tombola stall.

    Set up pride of place in the middle of the hall, the stall was crazy popular. As soon as people came through the door they saw it and made a bee-line.

    You paid to pick a number of tickets out of a box. Some of those tickets corresponded to tickets stuck on the front of different types of chocolate. The display was huge – bars and boxes and packets of all types, big and small; so many varieties.

    Kids and parents alike went mad for it, trying and re-trying to win.

    Some of the kids became fixated and their behaviour got out of control – pushing and shoving, not waiting their turn; trying to take more tickets than they had paid for. Their parents did little to address this, showing their palms in mock disempowerment.

    The tickets took patience to unfold, there was much frustration.

    Those who didn’t win mostly stayed in line spending until they did, often encouraged by an adult. Those who won were wide-eyed with glee, some gloating with friends, talking about when and how they would eat it.

    It was staggering to see this behaviour playing out. Seeing how much of a hold chocolate has over people, young and old.

    I know for myself how chocolate used to affect me. I gave it up because I didn’t like that addiction. That fixation.

    For me, the truth was I was tired and wanting both a buzz and respite from the pressures of life.

    When I started to address those underlying things, the chocolate itself was easy to let go of.

  26. At a busy accident & emergency department yesterday, the nurse offered our young boys chocolate. She said Santa had brought loads for the kids.

    This struck me as a crazy contradiction and we talked about that.

    In an hospital where it’s all about health, why would you give out something so unhealthy?

    Why would you have health professionals in positions of authority, essentially teaching kids that chocolate is something you have when you are sick or hurting or when you deserve a reward?

    How can kids process the contradiction of what they learn at home or school about food that supports your body and food that doesn’t, with being offered the unhealthy version by a doctor who is supposed to know about health and well-being?

    Why would you make it normal?

    Surely the reason is that eating chocolate is so normal for those health professionals and the kids around them. They see that it cheers the kids up and so why would you consider an alternative?

    But there are a million things that can cheer a person up, child or otherwise, and so many options that do not involve food, never mind chocolate.

    And what does chocolate do physiologically to a child if it is sick or injured?

    As I understand it, sugar has a shocking impact on the immune system so why would we want our kids eating something that weakens them when they are ill?

    And even if the kids are not sick or hurt themselves, hospitals are know for the spread of bugs – don’t we want our kids strong and able to fend off those bugs?

    The whole thing struck me as foolish short-termism.

    And perhaps that’s just a reflection of where we are at as a society on this subject overall.

  27. In a service station shop, I saw what looked like satsumas in a small net bag.

    They were on a kids’ chocolate display so this did not seem right, until I saw they were themselves actually chocolate.

    Chocolate wrapped up to look like satsumas.

    Why would you do that? Connect in child’s mind with chocolate, something they are used to seeing in the fruit and veg aisle. Something they are told is healthy and that they are encouraged to eat for vitamin C, with something completely devoid of nutrients and which they are told is unhealthy.

    Just a little harmless fun or is there a bigger impact here to consider?

  28. SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT

    Our supermarkets are saying they will stop the sweets and chocolate at the checkout aisles.

    Today we were in line and having a conversation about large fancy boxes of chocolate all reduced so we can buy them on our way to the tills.

    One guy was saying he really does not understand why we need all these big boxes for such a small amount of chocolate and how he hates the way our world is, as he travels a lot and sees so much that he knows is just not right.

    Another lady said whilst the supermarkets promote all these new products with chocolate in, saying it’s healthy is not convincing her and she trusts none of it.

    My contribution to the conversation was how we as a nation are banging on about excess waste and trying to save ways to stop waste and yet we see heaps of chocolate boxes with gold embellished writing, holding 8 fancy chocolates – why is this not making any sense?

    As a chocolate addict in my former years, I would always find ways to continue eating the stuff until I got to the root of WHY I wanted it in the first place.

    A former comment on this blog covers the story, but for now it feels appropriate to say – we can try the other stuff but we will keep going back to the comfort of eating chocolate until we are ready to ask questions and dig deeper as to when we get the urge to want chocolate and what exactly is going on inside our heads when this thought and demand gets us to move and eat the stuff.

  29. Sitting in a hospital coffee shop with the famous branding.
    Noticed a sandwich plus 3 chocolate bars and another 2 chocolate cake things.
    My first thought was this is a lot of chocolate for one person at midday lunch.

