Helpful tips to get you through Dechox Month from Tesco, Holland & Barrett and Anytime Fitness

British Heart Foundation are doing Dechox month this March. This means giving up chocolate for 31 days to raise money for ground breaking research into heart and circulatory diseases.

We have collected a few tips and recipes from Tesco, Holland & Barrett and Anytime Fitness to help get you through the March… choc free!


Three ways to raise money

 

Give up chocolate next March

Chocoholic for change

Chocoholics for change get those donations rolling in by dropping all things chocolaty for March

 

 

Sweet-toothed supporter

Sweet-toothed supporters go the extra chomp for extra donations by giving up chocolate AND biscuits for March

 

 

Leader of the snack pack

Our biggest fundraiser. With unshakeable willpower, Leaders of the snack pack quit chocolate, biscuits and cakes for March.

 

 

Why take part

 

  • By uniting with fellow chocoholics, you’ll create real change for people affected by heart and circulatory diseases.
  • To kick start healthier habits, Dechox will help you get in the swing of healthier snacking, so you’re less likely to reach for sugary treats once the challenge is over.
  • Because research keeps families together, Here is an example – 60 years ago, 7 out of 10 heart attacks were fatal. Now 7 out of 10 people survive. Research works.
  • To be a part of something bigger, Every step forward we’ve made has been thanks to a huge collective effort and that’s what taking part in Dechox is all about.

 

Get started with Dechox March and sign up here

 


Chocolate free healthy snack alternatives at Holland and Barrett

 

Dried fruits, nuts and seeds are a healthy way to satisfy those in-between meal snack cravings that otherwise leave you reaching for the biscuit tin.

They’re also great replacements for the usual chocolate bars.

Not only are dried fruits, nuts and seeds easy and convenient to snack on, but all of these foods can be easily added to other meals to make them a bit more interesting and exciting.

For example, try adding them to cereal, yogurts, salads and pasta dishes for a bit of extra crunch, flavour and texture.


Chocolate free, Healthy Dessert ideas with Tesco Food

Redirect that sweet tooth into something chocolate free and healthier with these Tesco Food recipes!

Neapolitan frozen yogurt

Neapolitan frozen yogurt

Mango, blueberry and cherry sorbets line up for this colourful fruity twist on a classic Neapolitan. Using frozen fruit and Greek yogurt makes it super speedy to whizz together each flavour.

  • Ingredients
  • 480g pack frozen pitted dark sweet cherries
  • 85g icing sugar
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 200g 0% fat Greek-style yogurt
  • 500g pack frozen mango chunks
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 400g pack frozen blueberries
  • mint leaves, to serve

 

  1. Whizz 400g cherries (reserve the rest) in a food processor with 2½ tbsp icing sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 4 tbsp yogurt and 4 tbsp water until smooth. Spoon into one end of a 2ltr freezer-proof container to fill one-third of it. Level the top and sides, then freeze.
  2. Wipe out the food processor bowl. Blitz the mango with the honey, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 3 tbsp yogurt and 4-5 tbsp water until smooth. Taste and add a bit more lemon or sugar if needed. Spoon into the container next to the cherry frozen yogurt and return to the freezer.
  3. Wipe out the bowl again and blitz the blueberries with the remaining icing sugar, lemon juice, yogurt and 3 tbsp water until smooth. Spoon into the final third of the container and level the top. Serve immediately or, for a better scoop, freeze for 1 hr. Drag an ice cream scoop along all 3 frozen yogurts and drop into small sundae glasses. Top with mint leaves and the reserved defrosted cherries.

Full recipe here

 

Fruity quinoa crumble

Fruity quinoa crumble

This gluten-free twist on a classic crumble recipe is filled with tart rhubarb and sweet apple, then topped with a crunchy quinoa and oat mixture.

