Low Sugar Chocolate - Breaking the Bitter Myth
Blog post by Lindsay Mustard, Holistic Nutritionist
You’ve likely heard people around you say, “I don’t like dark chocolate, its too bitter.” Yes and no. Dark chocolate has as many flavour profiles as there are coffee profiles. Depending on how you make and roast them, both can taste worlds apart. In today’s blog post, we will be breaking the bitter myth surrounding dark chocolate. We hope you’re not too hungry, because all of this talk of chocolate is going to stoke your appetite!
Dark chocolate, also known as a dark indulgence after a long day at work, is both a nutritional powerhouse and a staple in the majority of Canadians and American’s diet. We add chocolate to muffins, pancakes, desserts, trail mix, hot drinks, seasoning rubs….and so much more. Chocolate has been adapted and worked into our diets in a variety of ways, so let’s talk about why it should stay! Dark chocolate is a superfood. Made from cacao bean which has been consumer for thousands of years, dark chocolate is a rich source of antioxidants, healthy fat and minerals. It possesses anti-inflammatory properties, boosts cognitive performance, lowers blood pressure, strengthens one’s immune system, improves cardiovascular health, improves one’s mood and is a rich source of magnesium, copper, iron, manganese and zinc. All of those healthy ingredients and nutritional offerings aside, there are two factors responsible for the bitterness of dark chocolate - the concentration of cacao and sugar.
True dark chocolate contains 70 to 100 percent cacao. The higher the number, the richer and more bitter the taste. However, overtime, the demand for dark chocolate with a higher percentage of cacao to be slightly sweeter has increased. As a result, companies have started offering rich dark chocolate sweetened with stevia and other sugar free alternatives that help to offset the bitterness of a high cacao percentage. Before you run to the store and buy any and every chocolate bar on the shelf, know that not all chocolate bars are created equally. Mass-produced dark often uses low-grade cacao that has often been processed or heated to high temperatures, denaturing the chocolate and its antioxidant properties. Some companies go as far to remove the cacao butter and replace it with hydrogenated oils as a cheaper alternative.
Thankfully, there are brands like Zazubean Chocolate that sets the standards for superior, healthy dark chocolate. Zazubean offers a range of Coconut & OAT Milk, white and dark chocolate. All of which are vegan, ethically sourced and fairly traded. Their superfood line of dark chocolate is sweetened with coconut sugar, a healthy alternative to sugar that elicits a lower blood sugar response in the body and metabolizes at a slower rate compared to white sugar. They have taken dark chocolate to the next level by adding superfoods like maca, mint, dried raspberries, nuts, turmeric and orange to elevate their flavours and nutritional offerings. Alongside their dark chocolate line, Zazubean has also created a Slinky line that offers both regular and dark chocolate and is sweetened with stevia. This combination makes their chocolate the ultimate nutritional powerhouse as it keeps cacao’s antioxidant properties intact, infuses them with superfoods and sweetens them with a plant-based sugar-free alternative that doesn’t spike one’s blood sugar. Making their chocolate the perfect dessert, snack or midday pick me up when you’re having a bad day. And now that it is sugar-free, it’s perfectly acceptable to eat it at any time of the day!
There you have it, the breakdown of the bitter myth surrounding dark chocolate. To recap, when you’re shopping for dark chocolate, look for two things; cacao and sugar content. The higher the cacao percentage and lower the sugar content, the more bitter the chocolate will be. Unless it is sweetened with stevia, which is naturally 600 times sweeter than sugar, making it the perfect ratio between bitter and sweet! As a general rule of thumb, the lower the cacao content, the more sugar the bar will contain. Be careful, bars like these are no longer a chocolate bar, but a candy bar given the high amount of sugar they contain.
Choose wisely, pick the dark of the two bars that is sweetened with stevia or coconut sugar. Your body and blood sugar will thank you in the long run!