    What was interesting is the sandwich never got eaten but he went into a trance type of state and finished all the 5 chocolate pieces and in a robot state walked up and bought more, so this tells me loud and clear SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    As a chocoholic from the past, I know that being addicted to chocolate was no different to taking drugs because to me it was my drug of choice. If things got hairy or even tension at work, my friend, my counsel was chocolate bars and I had my favourites.

    The purpose of writing this comment on this blog is because we now see it as normal to eat 5 bars chocolate and then want more and no one or nothing will stop us.
    If the masses are doing it then it somehow becomes our new normal.

    Just to keep it simple, if we read this blog we know that chocolate contains a lot of sugar and is this a clue that SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT if we are going for the hit so to speak and pun intended?

    Are we giving our body a bash every time we go for the chocolate without questioning why we need it and how it has got to this point?

    What is chocolate doing inside our brain and how is our behaviour following this sugar filled hit inside our body?

    How many of us even know chocolate contains caffeine?
    How many of us know caffeine alters our natural state?

    Back to the man who went back for more chocolate – what I saw was a very tired young man who really looked like he was being moved and he was not there, so to speak.

    This is what I mean when I say it alters the natural state because this guy did not look or feel natural to me in anyway, shape or form.

  30. The Observer – 24 February 2019

    Chocolate Facts:

    700,000 tonnes of chocolate eaten in Britain every year

    £3.96 Billion is the worth of the UK chocolate industry

    66% of chocolate is consumed between meals

    22% of all chocolate consumed 8pm to midnight

    40% of the chocolate eaten in the world is consumed in Europe

    These facts speak volumes…

    This is one small country and the chocolate industry tells us that it’s big business.
    The UK have an Obesity crisis and sleep issues are a major issue for many.

    Have we considered what results we would get if researchers observed those who eat chocolate after 8pm and up to midnight and study their sleep quality?

    What if they carried out studies using the link between chocolate consumption and Obesity?

    Seven hundred thousand tonnes is 11 kg per person but the truth is not every person eats chocolate so that figure is not accurate or correct.

    If we read this blog and all the comments, could we consider that chocolate may be a form of self-medication and also something we need and that means on some level, we are addicted to this drug of choice?

    Chocolate would never be called a drug as it is seen as a confectionery and most of us love the taste and the comfort it brings.

    Have we asked why do we associate chocolate with celebration, reward, a treat or a dessert after our dinner?

    What is it giving us and what are the side effects if we are to get real and honest?

    Do these statistics give us the microcosm of what is actually going on in our world?

    Are we saying chocolate is healthy and provides us with nutrients that are of benefit to the human body?

    Whatever our answer is – do we need to examine how we got to that – yes or no?

  31. Health Day News – 11 June 2020

    https://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/acne-news-3/milk-chocolate-dairy-and-fatty-foods-tied-to-acne-in-adults-758497.html

    A new research study of more than 24,000 adults found that chocolate, dairy products and sugary or fatty foods are linked to acne.

    The new findings “appear to support the hypothesis that the Western diet (rich in animal products and fatty and sugary foods) is associated with the presence of acne in adulthood” said the lead.

    Another important finding was quantity. One glass of milk per day increased the risk of acne by 12% and a glass of soda or other sugary beverage raised it by 18%.

    5 glasses of sugary drinks or milk in a day the rise was 76%.

    One portion of fatty food like burgers and fries or donuts and cookies – 54% rise.

    A complete meal of fatty and sugary products upped the odds more than eightfold.

    Chocolate was 28%.

    “Acne patients suffer from low self-esteem and depression and many go on to have physical acne scars, which they carry on their face for a lifetime” says Dr. Michele Green of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

    Enough said, this makes total sense to me as an acne sufferer of 35 years.

    I was addicted to chocolate from a very young age and it had to dairy milk chocolate. The comfort of having that milky taste was needed and the high content of sugar was so addictive I could never image a life without it.

    As an adult I had chocolate in various forms in the fridge and cupboards so that it would never run out and easter eggs were the best thing ever as you can eat so much more.

    Most of us have not made the link that dairy is in the regular chocolate that most of us consume.
    Most including me back then had no idea there was a correlation with my excess chocolate eating and my acne.

