Could you forfeit chocolate for a month for the British Heart Foundation?

Could you go without chocolate for a day? How about a week, or a month? The British Heart Foundation (BHF), is asking you to give up chocolate for 28 days. The campaign is called 'Dechox' and involves giving up all traces of chocolate for the entire month of February. 

On the BHF website, the charity write: "Dechox is our nationwide challenge to give up chocolate throughout February. Anything with cocoa in it is off limits - from the sprinkles on your cappuccino, to that 3.pm chocolate bar. By stepping up and getting your friends, family and colleagues to sponsor you, you'll be raising money to fund our vital research."

The charity offers the following tips to evade chocolate cravings... 

Drink a glass of water

This helps fill you up, and will take your mind off chocolate.

Go for a walk

Even if it’s just to the printer and back.

Chew sugar-free gum

A low calorie, inexpensive snack. It will help keep your gums and teeth healthy and freshens your breath too.

Try something bitter

This will overwhelm the sweetness craving! We find a glass of lemon water works every time.

Keep fruit handy

Swapping out the chocolate for some fruit when those cravings hit means you'll get fibre and nutrients along with your sweet fix.

Eat regularly

Long gaps between meals may make you want to snack on sugary, chocolately foods.

About the charity:

In 2017-18 BHF raised more than £170 million.

£128 million was spent on life-saving research and support for heart patients. £42 million was spent on the costs associated with generating income.

In other words, for every £1 raised, around 75p, went straight to funding research on heart and circulatory diseases, and the risk factors that cause them.

For more information about how you can take part in Dechox, click here. 

Are you taking up the challenege? Let us know in the comments section.