What Is Dechox? Why You May Want To Skip Chocolates This Month

Dechox may be quite a difficult challenge for chocolate lovers everywhere, but it's one that people may want to try because it's actually for a good cause.

Much like other detox challenges, one needs to avoid a particular food item for a certain period of time to participate in the dechox initiative. In this case, it is chocolate that people will have to give up. According to Awareness Days, this is a challenge that affects "pretty much everyone."

Dechox encourages people to skip the sweet treat for the entire month of March. It is also a fundraising initiative for important heart and circulatory diseases research. The COVID-19 crisis has led to cuts in research funding for the said diseases, Just Giving said, noting that "60 years of progress is at stake."

Although Dechox is an initiative started in the U.K., that doesn't mean people outside can't participate. After all, there are other organizations elsewhere in the world that also need funding for research activities.

How to participate in Dechox

According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), the first thing to do is to determine what kind of "dechoxer" you are. Are you a "chocoholic for change," a "sweet-toothed supporter," or the "leader of the snack pack"?

Chocoholics can give up chocolates for the month, while sweet-toothed supporters can stop eating both chocolates and sweets. Leaders of the snack pack can take it to another level and give up chocolates, sweets and fizzy drinks for the entire month.

After determining the kind of dechoxer you are, you can set up a Just Giving page and start fund-raising, the BHF said. People can also choose other platforms to start fundraising.

The point is to come together in this simple sacrifice and to raise funds for important research that can help save the lives of the millions of people affected by heart and circulatory diseases worldwide.

In the U.S., for instance, heart disease is considered the leading cause of death in both men and women, as well as in most ethnic and racial groups in the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. The agency noted that one person dies from cardiovascular disease in the U.S. every 36 seconds.

"By uniting with fellow chocoholics, you'll create real change for people affected by heart and circulatory diseases," the BHF said.