Americans spend roughly 5 billion dollars a year on chocolate, which is ironically the same amount they spend trying to lose weight too. But it’s clear – we love chocolate! Yet for so many women, chocolate cravings are a serious problem, affecting weight and self-esteem.
But did you know there’s a scientific reason why you crave chocolate so much? It’s due to a brain chemical created when we’re feeling romantic love called phenylethylamine, or PEA, which is the same chemical found in chocolate.
In fact, PEA is so powerfully mood-altering it was once used as the main ingredient in a prescribed medication known as MDMA. Now illegal, it’s sold on the street as Ecstasy, or X, and in short, triggers feelings of euphoria. With PEA as an ingredient, it’s no wonder chocolate is so well-loved!
Chocolate is one of the most hotly craved foods, for a variety of reasons, including:
- Hormonal changes;
- As an energy boost;
- It’s an excellent albeit temporary anti-depressant;
- Chocolate helps you feel loved, which is an important feeling for women.
(Men crave love too, and ironically, tend to be chocoholics too!)
What it all boils down to is chocoholism is a cry for love, intimacy and romance. It’s the perfect antidote for the lovesick. When you feel empty or lonely, it’s high-fat content soothes you. The high-carb content triggers the production of serotonin, the brain’s feel-good hormone. PEA is an instant pick-me-up. The texture can be creamy if you want comfort or crunchy if you’re mad.
Some people may deny it, because it’s easier than admitting something about their love life needs to change. So instead, they self-medicate with chocolate.
Being in love can make us heady too, therefore, a chocolate craving can mean we’re really craving free-spirited feelings of love!
There’s really only one cure for chocolate cravings, which is finding a way to fulfill your need for love by treating yourself like you’re the most special person in the world. It also means teaching your partner what you will and won’t accept in a relationship and not accepting abuse in any way.
[bctt tweet=”The more love you feel, toward yourself and others, will naturally replace your craving to eat”] to feel loved. You can also try affirmations such as, “I ask for what I need in my relationships” and “I deserve love” daily. Either way, eating chocolate doesn't have to be a bad thing, especially if it's raw chocolate. I eat it almost every day!
If your craving is due to an empty void inside that you can't seem to get fulfilled otherwise though, there’s something much deeper going on that if left unaddressed will constantly gnaw away at you untiil you find a way to fill it without food.
Check out my free eCourse on how to stop emotional eating by clicking the big orange button below!
~ Angela Minelli
Angela M
inelli is an author, speaker and founder of Angela Minelli International, a heart-based global business serving purpose-driven everyday women and entrepreneurs whose self-image and weight issues are inhibiting their confidence and blocking them from pursuing their life’s passion.
Angela's joy is in taking a stand for women who are living less than ideal lives, stopped by fear and doubt, which prevents them from stepping into their innate power and delivering their God-given genius to the world. Her coaching programs and products are designed for women with busy lifestyles yet allow for powerful transformation to take place within a small segment of time.
As a natural health practitioner and digestive health specialist, Angela specializes in helping people overcome weight and energy issues through holistic, non-invasive protocols that address the root cause of their conditions, including adrenal fatigue, candida, thyroid disorders, and more.
Explore the ideals that are the cornerstone of her work at angelaminelli.com.