Most of them have too much sugar but I also don't want to eat bitter bark. So new to dark choco! thanks!
Posted by hiker53 (Member # 6046) on :
I eat Lindt--90% cocoa. I buy the big bars and eat one square a day.
Just gotta have my chocolate.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- I like Equal Exchange Panama 80% Extra Dark. It is very smooth and little goes a long way and melts quite nicely.
It is GLUTEN FREE & organic, important considerations. Although the GF part is not on their label, it's confirmed at their website where you can read ingredients.
Whole Foods carries it, too.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Darn, I just placed an order from Vitacost on Thursday.
Posted by LisaK (Member # 41384) on :
we love CHOCOLOVE. mmmm very smooth- even the high percents
I also like Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker's Series 78%. it is just on that line of not overly bitter and still some smoothness.
MMMMM
Posted by tailfeathers (Member # 39328) on :
Omg..thank you everyone, I've ordered a couple of the ones you all recommended and let's see...mouth already watering! Thanks!
Posted by LisaK (Member # 41384) on :
hey, let us know what YOU like then~!!
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- A good idea to include nuts in with chocolate treats, stretches out the goodness, adds protein and good fat to further longevity of absorption for steady glucose balance.
There are over 80 varieties of nuts. Good to explore various kinds. -
Posted by Andromeda (Member # 45866) on :
Lilly's has chocolate bars flavored with stevia instead of sugar! They also sell baking chips
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Great to see so many replies here.
When selecting a good brand:
Be sure there are zero "natural" flavors added. That's a sign of a chemical similar to MSG that is designed to have us crave their product. Nothing at all "natural" about "natural flavors" - and they can be far too excitatory to our nerve tissues.
Some (not all) brands with stevia also have an different artificial sweetener (sucralose, any "ose" is a caution flag), too, so read labels very carefully. The kind of emulsifiers some use can also be trouble. Go for the real deal. -
Posted by unsure445 (Member # 15962) on :
Ditto on the Lilly's Stevia chocolate and the Lindt 90% cocoa.
Dipping it in almond butter is awesome.
Cacao nibs are really good too and once you get used to 90% cocoa, 100% cacao nibs don't really taste bitter anymore, especially if you eat them with some chopped walnuts or almonds.
Big hit of caffeine though so I eat it in the morning so I can sleep that night.
Posted by tailfeathers (Member # 39328) on :
Thank you all for your wonderful answers. Just found out I'm 'pre-diabetic' so trying to avoid sugar and other things! So difficult!
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- A very dark chocolate should be just fine, in small amount and after a meal. Very dark, over 80 or 85% has very little sugar for one serving of about one ounce. That's the whole point of going ONLY for the very higher numbers.
It can be figured in with your glycemic index for your meal, the day. If one ounce is eaten with nuts, not too long after a meal that had protein, complex carbohydrates and fat (you need all three categories), it should be in good glycemic balance.
you might try a 90% . . . or cocoa powder with a bit of stevia mixed into coconut oil or a nut butter.
there are many ways to still enjoy flavor - with some planning. Nuts are a wonderful way to stretch even a tiny bit of chocolate.
Yet, very dark berries might work better for you (also not to far removed from a meal).
If you monitor your blood sugar, keep notes so it's easier to figure out how to achieve that good glycemic balance for your body. the excellent antioxidants both in very high numbers of dark cocoa and in berries helps the body in so many ways. -
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
Discover why Dr. Julian Whitaker recommends that his patients, especially diabetics, consider the health benefits of dark chocolate, eaten in moderation
The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate
by Dr. Julian Whitaker - 04/09/2015
Excerpt:
. . . Dark Chocolate Beneficial to Diabetics
Surprisingly, Italian researchers discovered that health benefits of dark chocolate include significantly improved markers of insulin sensitivity, decreasing fasting insulin and glucose levels, as well as insulin and glucose responses to the glucose tolerance test. . . .
Could Chocolate Help Prevent Diabetes and Obesity?
- by Dr. Joseph Mercola - April 21, 2014
Excerpt:
. . . Consuming high levels of flavanols found in foods like chocolate is linked to reduced insulin resistance and improved glucose regulation, which suggests it may be protective against type 2 diabetes.1 . . . -
Posted by LisaK (Member # 41384) on :
keebler- you said eat nuts in chocolate- haha that brougth back memory of my childbirth claases from long ago. instructor said if you have to eat junk make sure it has nuts so you don't waste all the calories. Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Lisa,
Yeah. Yet, unfortunately, some might bend that advice and it then becomes a disaster in disguise. A lot of terrible stuff can contain nuts that are old, rancid and when mixed in with junk (old, too processed, chemically laced, too sugared), it's still junk.
It took me a while to figure that out, though, and to discern the taste of real food vs. stuff that is flashy and trashy but can hook us.
However, IF the nuts are good quality, fresh and INSTEAD of junk, and IF added with small amounts of high quality, very high numbered dark chocolate, it simply becomes the better choice.
Many nut butters are excellent all by themselves, too. Many are not and some are even dangerous.
There is no way to make junk food not be junk. But there are far better options, both in contents and taste, and what it can do to either destroy or nourish our cells. -
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