Chocolate For Diabetes : Is this tasty snack healthy for Type 2 diabetics?
Living with diabetes puts you at a constant consciousness about what to eat and what to avoid , and this is primarily because as a diabetic you know that even minute carelessness in eating can be fatal in terms of high blood sugar levels, diabetic coma and much more.
Hence, being conscious about eating is good!!
But, sometimes this consciousness seems to overpower facts especially in our mind and we start reacting is such a way towards food that is not even every time required. And, this happens especially with those sweet food items that are considered bad in diabetes from a common man perspective.
We'll, this thinking is not wrong either as sweet food items are directly connected with spiking blood sugar levels. But, is every sweet food item equally bad for you as a diabetic. NO!!
Many a times just because we keep hearing conceptions all around ourselves regarding what to eat and what to avoid in diabetes, we tend to fall for these theories without even knowing or learning about the reality. Today, we're gonna talk about one such conception which is perhaps pretty much rampant almost everywhere and that is - you can’t eat chocolates if you have diabetes. Chocolate and diabetes has been discussed a lot together and are perhaps considered completely incompatible as far as controlling blood sugar levels are concerned. Let's try to find out some information on this topic and let's see are these conceptions a myth or they are real.
Can a diabetic eat chocolate
Chocolates are loved by almost every person in the world irrespective of age, lifestyle, preferences etc. How much they are loved can be understood by a general statistics which says, Americans consume around 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate each year, which is actually close to over 11 pounds per person.
If that doesn't sound too popular, then you might be interested to know that an african elephant weighs somewhat equal to 5,000 pounds.
Now, if we put the comparison in place, 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate = weight of 560000 african elephants. Wow!!
But, when we talk about people with diabetes, chocolates doesn't seem to be that interesting. Chocolates for diabetes is perhaps considered as BIG NO food item by many individuals. We'll this thinking not completely wrong as not every chocolate is good for diabetics, but not every is bad either.
For understanding which chocolates are good and which are bad, first we need to know how chocolate behave in body after consumption and to be more specific, how much impact does it cause on the blood sugar levels.
How fast does chocolate raise blood sugar
General chocolates or the one that we find at very cheap prices in shops are Milk chocolates, which are usually very high in sugar and carbohydrates.
Milk chocolate has a glycemic index of 42. Many companies may add extra fat, sugar and calories to it so as to add taste. Hence, they are not too bad for a diabetic if eaten in moderation, but they should be avoided to the maximum extent especially when a better and healthy chocolate alternative is there, But what is it?
What kind of chocolate can diabetics eat
It is to be noted that when we talk about the chocolate that works good for diabetics, we primarily mean one chocolate and that is Dark chocolate.
Dark chocolate has a glycemic index of 23, which means that it does not cause rapid fluctuation in blood sugar levels. So, if you really want to satiate your cravings with chocolate, choosing dark chocolate for diabetes seems to be a much better alternative.
Why dark chocolate is good for diabetics
Dark chocolate in diabetes seems to be a healthier alternative than regular milk chocolates and candies. It's primarily created from the seed of the cacao tree and perhaps can be considered as one of the best sources of antioxidants on the planet. For people with diabetes, the naturally occurring compound Polyphenols found in dark chocolate may help the body in improving insulin sensitivity, or how well insulin works in the body, thereby controlling blood sugar in the body.
In addition to that, dark chocolate by itself has been associated with numerous health benefits such as reducing heart diseases risk, better blood flow and in lowering blood pressure. Dark chocolate with 70 to 85 percent cocoa is a good snack that you can opt as a diabetic. It also contains stimulants like caffeine and theobromine and will also work as healthy source of magnesium, zinc, and iron for your body.
As per a study that was conducted over 470 elderly men, it was found that cocoa helped in reducing the risk of death from heart disease by an amazing 50% over a time period of 15 years.
Hence, clearly if you're a diabetic and want to enjoy chocolate without much affecting the blood sugar levels, dark chocolate seems to be the best chocolate for diabetes. So, can we eat it as much as we want? Let's find out!!
How much chocolate can a diabetic eat
Even though numerous health benefits have been linked with dark chocolates, it simply doesn't imply that you can consume any quantity of it in diabetes. Dark chocolate for diabetes works as a great alternative to milk and other high sugar chocolates only as long as it's consumed in moderation.
A 100 gm bar of dark chocolate contains around 600 calories, hence, you need to watch out you lifestyle before hopping onto a dark chocolate. Diabetics are more prone to health complications therefore, always consult a qualified professional doctor before following any new nutritional routine or exercising regime.
So, to give it a conclusion, chocolate and diabetes are not 100% incompatible with each other. what type of chocolate you're consuming can make a big difference towards this conception.
Milk chocolates or high sugar candies have more calories and can spike the blood sugar levels, hence should be avoided to the max. Dark chocolate for diabetes seems to work as a much better combination as it has low GI value and has been linked with multiple health benefits.
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