    For the record, I know what Dr. Green is saying about physical scars. Yes I am living proof those scars never ever go and flawless skin is not on the radar. Yes I certainly suffered from low self-esteem and depression, but could never join the dots with chocolate eating or dairy consumption. In fact, I also had a diet full of sugar and that included alcohol.

    No one pointed it out to me and I was not seeking to make any changes so things just escalated in the acne department. I hated the spots and more just kept coming and picking them and making a mess left more scarring. It was a vicious circle that continued for decades.

    The complete U turn came after attending some presentations by a man called Serge Benhayon. His company Universal Medicine seemed to know what they were on about and I took note and bingo I can honestly say today that I have been chocolate free for 15 years.

    It is truly incredible to go from serious addiction to not even on my radar. I would never touch the stuff and have zero pull to even taste it.

    Once I got an understanding that I am not a cow or a baby cow so how could I digest the milk of another animal, things started to make sense. Then my exhaustion needed to be addressed.

    My sleep routine, rhythm and understanding the science of sleep and what why how. Got all that.
    Then slowly slowly the pull, the cravings for chocolate and dairy got less. Never once did I try those “alternative” chocolate things but I did have dairy alternatives and that helped. Bloating went and I felt a bit clearer in my head, not so congested and foggy. Years on and I don’t ever even think to have anything chocolaty as it feels like poison to me.

    Of course the acne went and it has never come back so to me I am a living science, be it one single human being saying cut out the crap stuff and your skin will change.

    The other thing I am certain that has really helped is drinking water and not having sugary drinks and that includes fresh juices.

  32. PR Newswire – 28 June 2020

    $139.94 Billion Chocolate Market – Global Growth, Trends and Forecast 2019 – 2024

    https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/139-94-billion-chocolate-market—global-growth-trends-and-forecast-2019-2024–300876212.html

    The global chocolate market is highly competitive with the presence of numerous leading players accounting for the major share.

    Seasonal demand plays an important role in the chocolate sales. Companies launch a wide range of chocolate varieties during occasions like Easter. Factors such as shape and packaging of chocolates are the key strategies adopted to attain maximum sales during a festive season.

    Europe is the second largest market for chocolates and molded chocolate is the most consumed.

    The scope of the global chocolate market includes alfajores, softlines/selflines, boxed assortments, chocolate with toys, countlines, seasonal chocolate, molded chocolate and other chocolate confectionery. By distribution, the global chocolate market is segmented as supermarkets/hypemarkets, specialist retailers, convenience stores, vending machines, online channel, variety stores and other distribution channels.

    This report tells us that the impulse buying behaviour of consumers is boosting the sales of chocolates across the globe.

    Consumers in the shopping store might not specifically be shopping for confectionary goods like chocolates but when these items are displayed at prominent places to attract buyers’ attention then this causes impulse buying behaviour.

    Children and adults keep buying chocolate irrespective of their economic situation because chocolates are related to impulse purchase and are correlated with rewards and moments of happiness. The colour and packaging of the chocolates play an important role in their purchase. The attractive packaging and color helps the manufacturer in gaining prompt spontaneous response from consumers.

    The colour purple was ranked as the most influential followed by red and blue in stimulating the purchase of chocolate products.

    Molded chocolates include solid molded and segmented bars/blocks/tablets in various sizes; some are filled with nuts and/or raisins and are made of different types of chocolate i.e., white, milk and dark.

    Vegetable and chocolate combinations are becoming popular across the chocolate market globally.
    For example carrot and chocolate bar limited edition. The manufacturing companies implement innovative marketing and promotional activities in order to increase the reach of its products among the targeted customers.

    The development of products to enhance the portfolio and to capture the untapped markets has driven the growth of the chocolate market.

    Changing tastes and preferences in consumers has led to considerable developments of products by various market players. The leading manufacturers in the chocolate market have a dominant presence worldwide. Brand loyalty among the consumers gives these companies an upper edge.

    So what this report is spelling out to us is that chocolate is big business and it’s not going to suddenly change as the demand from consumers – that means us is still there.

    Have we considered how many people are employed throughout the world where their job is to entice and get us hooked to buy their chocolate in whichever form they think will appeal to us?

