Diabetic Chocolate: The Unsugared Sweet Chocolate
Only a handful of people in the world can resist the sinfully delicious taste of chocolate. Who wouldn't give in to the temptation of the sweetness and the fragrance of this wonderful food? Truly, chocolate deserves a grand title: The King of all Sweets.
The chocolate that we eat is composed of several raw and processed foods that are produced from the seeds of the tropical cacao. The cacao plant is native to South America where it has been cultivated for three thousand years in Central America and Mexico. The seeds, in their raw form, are very bitter and must be fermented to develop the flavor. The final product is called chocolate or cocoa after being roasted and ground.
Ancient Mesoamericans were the first to produce chocolate in form of a bitter, unpleasant-tasting drink. In fact, this first form of chocolate is called xocolatl which means "bitter water" in Nahauatl. When the drink found its way to Europe, courtesy of Old World explorers, it became the drink of the elite. It took several hundred years before chocolate was enjoyed by everybody.
Today's chocolate is no longer unpleasant tasting except for cooking chocolate which is bitter. The chocolate that we enjoy is cocoa powder mixed other ingredients such as cocoa solids, cocoa butter, milk, sugar, and even spices. These ingredients are what make chocolate taste great. By varying the amount of the ingredients being mixed and the style of which they are prepared, chocolate can have an endless variety of flavor.
Chocolate is one of the most popular flavors in the world. It is molded in different shapes that have become traditional on many holidays---bunnies for Easter, coins on Haukkah, Christmas trees during the Yuletide season, and hearts on Valentines day. Chocolate can be served as solid foods such as cakes, candies, and bars; or th
ey can be served in liquid form such as chocolate milk or hot chocolate.
However, as mentioned before, not many people can enjoy chocolate. While some reason out that it is not in their preference, many point out that they have diabetes. This disease prevents them from eating standard chocolate. What is diabetes? you might ask. Diabetes is a disease characterized by a faulty metabolism and an abnormally high blood sugar content, or the glucose in blood.
As preventive maintenance, diabetic people are told to abstain from eating food and beverages that contain a lot of sugar. This includes chocolate which usually has a high sugar content. How will diabetics enjoy this heavenly food?
Fortunately, a special kind of chocolate, the diabetic chocolate, is available in the market.
Diabetic chocolate, as its name implies, is formulated specifically for those afflicted with the disease. It is still sweet, but this kind of chocolate is not sweetened by sugar. Instead, diabetic chocolate derives its sweet flavor with sugar substitute, or artificial sweetener. This is a food additive that duplicates the effect and taste of sugar or corn syrup but usually with less calories.
Typically, a high-intensity sweetener is used to give taste to diabetic chocolate. This sweetener is many times sweeter than sucrose. This makes it concentrated; a little amount goes a long way. The sensation of sweetness may be quite different from sucrose or glucose so complex mixtures are processed to give the chocolate a "natural" sweetness.
Diabetic chocolate lets people enjoy this delicious food without increasing their blood sugar levels by limiting their sugar intake. In addition, some types of sugar substitutes release energy but are metabolized more slowly than sucrose or glucose. The slow metabolism allows blood sugar levels to remain more stable.
So if you are a diabetic, you can still satisfy your sweet tooth by eating diabetic chocolates.
The chocolate that we eat is composed of several raw and processed foods that are produced from the seeds of the tropical cacao. The cacao plant is native to South America where it has been cultivated for three thousand years in Central America and Mexico. The seeds, in their raw form, are very bitter and must be fermented to develop the flavor. The final product is called chocolate or cocoa after being roasted and ground.
Ancient Mesoamericans were the first to produce chocolate in form of a bitter, unpleasant-tasting drink. In fact, this first form of chocolate is called xocolatl which means "bitter water" in Nahauatl. When the drink found its way to Europe, courtesy of Old World explorers, it became the drink of the elite. It took several hundred years before chocolate was enjoyed by everybody.
Today's chocolate is no longer unpleasant tasting except for cooking chocolate which is bitter. The chocolate that we enjoy is cocoa powder mixed other ingredients such as cocoa solids, cocoa butter, milk, sugar, and even spices. These ingredients are what make chocolate taste great. By varying the amount of the ingredients being mixed and the style of which they are prepared, chocolate can have an endless variety of flavor.
Chocolate is one of the most popular flavors in the world. It is molded in different shapes that have become traditional on many holidays---bunnies for Easter, coins on Haukkah, Christmas trees during the Yuletide season, and hearts on Valentines day. Chocolate can be served as solid foods such as cakes, candies, and bars; or th
However, as mentioned before, not many people can enjoy chocolate. While some reason out that it is not in their preference, many point out that they have diabetes. This disease prevents them from eating standard chocolate. What is diabetes? you might ask. Diabetes is a disease characterized by a faulty metabolism and an abnormally high blood sugar content, or the glucose in blood.
As preventive maintenance, diabetic people are told to abstain from eating food and beverages that contain a lot of sugar. This includes chocolate which usually has a high sugar content. How will diabetics enjoy this heavenly food?
Fortunately, a special kind of chocolate, the diabetic chocolate, is available in the market.
Diabetic chocolate, as its name implies, is formulated specifically for those afflicted with the disease. It is still sweet, but this kind of chocolate is not sweetened by sugar. Instead, diabetic chocolate derives its sweet flavor with sugar substitute, or artificial sweetener. This is a food additive that duplicates the effect and taste of sugar or corn syrup but usually with less calories.
Typically, a high-intensity sweetener is used to give taste to diabetic chocolate. This sweetener is many times sweeter than sucrose. This makes it concentrated; a little amount goes a long way. The sensation of sweetness may be quite different from sucrose or glucose so complex mixtures are processed to give the chocolate a "natural" sweetness.
Diabetic chocolate lets people enjoy this delicious food without increasing their blood sugar levels by limiting their sugar intake. In addition, some types of sugar substitutes release energy but are metabolized more slowly than sucrose or glucose. The slow metabolism allows blood sugar levels to remain more stable.
So if you are a diabetic, you can still satisfy your sweet tooth by eating diabetic chocolates.
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