  • Ingredients
  • 400g rhubarb, cut into 5cm chunks
  • 2 apples, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 4 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 orange, zested and half juiced
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 x 250g pouch ready-to-eat quinoa
  • 75g free from oats
  • 50g butter, chilled and grated
  1. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. In a bowl, mix the fruit with 2 tbsp maple syrup, the orange zest and juice, and ½ tsp cinnamon; toss. Divide between 6 baking dishes.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix the quinoa, oats and butter until clumps form. Stir in the remaining maple syrup and spoon on top of the fruit in each baking dish. Bake for 25-30 mins, until the crumble is golden on top.

Full recipe here

 


Tips to avoid snacking with Anytime Fitness

Here are some helpful tips on how to avoid snacking on those sweet treats and keep you coasting through Dechox March from Anytime Fitness

 

  • EAT PROPER MEALS – It doesn’t matter what you do in a day, everybody has a minimum number of calories that they need in a day. If you’re reducing or avoiding snacking, you need to make sure that you can still get enough calories in your daily diet in order to stay satisfied and healthy. If you don’t do this, then you will be running at a calorie deficit. This might be a necessary goal for you but if not, it can impact your recovery, mood and energy levels so you need to make sure your meals are substantial. Plan your meals ahead and aim to achieve the right balance of nutrition for someone of your age, weight and height. Remember to factor in how much activity you’ll be doing in a day too. People working in a warehouse will need more calories in a day than people sitting at a desk. Additionally, if you’re training more you’ll want to increase the amount of protein you’re getting to ensure you’re all set for recovery. A good alternative for a healthy snack when you are hungry would be a protein shake, such as one from BeVego. This way you get a sweet kick but in a way that fulfils all your protein needs.

 

  • DRINK PLENTY OF WATER – This is a bit of a cliche health tip, but that’s only because it’s so good! Sometimes when you feel the urge to snack come on, it’s actually your body telling you that you need a little bit of water. Our bodies are not always very good at telling us when we’re thirsty which is why mild dehydration is so common. Next time you feel peckish, try drinking a glass of water and waiting for fifteen minutes. If you’re still hungry then please do fuel yourself. If water isn’t your favourite, try making a cup of tea or coffee. The presence of the warm liquid in your body can be really satisfying at any time of the year and help hydrate you. Using this trick, you can give your body what it needs and avoid snacking until the next mealtime.

 

  • REPLACE SWEETS WITH ALTERNATIVES – This is a really life-changing piece of advice, and it’s so simple too! You’ll likely find that when you have the urge to eat a sweet or chocolate, you really just want something with a sweeter flavour. It can be hard to remember when the cravings hit, but if you can try something else. You can replace the cake with a piece of fruit or another healthy-but-sweet alternative. We’d actually recommend giving yoghurt a try. It’s fully customizable and a great sweet alternative that can be really healthy for you, especially if you’re looking to improve your gut health.

 

  • DISTRACT YOURSELF – When you’re getting hungry, the sensations you feel are your body’s response to a set of hormones in your system. While those hormones can be released when your stomach is particularly empty, they can also be released when your brain expects food, for example, your 4pm chocolate bar. Like when you need water, these feelings don’t always mean you’re actually in need of food, it might just be habit that sparks the desire to snack. Whenever you’re genuinely hungry, make sure you eat something but if you think you’re actually just bored or used to eating at a particular time you should be able to keep going about your day. If you ignore the craving by distracting yourself, then you can push past those hormones. They will be carried away by your bloodstream and processed by your kidneys – when they’re gone, the craving will be gone too.

 

  • DON’T HAVE SNACKS IN THE HOUSE – While this advice might seem a bit brutal, it’s worth considering if you know there are certain foods that you would really struggle to leave in the cupboard. For example, we know that we really struggle with having cookies in the cupboard it’s very easy to return to the packet and get another at any time. Removing that problem snack from our kitchen means that we’d have to go to the shop to fulfil our craving. This higher activation energy will likely make you swat cravings away as quickly as they appear or remove them entirely. You won’t want food if it’s particularly tough to get hold of and you might realize you only wanted it because it was there.