    Have we considered that chocolate may be something addictive as we have it and always go back for more? Rarely do we hear about people giving up chocolate and never going back to it.

    Have we considered the resources that go into finding out what color will sell and what that is all about when it comes to our visual response to buying chocolate?

    Have we considered how the suppliers know what we want – like another experience so in comes a bit of veg like carrot to do the job?
    We can expect for the healthy market broccoli and spinach chocolate so they can capture another audience and continue to profit from our demands.

    Our demand is so high that the suppliers have all the avenues covered. Check the list above regarding distribution.

    A very important point to note is that chocolate is linked to reward and happiness.
    This is something that requires a stop moment so we can ponder on what this is saying to us.

    To keep it simple – a part of the brain lights up when the body ingests chocolate.

    Let us not forget that whilst it gives us a feeling of euphoria or comfort during our indulgence, it may not be what our body wants.

    In other words, if we asked our blood, liver, heart or stomach is this what you need, the answer will not be what we want to hear and so we behave in a way that does not take into account what our body requires for maximum vitality levels. Instead we continue to want more of that feeling post chocolate and so we go for more, but never ever stop to question WHY we want it in the first place and is it really the truth for our body.

    Any true health or nutrition practitioner would not say that chocolate is a good daily medicine.

    Most of us do know deep down inside of us that chocolate tastes so good for the few seconds we have it inside our mouths, but it may not be the self medication we really need as it does not offer the body any nutritional value that can be sustained.

  33. Chocolate in one European country is deemed as an “essential food item”. The government allows only certain shops to stay open during lockdowns and shops selling chocolate were allowed to keep trading.

    Apparently, chocolate is part of the culture of this country, is essential like beer and symbolises joy according to the oldest and most famous chocolate producers.

    So here we have it rules that may not be the same elsewhere – beer and chocolate.

    Of course we know it comes from demand and the governments may have their own agenda and those who endorse this type of eating and drinking. We do not know what their health experts would make of this or if any of those who make these rules and regulations have read The Real Truth about Alcohol which presents on this website a factual account of what alcohol constitutes and the effects which are far from essential for the human frame.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-alcohol/

    Back to chocolate – worth reading the blog and all the comments to then ascertain whether this country is addicted to chocolate and if they are, then it makes sense why chocolate is classed as “essential” when we do all know it is certainly not.

    Ask any real and genuine health practitioner and they would not be endorsing chocolate as an essential in any form whatsoever. Time to get real and honest as pretending or lying because it suits us is not the way forward in life.

  34. Intrado Globe Newswire – 25 May 2021

    https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2021/05/25/2235030/0/en/Global-Chocolate-Market-Is-Expected-to-Reach-USD-200-4-billion-by-2028-Fior-Markets.html

    The Global Chocolate Market Is Expected to Reach USD $200.4 BILLION by 2028:

    As per the report published by Fior Markets, the global chocolate market is expected to grow from USD $138.5 billion in 2020 and reach USD 200.4 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 4.8% during the period 2021-2028.

    One of the most significant trends that positively impact the growth of the chocolate market is the impulse behaviour of the consumers. The chocolate confectionaries placed at the point of sale at department stores, supermarkets etc, are most likely to grasp the attention of the consumers waiting in line, and they make an impulse decision to purchase the chocolate even if it is high-end. Attractive colours and packaging styles are used by the manufacturers to attract the consumers and persuade them into buying the chocolates. The convenience foods sectors, which includes cookies, cakes, ice creams and such products, uses chocolate as a primary ingredient. The expansion of the convenience food sector has driven the sales of chocolate.

    Just in this paragraph above we have been given the ‘trends’ that drive us to consume more chocolate. We can blame the supermarkets and all the shops and retail outlets for tempting us at the point of check out or while we wait in line, but it does come down to choice.

    If we have this habit of impulse buying then it is worth asking some questions as this is not a way to live, as it comes with consequences that we may not like because they are harmfull.

    How many of us have ever considered what goes on behind the scenes to market chocolate? Those fancy foils and bright colours and other styles of packaging are what our eyes want to see and it forms part of the chocolate experience.

    Do we really need persuading into buying chocolate or are our movements already in place to go get ‘what we want, because we can’, before we even enter the chocolate section of the store?

