Are you suffering the after-effects of having had one too many? I\u2019m not referring to alcohol<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 I mean overindulging in Easter<\/a> eggs.<\/p>\n Because just as knocking back booze can make you feel dreadful the next day, so too can overdoing chocolate, although most people affected won\u2019t realise that\u2019s why they feel below par.<\/p>\n In fact, if after the weekend\u2019s Easter celebrations you found yourself today suffering from brain fog, low mood, diarrhoea, bloating, an escalation of your irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms, headaches even a worsening of your aches and pains, it might be that you are suffering from a chocolate hangover.<\/p>\n Okay, so you might not find this term in a medical textbook, but the effects are well defined by science.<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t the chocolate per se that causes problems, but the sugar (and for some people, the milk) in it. And boy, does Easter bring a lot of sugar.<\/p>\n Take a Cadbury<\/a>\u2019s Dairy Milk chocolate buttons Easter egg (which is a \u2018small\u2019 hollow chocolate egg filled with a few chocolate buttons) \u2013 even this modest offering contains 50.4g of sugar; that\u2019s more than 12 teaspoons. Just picture that for a moment \u2013 a mini mountain in front of you on the plate. (The NHS<\/a> recommends we eat no more than 30g a day of free sugar or sugar that\u2019s been added to foods during manufacture or by consumers).<\/p>\n And let\u2019s face facts \u2013 when giving eggs it\u2019s easy to get sucked into the idea that bigger is better, so plenty of people will be potentially scoffing several times that amount.<\/p>\n I know from the patients in my clinic who are struggling with low energy\u00a0\u2013 and a compulsion to eat sugar\u00a0\u2013 that once there\u2019s chocolate is in the house, they feel compelled to eat the lot.<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t the chocolate per se that causes problems, but the sugar (and for some people, the milk) in it. And boy, does Easter bring a lot of sugar…<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Even the most modest of Easter eggs contain 50.4g of sugar\u00a0\u2013 more than 12 teaspoons<\/p>\n<\/div>\n On my advice, one patient who was struggling with sugar \u2018addiction\u2019 kept a food diary in which she wrote down what she ate and her motive for eating it. Next to the entry for a chocolate egg she wrote that she ate it \u2018because it was all on its own and I felt sorry for it\u2019. But I don\u2019t think it was genuine pity spurring it on \u2013 it was a compulsion to eat more sugar, and there\u2019s a reason for that.<\/p>\n When you eat sugar it is quickly broken down in the stomach (although some gets absorbed instantly through the roof of the mouth) and sent to the intestines where the sugar (or glucose) is absorbed and enters the bloodstream.<\/p>\n This is when you get that shot of energy and, for some, a feeling of euphoria as the sugar surges through your body. It\u2019s that moment children run around the room screaming (I know studies have suggested that the sugar doesn\u2019t trigger this reaction but as a parent I beg to differ \u2013 and wonder if this research was funded by the sugar industry).<\/p>\n As glucose levels in the blood rise, the pancreas starts to pump out the hormone insulin \u2013 your body can\u2019t just leave sugar in the bloodstream as it is destructive, damaging blood vessel walls for example by making them less elastic. The insulin tags along with the glucose like a minder and accompanies it to a cell, acting as a key to get it inside where it can be safely stored until needed.<\/p>\n The more sugar you eat, the more insulin is released, and the result is your energy crashes back down as much of the glucose disappears from your system.<\/p>\n It can leave you feeling depleted of energy and dampen your mood (your brain is hungry for energy and sucks up about 20 per cent of your calorie intake).<\/p>\n Little wonder then that people feel the need for another sugar hit and reach for a bit more of that prettily wrapped egg. They are then caught in a vicious circle of energy highs and lows.<\/p>\n Jane Clarke’s advice on eating Easter eggs is to snap off a bit and put the rest away for another day<\/p>\n<\/div>\n That craving may be especially strong among those taking certain medications such as steroids which make the insulin less effective than normal, leading to sugar highs and then sudden lows.<\/p>\n And this affects the body in other ways, too. The crash in blood sugar can lead to brain fog and the large variations in blood sugar can also trigger headaches in sensitive people. Meanwhile, eating a lot of sugar together with fat, as is found in chocolate, causes water to be sucked into the intestines (sugar attracts water like a sponge) leading to watery stools.<\/p>\n Your excessive chocolate egg intake can also aggravate symptoms of IBS such as bloating, as it has an inflammatory effect. The sugar may disrupt the make-up of bacteria and other microbes in the gut, too.<\/p>\n This inflammatory action is why people with rheumatoid arthritis or other aches and pains may find that after a day of eating Easter eggs their joints hurt more than normal. For these people, eating high sugar foods is like pouring petrol on a fire.<\/p>\n And if you normally eat plant-based milks, eating a lot of milk-based chocolate may leave you with a sensitive gut for a few days because your system just isn\u2019t used to it.<\/p>\n For some people the after-effects will last for an hour or so, but for others it may be as long as a whole day.<\/p>\n How hard you are hit by your \u2018chocover\u2019\u00a0\u2013 and for how long\u00a0\u2013 depends on a number of factors. One is obviously how many eggs you eat and what is normal, sugar-wise, for you.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re tired or stressed it will hit you harder as your body is then less able to maintain stable blood sugar levels. However, if your previous meals were slow-release energy foods (think lentils and vegetables), this slows down the rate at which sugar you eat is broken down and released into energy, meaning you are less likely to get the sugar low.<\/p>\n If you do end up feeling rubbish then treat your system gently as you might if you had had a glass of wine too many. Have protein with every meal as this stabilises blood sugar levels, drink plenty of water to rehydrate and avoid rich, fatty food that might irritate the gut.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not here to be a killjoy \u2013 but the next time you get tempted to have a chocolate blowout remember to line your stomach first with a wholesome meal and snap off a bit and put the rest away for another day. I promise you it won\u2019t go off!<\/p>\n Jane Clarke is a registered dietitian; find her at <\/span>www.janeclarke.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n![\"Even](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2026\/04\/01\/14\/107583033-15698079-image-a-28_1775051141007.jpg\")
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