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[H196]Healthy Chocolate Cookie Recipes

by Chris Alleny, Chr

Abstaining from chocolate is surely not an easy feat. The joy of chocolate is just too hard to resist even when it is loaded with sugar that obviously takes a toll on our health. Luckily, recent studies have shown that chocolate has tons of health benefits, particularly dark chocolate because it contains higher levels of cocoa and thus contain more antioxidants that's even higher than black tea and red wine. Still, sugar levels in milk chocolate and white chocolate is enough to give the diabetic a heart attack. Even chocolates that are marketed as sugarless or sugar-free still contain maltitol, which is almost as bad as sugar. Is it possible to consume chocolate in its pure yummy goodness without consuming the carbohydrates and alarmingly high sugar? With a little ingenuity, it's possible!

The Nutritious Content of Chocolate

Unsweetened chocolate contains about 8 grams of carbohydrate and around 145 calories, more than half of it is fiber, which is very good for the stomach and for aiding digestion. Chocolate, particularly unsweetened chocolate, also contains lots of minerals. One ounce of unsweetened chocolate contains about a quarter of the magnesium and iron, and about half of the manganese and copper that our body needs in a day. The fat contained in chocolate, when it is made of pure cocoa butter (and not animal fat or vegetable fat), is healthy fat—either stearic acid or monounsaturated fat, both considered to be “good saturated fat.” Three table spoons, or about 36 calories of unsweetened cocoa powder, has the same amount of fiber and carbohydrates as unsweetened chocolate but has lower levels of vitamins and minerals,. However, it also has much less fat content.

Appreciating Unsweetened Chocolate

The Maya and Aztecs, the earliest civilizations known to have consumed chocolate, used to drink unsweetened chocolate spiked up with some chile and spices. It was considered a drink for the royal family and was adopted by the Spanish courts. Unsweetened chocolate also makes a wonderful ingredient for unusual but interesting dishes such as Cincinnati Chili and Mexican mole sauces. It adds a fuller and richer flavor to dishes that blends well with sauces without being too distinct, plus it adds a wonderful aroma. When it comes to desserts and sweets, it's harder to go totally unsweetened. Unsweetened cocoa has a really bitter taste that may be too string for most people's palate. Artificial sweeteners are available, such as maltitol and other sugar alcohols. However, maltitol is about the same as regular sugar when it comes to its blood sugar impact, so using it as a sugar substitute may be defeating the point. While we want to find a healthy alternative to sweetening chocolate, we don't want to sacrifice depth of flavor and mouthfeel. Sugar alcohols can provide the same characteristics as regular sugar to chocolates. It counteracts the bitterness of chocolate wonderfully better than artificial sweeteners. Sugar alcohols are not all alike though. When buying sugar-free milk chocolates, use sugar alcohols that have the least impact on blood sugar such as erythritol. A healthy, but still yummy alternative is diabetic chocolate.

Here's where 'healthy and unprocessed' chocolate comes in. You can eat it without feeling guilty and without feeling like you're cheating on your restrictive diet. In fact, healthy dark chocolate is scientifically formulated to be good for everyone. It contains and maintains the antioxidant-packed nutrition of unprocessed cacao, which we've all been hearing so much about lately. The sugar in this type of chocolate isn't highly processed white sugar. It's sweetened with natural versus artificial ingredients, so you don't have to worry as much about blood sugar crashes as you do with processed sugars.

This healthy chocolate is a natural appetite suppressant, so no more starving between meals. You can get the same antioxidant health benefits from other dietary supplements, but none of those taste nearly as good. If you're used to taking a vitamin pill with a glass of water, this is not the same! Weird shakes or powdered concoctions are not nearly as exciting.

Healthy unprocessed chocolate is not the same as other kinds of chocolate. You don't get the same health benefits from those other highly processed chocolates packed with high-glycemic sugars. They might contain chocolate, but they don't contain pure, dark chocolate. This product is made of minimally processed cacao with other minimally processed, natural ingredients. Make sure you read all labels and look for 'unprocessed' chocolate.

Some other benefits of unprocessed chocolate for diabetics include improved mood, decreased inflammation due to arthritis or fibromyalgia, improved breathing, and improved memory. Unprocessed chocolate helps your body utilize sugars, decreasing the likelihood of other complications of diabetes such as vision problems, kidney problems, and amputations.

You may have heard that that the benefits of unprocessed chocolate for diabetics are minimal, and that eating it could actually damage your efforts to control diabetes. Keep in mind that there are always people who will eat too much of even a good thing. Unprocessed chocolate must be consumed in moderation, just like everything else. It's part of a balanced diet. Don't overdo it, and you won't ruin your diet.

European experts say that eating a moderate amount of dark healthy unprocessed chocolate could help control diabetes. Part of the reason this happens is because dark unprocessed chocolate helps you control your cravings and blood sugar levels between meals. The antioxidant effects are a super-sized bonus that can help every major organ in your body. Sounds delicious, doesn't it?

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Both Chris Alleny & Richard Van Beek are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Chris Alleny has sinced written about articles on various topics from Food And Drink, Food and Drink and Food and Drink. Chris Alleny writes about various subjects including food. For more information on great visit www.ultimatechocolateshop. Chris Alleny's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.

Richard Van Beek has sinced written about articles on various topics from Internet Marketing, Food and Drink and Home Based Business. To learn more about , visit Richard's. Richard Van Beek's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.