Q
Dear Auntie Pearl, what is wrong with me?
I just want chocolate!
I haven’t eaten chocolate or sweet things in almost 2 months because I was really trying to get thin and to get a Summer body and alles, you know?, but now I am craving it so badly it feels like the chocolates are calling me from the Checkers aisle.
What do I do?
From Cheniqua, 19.
A
My dearest, sweetest, darling Cheniqua.
Do Auntie a favour, go to the huiswinkeltjie around the corner, and just buy a bleddie chocolate and eat it!
Enjoy it, and savour it, and love it.
This stront about cutting out certain foods to get “summer bodies” drives Auntie up the wall!
Why do women skeem they have to go hungry and starve themselves to get super thin, just so they can “look good” for Summer, then in Winter time they wear thick jerseys and vriet alles wat voorkom and then starve themselves again for summer . Daai’s mos malligheid.
Every body is a Summer body; if you have a body and it’s Summer, then you have a Summer body.
By all means go on a healthy eating plan because you want to be fitter and healthier, but not because mense are going to be judgerag about you in a shorts or mini-skirt.
Auntie commends you for trying to be healthier and for not having chocolates for almost 2 months nuh. And, meisie, you sure have some serious will power, so good on you!
But, let this Auntie tell you now, if you want something so bad, the best thing is just to take it and eat it.
It sounds like you have been depriving your body of all it was used to and now its screaming out for some goodness en stoute geite!
In all seriousness though, meisie , food cravings are intense − Auntie knows − and sometimes irresistible urges to eat something like chocolates can take over your whole day.
Sweet foods, like choccies, give off feel-good chemicals like serotonin, dopamine and other relaxing endorphins in your brain.
Here are a few things that could help you manage these mal dite cravings, and help you on the path to a healthier, and stronger, you:
Drink some water: Sometimes our bodies and brains are telling us we are hungry when actually we are thirsty.
Most mense drink too little water anyway, so next time you crave chocolates or anything else, down some water!
Drinking more water could also help people who are dieting to lose weight.
Get sweaty: A quick exercise session, like a fast-paced 15-minute walk, might help with your cravings.
If you don’t have a dedicated exercise plan, start with some exercises at home, like yoga, walking, jogging around the block, or using the stairs instead of the elevator.
Swop your food: Learn the difference between a craving and real hunger.
Typically you need three meals a day. If you get hungry in between, drink water or eat fruit, like a small apple or naartjie.
Now, Cheniqua, remember, chocolate cravings are common, especially in the days before your period, but there are healthy ways to deal with them.
Also, dark chocolate with high percentages of cacao, is actually good for you and your health.
So you can enjoy it in small quantities, while still satisfy that craving, and reap the benefits.
And remember, nuh, you are beautiful as you are, and every body is a Summer body.