When did your the chocolate / sugar cravings finally stop???

[SYates]

I never had this problem before. In my normal, not walking every day 25+km life I rarely eat sweets and / or chocolate. On the Camino I did and now I can't seem to stop doing so!

When did your post-Camino chocolate / sugar cravings finally stop? SY

 

[JohnMcM]

I never had this problem before. In my normal, not walking every day 25+km life I rarely eat sweets and / or chocolate. On the Camino I did and now I can't seem to stop doing so!

When did your post-Camino chocolate / sugar cravings finally stop? SY

Errrrrrrrrmmmmm!?,

I THOUGHT THEY HAD FINALLY STOPPED UNTIL I READ THIS POST

Now then, where did I hide that bar of chocolate from the grandchildren???

 

[SYates]

Sorry, so sorry JohnMcM!!!

SY *munching at her second slice of buttered and dipped in sugar bread as there is no chocolate in the house*

 

[Icacos]

Sorry, so sorry JohnMcM!!!

SY *munching at her second slice of buttered and dipped in sugar bread as there is no chocolate in the house*

Oh, my gosh, a Sugar Sandwich. As a child that was my favourite snack!

 

[SYates]

As I refuse to stock chocolate at home, sugar sandwiches are my only escape road if cravings are getting really bad *sigh* SY

 

[Icacos]

But it's got to be white sugar, on the softest, whitest bread ... none of that hearty, wholesome stuff!

 

[mralisn]

Whoa.

I had never considered this before reading the post here.

Some years ago, I started enjoying chocolate more and more. I had always liked chocolate, but somewhere along the way, my cravings became quite strong. I thought is was strange for a guy like me to suddenly and unexplainably start having such intense desires for anything chocolate. I have especially become extremely fond of chocolate-chip cookies.

This summer will be the 10 year anniversary of my first of four walks. In all of these since the very first day from SJPdP, I have always carried chocolate in one form or another. With well over 12o days on the Caminos, I can't think of one which passed without chocolate in hand. I have written here many times how the gift of chocolate translates in any language (and wine) and how easy it is to make new friends with the simple gesture of offering to another.

So just the same as SY, the cravings haven't stopped. Now I see how this came about. Duh.

Another Camino blessing.

Keep a smile,
Simeon

 

[Bajaracer]

I never had this problem before. In my normal, not walking every day 25+km life I rarely eat sweets and / or chocolate. On the Camino I did and now I can't seem to stop doing so!

When did your post-Camino chocolate / sugar cravings finally stop? SY

Look at what Dutch children have for breakfast. It's called hagelslag
http://www.findingdutchland.com/happiest-kids-in-the-world/
http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/12/eating-sprinkles-the-dutch-way-hagelslag-on-bread.html

 

[CaminoCruiser]

Oh help me I haven't done my Camino yet but as a diabetic I obviously can't eat sugar....and yet I crave it occasionally. Spanish sweets are my biggest weakness, especially churros with chocolate, soft turron and the polvorones biscuits. Just typing this is sending me into a spin, haha. It will be interesting to see how I manage this on the walk, and then I'll have to learn how to cope if the cravings intensify when it's over....

 

[Tia Valeria]

You could try eating bananas and/or sucking an orange with no added sugar!! We find that after the Camino we are often short of 'something' for a time. You might find some other replacement food but the energy content of the banana is good and the orange is good for the liver

 

[Dreamwalker33]

Funny.. My first chocolate on the Camino was eaten the last night in Santiago - so yummy! I couldn't forget after returning home what a wonderful treat that was. Now I just finished a dark chocolate-almond "pie", a Christmas gift. I have to stop eating chocolate! It goes right to my waist, but sooo satisfying! I'm half Dutch, and really enjoyed the link "findingdutchland" -- thanks!

 

[jpflavin1]

I never had this problem before. In my normal, not walking every day 25+km life I rarely eat sweets and / or chocolate. On the Camino I did and now I can't seem to stop doing so!