    Have we joined the dots and worked out that those ‘convenient foods’ like our cookies and cakes just happen to use chocolate as a ‘primary ingredient’ and this type of food is on the rise and that means chocolate sales are on the up?

    CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE CONFECTIONERY PRODUCTS ARE THE MOST CONSUMED FOODS ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
    Consumption of chocolate in moderate quantity is found to boost serotonin, which calms the brain and helps as an anti-depressant. It also lifts up the mood by releasing endorphins in the body. Chocolates come in all shapes, sizes and packaging to best fit the occasion. Chocolates are a multi-billion dollar worth industry and are continuing to grow at a steady rate with new products developed and promoted in the market. It has a wide range of applications and is a widely popular ingredient in almost all confectionery products. In recent years, dark chocolate is in high demand as the taste and preferences of consumers keep evolving.

    Aha – could this be why we have ups and downs in our moods when we eat chocolate regularly?

    How many chocolate eaters do we know that rarely eat it – how come those that do indulge in it?

    If chocolate was truly an anti-depressant would the whole medical world not be united and have this as a one-unified prescription for depression? No and we know it is not designed to do that, even if we have reports that it calms the brain.

    How about we find other natural ways that make more sense to steady our brain and pay attention to what sugar does to our body in terms of chemical reactions and changes?

    Most of the stuff we call chocolate and love so much contains milk and copious amounts of sugar. The chocolate that starts off before it’s processed into what we, the masses want is bitter to say the least.
    For those that need this reminder – dark chocolate also contains sugar.

    However, we are told that dark chocolate is in high demand now as people’s tastes have changed.

    If we just stop and Google dark chocolate, we are bombarded with websites claiming dark chocolate to be under the banner of “healthy eating” and that it contains beneficial ingredients that MAY boost heart and brain health. Let’s focus on the MAY word, as we could say MAY in any context and we all know it is not fact, absolute or the real Truth.

    These websites champion that dark chocolate supplies a hit of caffeine and that’s good because it offers only a modest amount of the stimulant. Just to make the point these are ‘health’ websites and dark chocolate is classed as healthy eating.

    If we are seeking to change our diets in the name of healthy eating and find these types of websites, we get confirmed that it must be healthy because we read it. What happens more often than not, is we never ever get to a website like this which says “wake up, stay open to being more aware and not give up or accept the first thing you hear or read that is out there”.

    The global chocolate market is anticipated to grow significantly owing to the seasonal and festive sales of chocolates across the globe. Niche products of chocolate such as fudge, rolls, mousse, drinks etc, will bring a favourable impact on the growth of the chocolate market and are proving to be revenue makers. The factors restraining the development of the market are the rising concerns about dental health and Obesity from the consumption of high sugar content in chocolates. The increased competition for the raw materials and the uncertainty of their availability as they have application in various other sectors is also a restraining factor. Creating a variety in gourmet chocolate and developing organic chocolates is an excellent opportunity for growing the market.

    We all know that we seem to get bored or are always looking for something more and something different, so we keep those that create new variations busy. They never stop coming up with new ideas to quell our insatiable appetite that keeps on demanding more. The industry have it all covered as they cater for all types of people, be it gourmet, organic, dark, milk, mousse, fudge or drinks.

    The only thing holding back major marketing is the ‘rising concerns about dental health and Obesity’ both linked to chocolate consumption.

    We may not be aware of how serious the teeth decay situation is worldwide. Worth reading our oral health blog on this website and the comments thereafter from Simple Living Global – https://simplelivingglobal.com/oral-health/

    Any dentist working with young children would not endorse chocolate as the sugar contained is very damaging to teeth and gums and in many cases our kids are having their teeth removed at young ages.

    Obesity is a global epidemic and out of control. We are not blind freddy and we can see it everywhere. Adults and children over eating when it comes to chocolate and foods that contain chocolate. No one dares to stop them, as most of us are doing the same. Just because we may not show signs of Obesity (yet) does not mean we are not harming our body by consuming chocolate like it’s our last bit of food on earth forever.

    Next –

    Based on type, the global chocolate market is segmented into white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate. The milk chocolate segment dominated the market and held the largest market share of 54% in 2020.

