One of the most widely believed myths about living with type 2 diabetes is that all sweets are off-limits, and upon receiving a diabetes diagnosis, you may feel forced to say goodbye to all the after-dinner treats and 3 p.m. pick-me-ups you once loved. Fortunately, some sweets are safe for people with type 2 diabetes — and in the case of dark chocolate, a moderate amount may even bring significant health benefits, including lower blood sugar.

If you have type 2 diabetes, you may have thought that all chocolate is off the menu for good. After all, chocolate is high in sugar, which can raise your blood glucose levels and cause problems for your health. But before you say goodbye to your favourite indulgence, you should know that not all chocolate is created equal. In fact, some chocolate can actually help you manage your diabetes and even improve your health. How? By choosing diabetic-friendly chocolate that is low in sugar, high in cocoa, and made with natural sweeteners. Let us show you how you can enjoy a delicious chocolate treat without guilt or compromise.

What Makes Chocolate Diabetic-Friendly?

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans, which are rich in antioxidants, flavonoids, and minerals. These compounds can have many benefits for your health, such as lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow, reducing inflammation, and protecting your cells from damage. However, not all chocolate has the same amount of cocoa. The more cocoa a chocolate has, the darker and bitterer it is. The less cocoa a chocolate has, the lighter and sweeter it is. This is because lighter chocolate has more sugar, milk, and other additives that dilute the cocoa content.

For people with diabetes, dark chocolate is the best choice, because it has less sugar and more cocoa than milk or white chocolate. Dark chocolate can help lower your blood glucose levels by improving your insulin sensitivity and reducing your insulin resistance. Dark chocolate can also satisfy your cravings for something sweet without causing a spike and a crash in your blood glucose levels. However, even dark chocolate can have some sugar, so you should still limit your intake to a moderate amount. A good rule of thumb is to have no more than one ounce (28 grams) of dark chocolate per day.

How to Make Chocolate EVEN MORE Diabetic-Friendly?

If you want to make your chocolate even more diabetic-friendly, you can look for chocolate that is made with natural sweeteners instead of regular sugar. One of the best natural sweeteners for chocolate is yacon syrup, which is extracted from the root of the yacon plant. Yacon syrup has a very low glycemic index, which means that it does not raise your blood glucose levels as much as regular sugar. Yacon syrup also has prebiotic properties, which means that it feeds the good bacteria in your gut and improves your digestion. Yacon syrup has a sweet and caramel-like flavour that goes well with chocolate.

Another way to make your chocolate more diabetic-friendly is to choose chocolate that is raw and organic. Raw chocolate is chocolate that is not roasted, heated, or processed, which preserves the natural nutrients and antioxidants in the cocoa beans. Organic chocolate is chocolate that is made from cocoa beans that are grown without pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers, which ensures the purity and quality of the chocolate. Raw and organic chocolate can have more health benefits than conventional chocolate, as well as a more intense and complex flavour.

Where to Find the Best Diabetic-Friendly Chocolate?

If you are looking for the best diabetic-friendly chocolate, look no further than Mr Popple’s Chocolate. We are a company that specializes in making chocolate that is low in sugar, high in cocoa, and sweetened with yacon syrup. Our chocolate is also raw, organic, vegan, and gluten-free, making it suitable for everyone. We have a variety of flavours to suit your preferences, such as mint, orange, ginger, and more. Our chocolate is not only delicious, but also nutritious, as it contains essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can boost your health and well-being.

At Mr Popple’s Chocolate, we believe that everyone deserves to enjoy a sweet treat without compromising their health or happiness. That’s why we make our chocolate with love and care, using only the finest ingredients and the most ethical practices. Whether you have diabetes or not, you can enjoy our chocolate without guilt or worry. Try our chocolate today and discover the difference that diabetic-friendly chocolate can make for you!

Why Choose Sugar Free Chocolate?

You may be wondering why you should choose sugar free chocolate over regular chocolate. After all, chocolate is supposed to be a treat, right? Well, there are many reasons why sugar free chocolate can be a better option for you, especially if you have diabetes or want to reduce your sugar intake. Here are some of them:

• Sugar free chocolate can help you control your blood glucose levels. Sugar is the main culprit for raising your blood glucose levels, which can lead to complications such as nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage, and heart disease. Sugar free chocolate, on the other hand, has little or no impact on your blood glucose levels, as it is sweetened with natural ingredients that do not spike your blood sugar. For example, yacon syrup has a glycemic index of only 1, compared to regular sugar, which has a glycemic index of 65¹
• Sugar free chocolate can help you lose weight. Sugar is not only bad for your blood glucose levels, but also for your waistline. Sugar adds extra calories to your diet, which can make you gain weight if you consume more than you burn. Sugar also triggers the release of insulin, which signals your body to store fat. Sugar free chocolate, on the other hand, has fewer calories than regular chocolate, and does not trigger insulin secretion. For example, one ounce of dark chocolate with 70% cocoa has about 170 calories and 12 grams of sugar, while one ounce of sugar free dark chocolate with 75% cocoa has about 140 calories and 0 grams of sugar²
• Sugar free chocolate can help you prevent tooth decay. Sugar is not only bad for your blood glucose levels and your waistline, but also for your teeth. Sugar feeds the bacteria in your mouth, which produce acids that erode your tooth enamel and cause cavities. Sugar free chocolate, on the other hand, does not feed the bacteria in your mouth, and may even have some antibacterial properties. For example, cocoa has been shown to inhibit the growth of Streptococcus mutans, the main bacteria responsible for tooth decay³

Chocolate is not only a delicious treat, but also a potential remedy for various health problems. Here are some facts about the benefits of chocolate that you may not know:

• Chocolate has a long history of being used as a medicine. In the 16th and 17th centuries, doctors in Europe recommended chocolate to treat fever, cough, indigestion, and even diabetes¹². However, this was before the discovery of insulin and the modern understanding of diabetes, so chocolate was not a cure, but rather a palliative measure³.
• Chocolate can help reduce stress levels. A study conducted by the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland found that eating dark chocolate every day for two weeks lowered the levels of cortisol and catecholamines, which are stress hormones, in people who were highly stressed⁴. This may be beneficial for people with diabetes, as stress can worsen blood glucose control and increase the risk of complications⁵.
• Chocolate can help prevent type 2 diabetes. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that eating chocolate more than four times a week was associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than eating it less than once a week⁶. The researchers speculated that this was because chocolate improves insulin sensitivity and reduces inflammation, which are key factors in the development of type 2 diabetes⁷.

¹: Healers Once Prescribed Chocolate Like Aspirin ²: Chocolate as Medicine: A Changing Framework of Evidence Throughout History ³: History of chocolate as medicine ⁴: Chocolate Reduces Stress, Study Finds ⁵: Stress and Diabetes: A Review of the Links ⁶: Eating chocolate each day could reduce heart disease and diabetes risk ⁷: The effectiveness and cost effectiveness of dark chocolate consumption as prevention therapy in people at high risk of cardiovascular disease: best case scenario analysis using a Markov model

Why not try our range of yacon sweetened, sugar free chocolate bars, or if you are feeling brave, or love strong flavours, or are just sweet enough then try our sugar free 100% cacao chocolate bar