When did your post-Camino chocolate / sugar cravings finally stop? SY

SY:

I do not know if it is possible to stop cravings only manage them. When I walk, I have cravings for sugar and salt. I believe it is due to my increased metabolism and lack of salt/sugar in my system. When I return, I just do not keep these items in my home. I do not believe I would be tempted by a butter and sugar sandwhich but chocolate chip cookies and ice cream are hard to resist.

Joe

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Medjool dates are great when you crave something fudgy.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Sugar is addictive. This explains why you crave it. Ordinarily I have a completely sucrose-free diet (apart from an occasional piece of fruit - maybe once or twice a week). On the Camino I ate chocolate almost every day. When I came home I stopped. Cold turkey. The first time I had stopped having sugar a few years back (and I never even used to eat much of it), I desperately wanted it for about six weeks. After last year's camino I did not actually crave it at all. Telling myself NO to all sugar removed the possibility that I would excuse a bit here or there and make the process last longer. If you're really interested, Robert Lustig has an excellent (but very academic) lecture on YouTube. An easier option would be David Gillespie's books, although they do have a few little errors in them (generalisations that are too sweeping for example)

 

[Icacos]

Look at what Dutch children have for breakfast. It's called hagelslag
http://www.findingdutchland.com/happiest-kids-in-the-world/
http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/12/eating-sprinkles-the-dutch-way-hagelslag-on-bread.html

Yes, that's the kind of white bread I mean, although now I find it a bit hard to look at, now that I prefer hearty and wholesome.

As to the chocolate sprinkles ... well, maybe if I were a child ...

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Never had them. I did buy some bars of dark chocolate outside of Zubirri once, orange for one, mint for the other. Lasted until well passed I got home.

 

[Icacos]

Never had them. I did buy some bars of dark chocolate outside of Zubirri once, orange for one, mint for the other. Lasted until well passed I got home.

Well, Anemone, I have to admit that I am not surprised those bars of chocolate lasted you until well after you got home. Chocolate has to be 'chocolate,' no orange flavour, no mint flavour. Just chocolate!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Well, Anemone, I have to admit that I am not surprised those bars of chocolate lasted you until well after you got home. Chocolate has to be 'chocolate,' no orange flavour, no mint flavour. Just chocolate!

This was chocolate that was hand made, small shop, only with natural ingredients. No "After Eight" or "Laura Secord" chocolate - stuff you would pay premium dollars home back home for, if you could get it.

 

[Robo]

Pre Camino and I already have a chocolate craving. Always have had.......... I'm doomed

 

[Icacos]

This was chocolate that was hand made, small shop, only with natural ingredients. No "After Eight" or "Laura Secord" chocolate - stuff you would pay premium dollars home back home for, if you could get it.

I enjoyed Lindt's on the Camino.

 

[mralisn]

Ever tried Choco-Flakes? We got as little cookie treats in Guemes. I said, "Wow, these would be great with milk." Found out later it is really cereal. This became one of our daily staples eating like candy all the way to SdC this summer.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I enjoyed Lindt's on the Camino.

Yuk! Taste like pure chemicals, and nevermind the dent in the budget for it ;0) Got for the heavy dark chocolate bars made locally, and available everywhere, including, as I mentioned outside of Zubiri, but also in Astorga, and then everywhere in between. But still, only for the pleasure, not performance, unfortunately ;0)

 

[Icacos]

Yuk! Taste like pure chemicals .....

Well then, it will really shock you to know that when I'm home, my chocolate bar of choice is Cadbury's Dairy Milk.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Well then, it will really shock you to know that when I'm home, my chocolate bar of choice is Cadbury's Dairy Milk.

