Chocolate news

Race you to it,jeannie.

I heard the item on Woman's Hour, but as I don't qualify for the free issue :cry: , should I just munch away on Bourneville :?:

Hi Mal,

All of the Thorntons diabetic range carries a warning that it can have a laxative effect. That means that it is made with a sugar alcohol instead of plain sugar. That presents 2 problems to a diabetic
1) the laxative effect - from past experiences of others on this forum (myself included) I would say you were lucky
2) the sugar effect - sugar alcohols have 75% of the glucose content of sugar - so not much of a reduction.

This is why advice from Diabetes UK is that diabetics should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER eat products labelled as "diabetic", particularly chocolates. Because they are marketed as specially for diabetics, many diabetics believe they can eat them just like a non-diabetic would. They are almost as dangerous to a diabetic as ordinary chocolate.

The only chocolate that DUK endorses is the diabetic range made by Hotel Chocolat because these are made following advice given by DUK to the manufacturer not to use a sugar substitute but instead just use half the suger. Surprisingly they do not taste bitter - they are by a very long way the best I have ever tasted, but are pretty expensive and available only by mail order.

Normal chocolate isn't dangerous as long as you don't overindulge. i have been type 1 for two years and still eat it in moderation. I do find though that my BG does not rise too fast or high if i eat it with some carbs e.g a sandwich, as it mixes together and is then slower releasing . I carb count to determine my insulin dose at each meal so if i'm eating chocolate i just add it on. The occasional treat isn't going to do you too much harm, remember we are diabetics not saints. I also found that diabetic chocolate is very high in fat, high in price and the ones I tried when first diagnosed were nowhere near as tasty. At the end of the day it is up to the individual ,which one they decide to indulge in but my choice keeps my purse heavier and me off the toilet , and going by my last lot of blood tests hasn't done me any harm. So I for one will keep enjoying

last HbA1c 6.2

Welcome to the forum stabitha,Chocolate.......mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm it's hard not to over indulge sometimes!!I eat it after a main meal if I'm going to eat it at all and yes I agree the diabetic stuff is not worth the price.Buy the 70-80% ,it has not so much sugar as the cheaper stuff.

hi Sue, thanks for the welcome, and i'll give it a try. All i really wanted to say is that being diabetic doesn't mean you have to give up all the things you enjoy eating, and that you can eat normal foods just like everyone else, though i have found, through experience that some will have you believe different. I went to my local newsagent and the lady behind the counter looked horrified when I presented her with a bar of chocolate. Knowing I was diabetic she screached "you can't have that." I expained to her I knew what i was doing, and that eating the scary product I had put in front of her wasn't going to land me in intensive care. She finally accepted my explanation and let me have the chocolate, although it did leave me feeling a bit like a naughty school girl. But hey, i've always been a bit naughty anyway. Although i am very careful with my diabetes control i'm certainly not going to let it rule my life and stop me eating the things I enjoy. I have learnt that a little of what you fancy will not do you any harm, as long as it is a little.

Good for you,that's what's known as taking control!

Hi Stabatha,

You are absolutely right that we shouldn't let diabetes rules our lives to the extent that we can't enjoy an occasional treat. And you certainly seem to have things well under control. One point I would make though is that you have a distinct advantage over us type 2s in that you can have a little of what you fancy and just adjust your insulin dose to counter it. Unfortunately a type 2 not on insulin can't do that, so we need to be a bit more circumspect when it comes to the occasional treat.

Who knows, maybe one day they will made tablets for type 2s where we can adjust the dose to match what we have eaten!

Be good if they were chocolate covered :twisted:

sorry I took so long to get back . I totally agree , thats why despite the horrible injections, (well I certainly don't like them) I would rather be a type 1, at least I can adjust my insulin to what I am going to eat. That is why I am sick and tired of hearing the phrase that type 2s aren't proper diabetics. Ok so we type 1s get to feel like pin cushions, but at least we can vary the size and content(yummy chocolate included) in our meals. It must be hard for you , as it can't be easy to judge what you can eat by taking tablets. Type 1 and 2 are different , but at the end of the day we are all diabetics and have to work equally hard to get it right . Thats why I said it was up to the individual to decide what chocolate choice was best for them, as we all have different needs.I just wanted to state that normal chocolate needn't be avoided by everyone , I certainly wouldn't want to live without it forever I love it far toooooooo much :lol: