I have never given anything up for Lent. Or at least, I never recall getting to the end of Lent have succeeded giving anything up. But this year, I thought I'd see what would happen if I set my resolve to giving up something important

CHOCOLATE

My love affair with chocolate has been going on for decades. There was Terry's Pyramint, and Terry's Chocoate Orange, of course. Ferreror Rocher; no Christmas is complete without one. Nutella; Ferrero Rocher deconstructed and bottled! Then there are all the lovely things in between - chocolate Brazil nuts, anything by Thorntons, mint choc chip ice-cream from Cadwaladers...... A few years ago my husband and I bought a dinosaur sized thick Belgian chocolate egg that made a deep cracking sound when you broke it. We had to start eating it before Easter and we were still eating it about 2 weeks later - gorgeous....

I'm just starting the 3rd week of a chocolate free Lent and I am very surprised that I really haven't missed it very much! I must admit, I did fancy a nice warm hot chocolate when I got into the office on Monday morning, but the replacement peppermint tea seemed to fill the gap. I have avoided the chocolate coated coffee beans and chocolate coated rice puffs that have come in my Graze Box over the last 2 wees too.

After I had my seizure back in July 2009, I went to see a Nutritionist who explained that chocolate is high in copper. High levels of copper are linked with many illnesses, including seizures. So, for a good few months, I ate chocolate sparingly. But, as time has gone on, I've fallen back into bad habits. So, by giving chocolate up for Lent, it's also a good chance to let my body's coper levels balance too.

So, anyway, Easter is on the 24th April, which means that Lent is 46 days this year, not the 40 days and 40 nights, as promised. 14 days down, 32 days to go. Piece of cake....carrot, not chocolate, obviously