    Based on the distribution channel, the global chocolate market is segmented into convenience stores, supermarkets hypermarkets, and online sales. The supermarket and hypermarket segment dominated the market and held the largest market share of 42% in 2020. The growth can be attributed to the attractive and unique products offered in such places, and in-house promotions of branded premium chocolates have driven the sales of chocolates in supermarkets and hypermarkets.

    We could say the industry has aced it. They sure know how to get us buying more chocolate, but what if they only get away with it BECAUSE of the demand? In other words, we the customers have to make the call, the demand and then they can supply. Without us asking first, they have nothing to sell.

    Online sales are growing with the fastest CAGR (compound annual growth rate) due to the dependency of the millennial population on e-commerce, and online retailers are also focusing on targeting the consumers through online offers, which has driven the online sales of chocolates significantly.

    Now we have a totally new audience who love digital shopping and bingo even more profits for this fast growing chocolate industry. No one dares to question how are this age group that grew up in the Internet age, operating in daily life. Can we learn more about their lifestyle choices and can we start to map out how life in their older age is going to be, if changes are not made now that support their true health and wellbeing?

    For far too long we champion and claim we love chocolate, but really we like the comfort the dairy and sugar give us as chocolate on its own is way too bitter for almost all of us.

    We are great at fooling ourselves and going with so-called evolving trends like indulging in sugar-less, fat-free chocolates as a result of health awareness. Why not just cut chocolate out and see where we go with our cravings? We may discover we are actually exhausted and our sleep needs focus and so does many other areas of our life.

    And finally, this news release mentions the rise in Asia Pacific region which is rapidly growing because more people have disposable income and are changing their lifestyles, because they are influenced by western culture. In other words, they want what those in the modern western world have without considering if it is truly beneficial for their health and wellbeing.

  35. I was talking to my elderly father about his life when he was younger.

    He came to the UK in 1954 as a teenager and was proud to say that at that time the country was welcoming overseas workers.

    He grew up super poor with his father saying there was no money to send him to school and he wanted to learn but instead started working at the age of 8 in farming. He shared a meal once a day with 7 other children and it consisted of a few spoons of rice and a yoghurt curry.

    When he arrived in England, his first job was in a chocolate factory and he had access to as much chocolate as he could eat. All workers in those days were given this meal ticket, so to speak. Dad said he ate the chocolate to save his money. so he could pay rent and perhaps get ahead and save some of his income. He basically lived on chocolate as his main food throughout the day.

    The chocolate made him so sick that he could never stomach it again. That was over 60 years ago and he said even now, at the age of 87, the thought of chocolate makes him feel ill.

    This is interesting and I can only speak from my own life as to how addicted I because to chocolate and no amount was ever enough.

    Reflecting on it now, chocolate is not on may radar. I have renounced chocolate and by that I mean I have dealt with the real reason why I needed to consume so much of something that I sure know was not giving me any true health or vitality. I was fooling myself and loving the comfort it brought me but it never made me feel great or alive in any way whatsoever.

    I see in shops now that we have Christmas descend on us again, how much chocolate plays a huge part. We gift it and we eat it in abundance because a day on the calendar gives us the licence, the permission to do that. Buckets, tins, boxes, stockings and everything one can imagine has chocolate and it’s a huge industry with no signs of going as we love our chocolate.

    I watch kids’ moods change after eating it and I am no fool. Yes I was once upon a time but no longer. When I came off chocolate it was super clear how exhausted I was and the sugar from chocolate was a false prop. No one needs to agree with me or bad mouth or endorse what I am saying. All I know is that is my experience and it is the truth for me.

  36. August 2022

    https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cocoa-chocolate-market-226179290.html

    Cocoa and Chocolate Market

    $21.1 BILLION – Global cocoa market worth by 2022

    $26.3 BILLION by 2027

    $127.9 BILLION – Global Chocolate Industry

    $160.9 BILLION by 2027

    Increasing sales of chocolate confectionery products to be consumed as comfort food is responsible for making it regular grocery item in households.

    Chocolate is considered a traditional gift on special occasions and festivals such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween and Valentine’s Day in American and European countries.

    This trend is now adopted in some Asian countries such as India, China and Japan.

    The seasonal and festive sales of chocolate products highly impact the market as a large portion of chocolate products are consumed in this segment.

    Chocolates are being consumed as a premium and comfort food which is a rising trend among consumers, further proliferating the market growth.

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