I'm a Coffee Crisp fan, but don't call it chocolate, but candy bar ;o)

 

[kellyz]

Has anyone tried to resist the sugar/carb cravings while on the Camino? I don't mean entirely...Now and then I wonder if I should try not being totally permissive in regards to my appetite/cravings while walking because I find the transition back to normal eating tough psychologically and perhaps metabolically. Does anyone have experience/advice on eating well while getting proper fueling for the Camino?
Oh, my answer is that it takes about a month for me to kick sugar cravings, but it only happens if I also cut out bread and wine.

 

[Icacos]

I'm a Coffee Crisp fan, but don't call it chocolate, but candy bar ;o)

We may have been talking a bit at cross purposes here. I am not originally from North Anerica, and 'candy bar' is not a term I normally use. To me, Cadbury's Dairy Milk, or Lindt's, may constitute a chocolate bar, but I refer to all the others as Kit Kat, Mars Bar, Oh Henry!, etc., even Coffee Crisp ........ which I have eaten, but only as a last resort!

My apologies to the diabetics here for all this talk about chocolates and such. A diabetic friend of mine did once buy some sugarless 'candy' (again that foreign word), but got itchy all over both times she tried it, so it obviously did not work for her.

 

[Icacos]

Has anyone tried to resist the sugar/carb cravings while on the Camino? I don't mean entirely...Now and then I wonder if I should try not being totally permissive in regards to my appetite/cravings while walking because I find the transition back to normal eating tough psychologically and perhaps metabolically. Does anyone have experience/advice on eating well while getting proper fueling for the Camino?
Oh, my answer is that it takes about a month for me to kick sugar cravings, but it only happens if I also cut out bread and wine.

I don't recall having sugar / carb cravings while on Camino. I kept a supply of chocolate on hand mainly as an end-of-day treat for my companions and me and ... well, because I figured I deserved it. I do recall tho' that seemingly interminable downhill slog between the Cruz de Ferro and Acebo, and being tickled pink when I remembered my stash of chocolate. It was just the best pick-me-up. Plus - added bonus - there was a Camino friend with me to share it with.

 

[Kerstinh47]

The best part of chocolate on my camino as a previous poster has said was sharing it post-walk and making new friends as we broke pieces off the bar and smiled at each other- happy for however many kilometers were behind us for that day!

 

[frasert]

I'm the reverse hardly had sugar on Camino love water (well and ). Whereas at home drink and eat sweet stuff all the time. Perhaps I need to be permanently walking.

 

[SYates]

Lol, I might change that saying to "if you can't beat it - eat it!". Buen Camino! SY

 

[pilgrim b]

Lol, I might change that saying to "if you can't beat it - eat it!". Buen Camino! SY

Don't fight it this craving is like the Camino it's self . There's an old Yorkshire saying "if you can't beat it make it " so here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

View Ingredients In: Metric
100 g hazelnuts

100 g milk chocolate

100 g dark chocolate

140 g icing sugar

65 g cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla essence

4 tbsp vegetable oil

STEP 1: ROAST

Roast the hazel nuts in the oven at 180°C until golden brown.

STEP 2: MELT

Gently melt together the dark and milk chocolate

STEP 3: BLITZ

Crush the roasted hazelnuts in a blender. Then add the icing sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla essence and melted chocolate. Blitz again while gradually adding the vegetable oil.

STEP 4: SET

Once completely cool, leave in the fridge to set.

 

[bystander]

Anything less than 70% pure dark chocolate gives me asthma - (as does milk)

 

[jmcarp]

...
When did your post-Camino chocolate / sugar cravings finally stop? SY

Who said they did?

 

[nidarosa]

I'm not a fan of sweets or chocolate - I worked in a chocolate factory when I was young(er) and never recovered - but in my six weeks on the Camino I could not get enough of the freshly ripened figs, of all things! Or the black lentil soup with chorizo... So yeah, cravings caused by lack of sugar, salt and protein I guess. And they lasted for a good few weeks after I came home too, which is why the weight ended up back where it started... But that's a different story.

 

[Icacos]

......... so here is the recipe: Homemade Chocolate Spread.

Oh dear ............ I just may have to try that ........