Craving Chocolate? Take a Walk Instead

Craving Chocolate? Take a Walk Instead
Study Shows a Brisk Walk May Help Curb Chocolate Cravings


Chocolate has a special allure for many of us, bordering on the addictive. But a new study shows that taking a brisk walk can cut down the urge to eat chocolate -- and may help curb cravings that can derail weight loss efforts.

When it comes to cravings, chocolate is the most common and "intensely" craved food, according to background information presented with the study findings.

Researchers wanted to look at what goes into an intense craving and how one might break it.

Adrian Taylor and Anita Oliver of the University of Exeter gathered 25 people whom they describe as "regular chocolate eaters" -- those who ate at least two 50-gram bars of chocolate a day.

The chocolate-eaters were deprived of their favorite sweet for three days; they were also told not to exercise or have caffeine for two hours before the test period. Abstaining from chocolate, being under stress, and then exposing someone to chocolate has been shown to ignite cravings for chocolate.

Blood pressure and heart rate were monitored; participants also completed a food-craving questionnaire.

On separate days, one group of participants took a brisk 15-minute walk on a treadmill. They were told to walk as if they were catching a bus, but not until they were out of breath. The comparison group sat quietly for 15 minutes.

After walking or doing nothing, each participant took a computerized test (the stressor) and unwrapped and handled a chocolate bar -- but they were not allowed to eat it.

Researchers found that the group that exercised had a significant reduction in chocolate cravings when compared to their baseline.

Taking a brisk walk also eased blood pressure readings for participants after the mental-challenge test and handling the unwrapped chocolate. Being sedentary did not appear to lessen cravings.

Facts About Food Cravings

In their study, the researchers also provided this background information about food cravings:
Up to 97% of women and 68% of men experience food cravings.
Cravings are usually for dense, calorie-packed foods.
Food cravings often come before a bout of unhealthy eating.

In an introduction to the study, the researchers write that food cravings have been known to be responsible for throwing people off track when they are in treatment programs to lose weight or to recover from an eating disorder.

The researchers hope the findings can help shed light on how to interrupt cravings, since past research has shown that even tiny changes in how much people eat and small increases in exercise can be helpful in keeping weight off and creating good health habits.

The study appears in the latest issue of the journal Appetite.

Cadbury Chocolate

Cadbury's Chocolate Safe in U.S.
Cadbury's Chocolate Recall Limited to Asia, Australia; Company Notes Melamine Risk

Sept. 29, 2008 -- The chocolate company Cadbury is temporarily taking certain chocolate products off the market -- but only in Asia and Australia.

In a news release, Cadbury calls the move a "precautionary step" because some Chinese dairy products are tainted with melamine, a chemical that artificially makes milk appear to have more protein.

Melamine can cause kidney diseases. In China, three babies have died and more than 54,000 have sought medical treatment related to melamine-tainted dairy products, according to the World Health Organization.

The FDA is following China's melamine problem. As of Sept. 25, FDA testing of milk-based products imported into the U.S. from China hadn't turned up any melamine contamination. The FDA warns against using Chinese-made infant formulas, which aren't approved for sale in the U.S.


Cadbury Chocolate

Cadbury is withdrawing a range of its chocolate products and Choclairs -- all made at Cadbury's Beijing plant -- from the market in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Australia.

Cadbury products made at that plant are only exported to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Australia.

Cadbury Eclairs are also temporarily coming off the market in Australia because they were made in Beijing. Cadbury states that a "small amount" of that product had also been exported to Christmas Island (an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean), and the South Pacific island nation of Nauru.

"No other products and countries are affected and consumers in all other countries can continue to enjoy our products with confidence," states Cadbury, adding that "Chinese dairy products are not used in any other Cadbury products we manufacture outside China."

Cadbury plans to get those products back on the market in Asia and Australia as soon as possible.

Other Melamine Recalls

Although Cadbury products sold in the U.S. are safe to eat, another sweet -- White Rabbit Candy -- is being recalled because it might be tainted with melamine.

QFCO Inc. of Burlingame, Calif., is recalling White Rabbit Candy, which was distributed in California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington state. All packages have a logo of a white rabbit on the front with the words "White Rabbit." No illnesses have been linked to White Rabbit Candy.

You can return White Rabbit Candy to the place of purchase for a full refund. For more information on the White Rabbit Candy recall, call QFCO at 650-697-6633.they are warning this like.

Last week, the FDA also warned consumers to avoid seven Mr. Brown instant coffee and milk tea products made by the Taiwanese company King Car Food Industrial Co. Ltd because the nondairy creamer used to make those products may contain melamine.

Those products are:

Mr. Brown Mandheling Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Arabica Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Blue Mountain Blend Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown Caramel Macchiato Instant Coffee (3-in-1)
Mr. Brown French Vanilla Instant Coffee (3-in-1)

Mr. Brown Mandhling Blend Instant Coffee (2-in-1)

Mr. Brown Milk Tea (3-in-1)