A Quick Summary of the Health Benefits of Chocolate
Chocolate is often spoken of as being good for the heart, in more ways than one.

Not only does it have a chemical said to mimic being in love, but studies indicate that chocolate can improve blood vessel responsiveness (important for the prevention of heart disease), blood pressure, and cholesterol. Other studies have shown it has potential for improving glucose tolerance, which is important to those of us who are using low carb diets to minimize blood glucose spikes.

Flavanoids, one group of phytonutrients, is thought to be at least partially responsible for the positive health potential of chocolate. These chemicals have an antioxidant effect that may also be helpful in cancer prevention.

It’s important to realize, though, that these potential effects are usually tested on more chocolate that a person would want to eat. Still, chocolate can contribute to the “phytonutrient cocktail” that we all should be getting every day – in other words, getting eating a wide variety of plant foods, including foods such as chocolate and tea, is almost certainly a very positive thing for our health, with each different food making its contribution.

You may have also heard about chemical in chocolate that affect mood. Again, the amounts of these chemicals are very small, and probably don’t have a big effect in most people. On the other hand, some people seem to be more susceptible to these chemicals than others. More About “Mood Altering Chemicals” in Chocolate

Chocolate Nutrition

One ounce of unsweetened chocolate has about 8 grams of carbohydrate, a little over half of which is fiber. The same is true for about 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. It also has substantial amounts of niacin, magnesium, potassium, and other minerals. Most of the fat is healthy fat – either monounsaturated fat or stearic acid, a “good saturated fat” by any measure.

Sugar-Free Cooking with Chocolate

First, remember that chocolate originally was eaten unsweetened, either in a drink similar to coffee or in savory dishes such as Mexican mole sauces, or Cincinnati Chili. It can add a subtle background flavor to rich, spicy dishes that no one can identify, but everyone likes!

In sweets, we run into some difficulties. Although artificial sweeteners do well adding sweetness to cocoa powder, it’s a little more difficult to work with pure chocolate – and yet, we all want that wonderful mouthfeel and depth of flavor. You will notice that almost always sugar-free sweets have maltitol in them, or other sugar alcohols. This is because sugar contributes properties to sweets other than just sweetness, and sugar alcohols can provide some of the same characteristics. Also, I find that artificial sweeteners don’t fully counteract the bitterness of chocolate as well as sugar alcohols.

The problem is that sugar alcohols are not all alike (see chart at bottom of page for comparison). Maltitol in particular is pretty much the same as sugar in terms of blood sugar impact. When purchasing sugar free chocolates, it is very important to understand sugar alcohols and choose accordingly.

In cooking, I like to use erythritol as it has the least impact on blood sugar. However, because erythritol has a “cooling” effect that can be distracting in large amounts, I like to combine it with artificial sweeteners, particularly liquid forms of sucralose (Splenda). Sweetzfree is my preference, as it is the most concentrated. Chocolate must also be handled with some care – it must never be over direct heat, for example. Tips for cooking with chocolate

In moderation, chocolate can be a healthful addition to a low carb diet. We just need to respect it and handle it with the care it deserves.