Do you have chocolate cravings? I heard on a UK radio program this morning that a recent study has revealed the fact that by just having a single square of chocolate every day you can reduce your risk of heart disease or stroke by a whopping 40%. I unfortunately did not hear all of the finer details but somehow doubt that eating a couple of giant sized chocolate bars on a daily basis will increase this positive effect!

As with most things in life, it is likely that moderation plays a key role. This of course makes sense as a lack of moderation leads to imbalance; and the success and survival of pretty much everything we encounter in this world tends to rely upon having good balance. We see the effect of imbalance in many different spheres (not just weight and chocolate related) and read about its negative effects every day in newspapers and on the internet.

Reverting to the question of chocolate, it is delicious, is it not? There are few people who do not enjoy the taste and texture of this sweet and wonderful chocolate treat. Most of us learn the wonders of chocolate at an early age, with it being presented to us as a special treat. Indeed it is perhaps the way in which chocolate and sweets are introduced to us which sows the seeds of desire and cravings, these being further compounded and built upon as we encounter the rich and gooey taste and texture. Yumm...chocolate is just so good!

We are so very impressionable during our early years. We soak up so much information and knowledge through far more than just the spoken words which we hear. Children are amazingly intuitive and generally are more perceptive with regards to body language and tonality than the majority of adults. What we learn during those formative years also tends to stick. The attitudes and habits which we learn make us who we are in later life. It forms our self belief and our expectations.

Even if you were made to feel that you shouldn't have chocolate, this will usually lead to chocolate cravings because we do tend to always want what we shouldn't have. It seems rather unfair that chocolate cravings can be learned by such diverse patterns of thought - both because you are allowed this delicious treat and because you are told you shouldn't have so much chocolate - but this is what can, and does, happen.

Either way, you don't need to beat yourself up for having those chocolate cravings; that just makes it worse. The more you think you shouldn't have that sweet deliciousness the more you will crave that chocolaty taste. The way in which to successfully tackle and overcome those cravings is to learn to think about chocolate in a different way.

Once you think about chocolate differently you will find that you can, and will, enjoy its deliciousness in moderation, and free yourself from the frustration of living with chocolate cravings.

Roseanna Leaton, specialist in hypnosis downloads for health and well-being.

P.S. Discover for yourself how easy it is to stop chocolate cravings; grab a free hypnosis mp3 download from my website.