Diabetic Chocolate

A guide to diabetic chocolate could not have been written ten years ago. Until the last few years, it was difficult to find diabetic chocolate. Not anymore, the market of sweet treats for the diabetic has grown tremendously.

Most supermarkets and many online Web sites now sell a large variety of diabetic chocolate. Marketers are savvy people, and they know how to fill a need, but what is available can vary from source to source.

If you are suffering from diabetes, you want to know what these chocolates are all about, so you can choose one which is both satisfying and appropriate for your health. Needless to say, what you need is a guide to diabetic chocolate.

Of course, you can’t have the sugar in regular chocolate because your body is no longer able to process glucose into your body’s cells. But this doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some of life’s greatest gifts—such as a creamy, sinfully-good chocolate.

Chocolate in its original form is intensely bitter after it is processed from the cacao bean which grows on trees in tropical regions. Think of that package of baker’s chocolate in your cupboard. But when something sweet is added, it becomes that heavenly candy equated with falling in love.

Diabetic chocolate is almost always made with maltitol, a sugar alcohol. Maltitol is part of a family of sugar substitutes that includes mannitol, xylitol, isomalt, and sorbitol. The good thing about it for diabetics is that only a part of maltitol is digested and absorbed into the system.

Another benefit is the slow absorption rate which doesn’t spike glucose levels in the blood stream and doesn’t create a need for more insulin. The drawback is that it can have a laxative effect if you eat more than your share. Remember that is only if you overindulge. If you limit your intake of diabetic chocolate to the serving size on the package, you shouldn’t have a problem.

Recent studies have shown dark chocolate to be a beneficial indulgence. It seems the chocolate-producing cacao bean contains many antioxidant flavanoids which fight the free radicals in our systems. Free radicals are those lone wolves in our bodies that damage other cells and may pave the development of cancer.

Chocolate is good for the cardiovascular system lessening the risk of a heart attack because it relaxes blood vessels, lowers blood pressure and lowers LDL cholesterol. It improves brain function. All these health benefits are especially important to diabetics because diabetes has such a devastating effect on the body.

Are There Calorie Savings?

The good news is YES there are calorie savings. The bad news is it isn't a really impressive amount. The 40-gram serving of Dove sugar-free chocolate will cost you 190 calories while the same amount of regular milk chocolate totals around 210 calories. If this is a daily calorie savings of 20 calories, then the weekly savings could potentially be 140 calories and the monthly savings, 560. When we put it that way, it sounds pretty good doesn't it?

The Bottom Line

There are definitely some brands of sugar free chocolate that seem to be doing a great job and that many people would probably buy again. But the person these new products would benefit the most is someone with diabetes who would like to enjoy a little bite of chocolate without worry of it raising their blood sugar levels. And for this benefit, many of these sugar free chocolates are worth their weight in gold.

Now, if you don't mind,I believe it's time for me to enjoy some chocolate.