We always want what we can’t have, right? So, perhaps the key to beating a stubborn craving is as simple as ensuring your favourite treat is always available to you in excess. 

When embarking on a journey of healthy eating – whether that be for the purpose of losing weight, transforming our gut health or simply to better our lifestyle – our instinct is usually to cut out unhealthy, processed foods from our diet entirely. 

This is because most dieting tricks and mindful eating techniques that have guided our approach to nutrition over the past century villainize particular food groups and habits, leaving us with the belief that the only way to curb insatiable cravings is to completely restrict our access to bad-for-you foods.  

But as most of us know, this tactic is usually unsustainable, with our craving eventually trumping our willpower to unleash a late-night session of binge-eating our favourite treats.

It’s because of this tried and true pattern that experts are now testing the effectiveness of a whole new approach, and despite sounding wildly counterintuitive, the method may hold the key to unlocking mindful eating once and for all. 

Here’s what you need to know about the '5 blocks of chocolate' method, and why removing the novelty of treats such as chocolate could help you transform your health.  

What is the '5 blocks of chocolate' method?

If you’re someone (like me) who cannot get through an evening without a little sweet treat, the concept of the '5 blocks of chocolate' method might sound crazy to you. The method is designed to target the psychological reaction our brains have to anything in shortage. 

Remember when the pandemic first hit our shores and our supermarkets were left completely bare of necessities such as toilet paper? People travelled far and wide to locate and snatch up basic household goods, driven by a fear that they would not get the opportunity to do so again. 

When it comes to our favourite treats and snacks, our brains often behave in a similar way,  convincing ourselves that anything in scarcity should be consumed before the opportunity to do so is taken away from us.

This mindset so often leads us to polish off an entire block of chocolate, a tub of ice cream or a bag of lollies in one sitting.

The '5 blocks of chocolate' method is designed to rewire the brain to ignore the ‘novelty’ of our favourite treats, introducing an abundance of something we usually restrict ourselves from eating – in other words, five blocks of chocolate. 

The theory is that by having such an excess of our go-to sugary treat on hand, we won’t feel as pressured to consume it, helping our brains and cravings explore alternative, healthier foods. 

How does the '5 blocks of chocolate' method work?

Of course, with the rising cost of chocolate these days, splurging on five blocks of your favourite blend may seem like a gamble many do not wish to take. 

For those game enough to try the method – especially with Easter just around the corner – there’s one important thing you must remember to do.

In order to reap the benefits of the '5 blocks of chocolate' method, your household supply must never sink below five blocks. This means that when you do eat your way through a block (because let’s face it, chocolate should be enjoyed in moderation), you need to replace said block with another. 

By repeating this process, the brain will begin to dispel the idea that chocolate is a rarity in the household, so instead of responding to it with an overwhelming desire to polish off every last crumb, your cravings should become less severe and frequent. 

Why does the 5-block method work?

From an evolutionary perspective, humans have been taught to take advantage of food sources when they can in order to survive in all kinds of environments. 

Not too long ago, families might have been forced to hunt and gather their food sources, eating only what they could find when they could find it. 

However, thanks to modern societal constructs and the industrialised transformation of the food industry, finding food sources from our environment to sustain us is no longer our biggest challenge. In five minutes, we can order an entire week's worth of groceries – meats, veggies, processed foods and all – without ever leaving our couch. 

Despite such drastic technological and industrial advancements, our collective psychology has yet to adapt at the same pace, meaning we still approach food with an all-or-nothing mindset, even when our fridges and pantries are filled to the brim. 

So, until we wait for our brains to catch up to how far our lifestyles and food-sourcing methods have evolved over the last few centuries, tactics like the '5 blocks of chocolate' method that plays on our psychological desire to avoid food scarcity may be the best way to get on top of our nutrition goals. 

By having an excess of chocolate on hand at all times, the brain will inevitably start to view it as an abundant source of food rather than a rare treat. As the foundational economic teaching tells us, as supply goes up, demand comes down, meaning our cravings should subside, making way for healthier choices.