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Chocolate.....to buy or not to buy????????

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oakdaledave

Active Member
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31
Hi guys, as a newly diagnosed diabetic I'm confused anyway. Have my first 'education' session tomorrow. Just been talking to a friend who has been diabetic (Type 2) same as me, for a number of years. We were talking about chocolate and she said I would be advised to stay away from chocolate produced for diabetics. She said I would be better advised to have 'normal' chocolate in moderation. What's the thinking on here guys? Dave
 
I'm not sure but I'm going on an education program tommorow too,it's called DESMOND where I live so will be interested to see what food advice they advocate as my Nurse practicioners advice on first diagnosis was atrocious! :roll:
 
she said I would be advised to stay away from chocolate produced for diabetics. She said I would be better advised to have 'normal' chocolate in moderation. What's the thinking on here guys?
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Most people on here (including recovering chocoholics :D ) have found that by switching to high cocoa content chocolate (70% or higher) they can tolerate a few squares. You can only tell your response to any chocolate you eat by testing afterwards. The same goes for any blood sugar-raising food, such as potatoes or pasta.

'Diabetic' chocolate is not recommended, since it usually contains laxatives, and can taste awful.
'Normal' chocolate may be tolerated by some here, but not many. It's simpler to re-educate your taste buds.
Those of us who've gone over to the dark side really love our few squares :D

Geoff

p.s. welcome !
 
Hi. Yes, try 85% Dark Chocolate. I use Green & Blacks 85% which has only 22gm per 100gm of carbs. I find the taste very smooth and you do get used to the dark chocolate taste. There are a few other brands of 85%, many cheaper, but the taste varies. Most supermarkets have these chocolates on special every few weeks when I go on a buying spree! Yes, avoid diabetic chocolate as it's cheap milk chocolate with Maltose (spelling?) and still high in carbs and often poor taste.
 
I've tried to educate my taste buds to dark choc, but still get the milk choc craving. Personally, I think the Thorntons diabetic chocolate tastes good. Dieticians and HCPs hate it because if you call something "diabetic", it implies you can eat it with impunity and you can't. The idea of course is that sugar is replaced with polyols or similar (sugar alcohols) which don't effect us the same. They are still carbs though. i read somewhere that they count for about half when carb counting, and that seems about right. It is said they can cause tummy upsets, but they don't effect me. I suspect that it's large quantities that could effect you.
So I have a little sometimes, on the basis that they don't effect my BGs as much, they don't affect my digestion, and it tastes good.
So, if you crave the milk, try it I guess. Like all things, try it then test.
 
Thanks guys. Yes, the 'diabetic' alternative seems very expensive. Maybe I should just buy my favourite chocs and just limit myself to one or two a week and see what happens.
 
Daibell said:
Hi. Yes, try 85% Dark Chocolate. I use Green & Blacks 85% which has only 22gm per 100gm of carbs. I find the taste very smooth and you do get used to the dark chocolate taste. There are a few other brands of 85%, many cheaper, but the taste varies. Most supermarkets have these chocolates on special every few weeks when I go on a buying spree! Yes, avoid diabetic chocolate as it's cheap milk chocolate with Maltose (spelling?) and still high in carbs and often poor taste.
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I love this one, as an chocoholic, and an ex big milk chocolate fan, this is the nicest by far I think, and would agree with an earlier post, I can have a chunk of this in moderation once or twice a week to satisfy a craving without a big impact on the BS.
 
Aldi do a dark chocolate with 85% coco and is truly delicious, I've not bought it for a while but it was around 90p-£1 for 5 individually wrapped bars.
 
noblehead said:
Aldi do a dark chocolate with 85% coco and is truly delicious, I've not bought it for a while but it was around 90p-£1 for 5 individually wrapped bars.
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I find these are a good way of restricting how much I eat, it's just the right size to give you the 'fix', but small enough not to put my levels up. If it was a big bar I'd have trouble stopping at a few squares!! :oops: :oops:

Ann
 
Ann19 said:
noblehead said:
Aldi do a dark chocolate with 85% coco and is truly delicious, I've not bought it for a while but it was around 90p-£1 for 5 individually wrapped bars.
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I find these are a good way of restricting how much I eat, it's just the right size to give you the 'fix', but small enough not to put my levels up. If it was a big bar I'd have trouble stopping at a few squares!! :oops: :oops:

Ann
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I agree Ann, they work out at around 4g of carbs a bar if I'm not mistaken.
 
I'm a long time T2 with good contol and normal blood sugars. Ihave 1 piece of Lidl's delicious dark hazelnut chocolate every evening. I use minimal medication and morning Bg is almost always in the 4s.
It's always about how much carb in total you eat. Even a single teaspoonful of pure glucose wouldn't do a lot of damage. one square of dark chocolate certainly doesn't for me.
Hana
 
since it usually contains laxatives
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Well, that's true from a certain point of view. "Diabetic" chocolate replaces some of the sugar with polyols; polyols are (somewhat less) sweet-tasting but largely indigestible - the latter attribute is what can result in a laxative effect.

Technically, any bulk-producing agent such as bran or fibre from apples is a laxative as well.
 
I attended my first 'Diabetic' meeting earlier today. Very informative - I am now the proud owner of 50 strips to test my water hehehe. I brought up the question of chocolate marketed as suitable for diabetics and was informed 'they are a waste of money and a con!). Not only costly, but could have an unwanted effect! Just have to watch the quantity of 'normal' chocolate I consume then eh. Thank you all for your replies, much appreciated. Dave
 
If you are having problems doing numbers 2's then diabetic chocolate is excellent... :wink: Otherwise I would stick to 85% + dark chocolate.
 
Understand the laxative posts, but would just repeat polyols have never caused me problems IN LIMITED QUANTITIES, and they do allow me to eat a little (nice tasting in my view) Thornton's milk choc without the normal spikes. a few others I've spoken to say the same, so I'd just say don't discard the idea without trying it and, of course, testing afterwards.
 
Pneu said:
If you are having problems doing numbers 2's then diabetic chocolate is excellent... :wink: Otherwise I would stick to 85% + dark chocolate.
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lol I have NO problem there. Like my Bran Flakes too much already!
 
Grazer said:
Understand the laxative posts, but would just repeat polyols have never caused me problems IN LIMITED QUANTITIES, and they do allow me to eat a little (nice tasting in my view) Thornton's milk choc without the normal spikes. a few others I've spoken to say the same, so I'd just say don't discard the idea without trying it and, of course, testing afterwards.
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+1

Sorry Grazer I couldn't resist the tongue and cheek re diabetic chocolate.

There is no harm in giving anything a good in small quantities and seeing what it does to your BG's.. you may be pleasantly surprised with the results.
 
Usually I can sniff out the chocolate threads by a mile but I missed this one!!! :lol:

Definitely recommend the Aldi's 85% Moser Roth bars. I have one bar per day every day and it satisfies my cravings.....most of the time. Occassionally, on a bad day, I've been known to have 2 and it doesn't affect BG levels.

Only 99p for 5 small bars @ 5g carbs per bar.....excellent!!!
 
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