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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To use Hot Chocolate as my main drink instead of coffee?

261 replies

DayInTheLifeOfaMum · 20/11/2024 18:25

For background I don’t like coffee, I can’t stand the taste of it unfortunately, I wish I liked coffee but I just don’t. Since being a mum I’ve ended up drinking Hot Chocolate in the same way that some people drink Coffee, multiple times a day, at both home and work. I feel like my hot chocolates make me more awake and more alert in the same way that coffee does that for some people, I just can’t stand the taste of coffee though. DH reckons I should stop drinking hot chocolate like this, but he drinks multiple coffees a day which is not much different as I’m using hot chocolate to feel more alert and more awake which is the same thing that he uses coffees for! AIBU to use hot chocolates as my main drink instead of coffees?

OP posts:
Waltdisnerd · 20/11/2024 18:46

I don't drink coffee either but love a sugar free red bull everyday. People that drink multiple coffees a day tell me it's bad for me but I really don't care

XWKD · 20/11/2024 18:44

Of course you're not being unreasonable. I'd drink hot chocolate but I'm diabetic. I have it the odd time.

hazelnutvanillalatte · 20/11/2024 18:43

DayInTheLifeOfaMum · 20/11/2024 18:36

Because he doesn’t believe it helps keep me awake/alert like coffee does for him. And also he says it’s apparently “different” to how he and other people have multiple coffees a day!

It's different because a hot chocolate is full of fat and sugar and coffee/tea usually isn't. If you just want a pick me up can you try milky tea? You could put stevia in it as a healthy sweetener. But it would be really unhealthy to drink multiple hot chocolates every day.

ETA just realised the irony of my username 😂

Amarige · 20/11/2024 18:42

I do!

GrumpyPanda · 20/11/2024 18:42

SoNiceToComeHomeTo · 20/11/2024 18:29

Cocoa contains caffeine so the effect is similar , but hot chocolate is also full of sugar which isn’t great. it’s a moot point whether other people should drink so much coffee anyway!

Not if OP uses high quality cocoa powder.

Edited - overlooked her comment on this.

OP I'd mix it up a bit. What is it specifically you dislike about coffee? I do as well,.and I have a hard time handling the acidity, especially in filter coffee. I do fine with espresso and other dark roasts, even if they border on bitter. So I'll do that occasionally, especially if it isn't on an empty stomach. I'd also explore if there aren't some leaf teas that could grow on you, or maybe even a nice tissue like verveine or a fresh chamomile tea made from the actual flowers rather than tea bags.

reesiespieces · 20/11/2024 18:42

Have you tried chocolate rooibos tea? I'm not a big tea drinker but it's nice.

I think that unless you are an endurance athlete that's a crazy amount of empty calories to drink daily

MrTwatchester · 20/11/2024 18:41

If you want to get diabetes, go ahead.

Coffee is actually good for you, especially black coffee.

Shinyandnew1 · 20/11/2024 18:41

DayInTheLifeOfaMum · 20/11/2024 18:33

For those asking what type of hot chocolates, I drink a mix of Costa hot chocolates, hot chocolates from other coffee shops. Instant hot chocolates at home/powder hot chocolates and hot chocolates from the machine that we have at work.

Well, how many calories do they contain?

It’s more like having a chocolate bar every few hours throughout the day really. Bad for your teeth, sugar/fat intake and puts you in a roller coaster of sugar crashes throughout the day!

Make sure you are seeing a dentist regularly!

Basilsage · 20/11/2024 18:40

Fruit tea?

AsTim3GoesBy · 20/11/2024 18:40

It depends on your definition of "hot chocolate", I suppose. If you're using just hot water and raw cacao powder or cocoa, then you can probably have 3 or 4 of those a day with no problem.

I would advise against using any kind of UPF hot chocolate powder that contains multiple ingredients and loads of sugars, artificial sweeteners, palm oil, mono and diglycerides etc.

Possibly a high quality hot chocolate might be OK, but even then I don't think it's wise to have them multiple times every day.

TwinklyAmberOrca · 20/11/2024 18:40

Hot chocolate continues a lot of fat and sugar. Maybe one a day is ok, but drinking it all day would not be good for you.

Coffee has known health benefits as long as you don't drink too many cups. I'm a black coffee with no sugar weirdo! Apparently a sign of a psychopath...!

What about tea? Herbal tea? Hot squash?

Littlemisscapable · 20/11/2024 18:39

Again tea ? Don't think multiple hot chocolates is a good idea. Hot water and lemon ? Hot water and add some cordial (those little squeezy bottles you can carry about )

minipie · 20/11/2024 18:39

Hot chocolate makes you feel (temporarily) alert because it’s full of sugar. But you’ll be playing havoc with your blood sugar with multiple spikes and crashes. Also teeth and calories as pp say.

Tea? Chai? Turmeric latte? Chamomile or peppermint tea? Hot water with lemon?

AllProperTeaIsTheft · 20/11/2024 18:38

Hot chocolate is practically a dessert rather than a drink imo. By all means drink it if you like it, but a quick Google tells me that in Costa a regular Americano with milk has 30 calories and a regular hot chocolate has 361! If you're having several a day, that's a bloody lot of calories!

PumpkinScarf · 20/11/2024 18:38

Maybe try a milky coffee with a low cal syrup? Or cacao tea?

showersandflowers · 20/11/2024 18:37

Have you tried chicory coffee? It's nowhere near as strong as coffee and lovely with whole milk.

DayInTheLifeOfaMum · 20/11/2024 18:36

I don’t really like tea much either unfortunately.

OP posts:
DayInTheLifeOfaMum · 20/11/2024 18:36

SleepingStandingUp · 20/11/2024 18:31

Why is he saying you shouldn't? Price? Sugar? Because it's not "mature" like coffee?

Because he doesn’t believe it helps keep me awake/alert like coffee does for him. And also he says it’s apparently “different” to how he and other people have multiple coffees a day!

OP posts:
catin8oots · 20/11/2024 18:36

Oh yeah. You're right unreasonable

DelicateSoundOfEchos · 20/11/2024 18:35

I wouldn't personally choose to be drinking in the region of 1000 calories a day. But you do you.

Moveoverdarlin · 20/11/2024 18:35

If you make it with all milk and not water it’s a lot more calorific than coffee. Yesterday I treated myself to a Green and Blacks hot chocolate made with full fat (blue) milk. I got to about 4pm and realised I hadn’t had lunch. It filled me up so much I completely forgot lunch.

Don’t you like tea either?

DayInTheLifeOfaMum · 20/11/2024 18:34

I need something to keep me awake/alert and hot chocolate seems to do that for me because I don’t like the taste of coffee.

OP posts:
LittleRedRidingHoody · 20/11/2024 18:33

Just be aware of the calories/sugar - my fave Starbucks Hot Chocolate is near enough 500 calories 😂 I'm sure powdered is better but I can't stand it!

DayInTheLifeOfaMum · 20/11/2024 18:33

For those asking what type of hot chocolates, I drink a mix of Costa hot chocolates, hot chocolates from other coffee shops. Instant hot chocolates at home/powder hot chocolates and hot chocolates from the machine that we have at work.

OP posts:
SleepingStandingUp · 20/11/2024 18:31

Why is he saying you shouldn't? Price? Sugar? Because it's not "mature" like coffee?