Can People With Diabetes Eat Chocolate? (spoiler alert - YES!!!)

Chocolate is healthy! Not all chocolate, and maybe not in one pound portion sizes. But our focus is always to tell you what you can do, not what you can't. And this "can do" message gives us great pleasure. Enjoy

https://youtu.be/eXzVH53zeCk

Hi There! I’m Toby Smithson, Welcome back to Diabetes EveryDay. I think you are going to love the topic of our video today…it’s about chocolate! We will start by going over the benefits, yes benefits from eating some types of chocolate and then we will talk about best choices.

Did you catch the keywords…some type of chocolates? Not all chocolate is created equal when it comes to health benefits. Flavonoid amounts in a serving of cocoa or chocolate can range from as low as 5 milligrams to as high as 150 milligrams. Flavonoids are healthy antioxidant, anti-inflammatory compounds, and how the cocoa bean is processed determines much of the flavonoid content in finished chocolate. Many cocoa powders on the market are heavily alkalized, a processing which can destroy the flavonoid while also reducing the acidity of the cocoa,

Ok this gets interesting…If you are looking at cocoa powders to use in a recipe, choose a lighter color because it contains more antioxidant potential than the darker cocoa. But if you want to munch on a piece of chocolate, opt for dark chocolate with at least 70 percent cocoa, which is rich in antioxidants. And it’s important to note that Milk chocolate has fewer nutrients, double the sugar and only one-quarter of the fiber of dark varieties.

Of course, just because some forms of chocolate have potential health benefits doesn’t mean it’s healthy to devour it with reckless abandon. Compared to other flavonoid-containing foods, chocolate candies are higher in calories. But then again, other flavonoid-containing foods aren’t chocolate.

And… we have to talk about portion size. Research suggests 1 to 2 tablespoons of natural cocoa or 20 grams (about 3/4 ounce) of dark chocolate per day is enough to result in cardiovascular health benefits. Check out an upcoming video for our chocolate chia pudding which has a full Tablespoon of cocoa powder per serving), One tablespoon of natural cocoa contains only 10 calories and even a little bit of fiber (2 grams). Three pieces of 70-percent cocoa dark chocolate contains 75 calories and is equivalent to 1 tablespoon of cocoa. I like including one of these squares at lunch or dinner especially since it’s portioned out for me. Again, remember I’m not recommending Milk chocolate. It adds calories and fat, and doesn’t offer significant amounts of antioxidant flavonoids.

Hope you enjoyed hearing about the chocolate that you CAN eat along with the health benefits. Check out one of my top recipe videos for the 90 calorie chocolate cupcakes. Chocolate can be part of a healthy diet for people with diabetes, but keep in mind that moderation is key. Cheers to your health!

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