Living with diabetes is probably not that much easy. People with hyperglycaemia need to take care of the foods and drinks they intake and check their effects on their blood sugar levels. It is a common myth that people with hyperglycaemia cannot eat sweets and other sugary things like chocolates. Nevertheless, a myth remains a myth. You can still have them in a quantity that does not harm your health and disturb your blood sugar levels.
A more thing to be remembered here is taking sweets or chocolates with a large meal containing healthy foodstuffs. You can choose dark chocolate that contains 70% cocoa. Dark chocolates not only have good effects on the diabetes. However, they also regulate hunger.
How is dark chocolate beneficial for diabetics?
The flavanols in dark chocolate do not only help control high blood sugar levels. Nevertheless, they also assist in reducing the risk of heart disease and hypertension. Dark chocolate can be the best dessert for people with type 2 diabetes.
The benefits of chocolates with a higher concentration of cocoa may induce people to grab them anytime. However, you should take care of all the impacts it shows on your glycaemic levels and overall health. Every food item has an effect on your health. You may need to take special care about what you eat and drink and measure their impacts on your health and the condition if you are diabetic.
High cocoa chocolates are rich in antioxidants that induce your body to use its own insulin, resulting in controlled type 2 diabetes. This consequently results in lowering blood sugar levels and helps your body use your own insulin.
Concisely, dark chocolates reduce insulin resistance and help manage hyperglycaemia. The flavanols present in cocoa improve the ability of certain cells to secrete insulin. Insulin is the internal secretion of the human body that controls blood sugar.
Another benefit of dark chocolates for people with hyperglycaemia is that these reduce the risk of heart diseases and high blood pressure. As diabetic people are more prone to have these diseases, dark chocolates can help reduce the threat.
How to pick the finest dark chocolate for you?
When you have to choose dark chocolates for your health, especially for people, who have diabetes, you can look for some healthier choices.
Keep a check on the sugar content to keep carbohydrate amount in control
All sorts of chocolates, including unsweetened baked chocolates, have some amount of carbohydrates. Try to keep carbohydrate quantity under 15 to 30 grams in each chocolate snack.
Look for sugar-free cocoa powder
Sugar-free cocoa powder is easily available. Moreover, it is naturally sugar-free, which gives you the taste of chocolate without having carbohydrates.
Apart from sugar-free cocoa powder, you can also fetch cacao nibs. These are rich in minerals and irons, including magnesium. People with diabetes usually lack magnesium due to increased urination. Nevertheless, eating cacao nibs can help reduce the deficiency of this mineral.
Check the quantity of cocoa before picking any dark chocolate
Just because chocolate is marked as dark, it does not make it healthy. Some dark chocolates have cocoa concentration as low as 30 percent. Pick the dark chocolate with at least 70 percent of cocoa or more. You can easily find the concentration of the element in the chocolate wrapper.
Look at the sugary contents
Avoid dark chocolates that have more amount of toffee, caramel, or other sugars add inns. There isn’t a definite suggestion. Nevertheless, you can keep the amount under 8g of sugar per 1 ounce or 28g of chocolate.
Picking nuts with almonds or nuts can be a beneficial decision. It is because they bring satiating effect. Moreover, they also reduce the risk of diabetes. Eating almonds with dark chocolates under medical supervision can help decrease the risk of heart diseases that occur due to being overweight or obese.
Here are some ideas on how you can enjoy dark chocolates if you are diabetic
Put some cacao on the yogurt
This is one of the most compact and easiest ways to take benefit of dark chocolate. Yogurt is itself rich in gut-friendly bacteria named probiotics and protein, which is healthy for your well-being. It will act like icing on the cake for hyperglycaemia and your overall health if you add cacao nibs to the yogurt.
In addition, probiotics are also helpful in managing type 2 diabetes and keeping blood sugar levels under control.
If you are picking artificially sweetened chocolate be aware!
Almost everyone likes chocolates. If you are one of them who cannot resist your cravings for chocolate and are diabetic, look for dark chocolates.
These are rich in cocoa, which contains flavanols that ultimately help manage blood sugar levels. Additionally, eating sugar-free dark chocolate can be the wisest choice. This way, you can enjoy chocolate and improve your condition at the same time.
It is needless to mention that artificially sweetened things lead to diabetes and obesity. Both of them are harmful to well-being. Therefore, choosing dark chocolates that too with no added sugar can be the finest decision you can make for your cravings and health.
Eat dark chocolates but maintain the ratio of ¾ to 1
Eating dark chocolates can satisfy your cravings. However, you also need to take care of your health, especially if you have conditions like high blood sugar levels. If you eat dark chocolates in a ratio of 3/4 to 1, you will help your condition and satisfy your cravings.
It is unnecessary to mention that saturated fats, sugar, and carbohydrates can mislead your blood sugar levels.
You can blend some cocoa powder into your morning shake
Adding some cocoa powder to your morning shake can be helpful for your heart health. Keep the ratio between 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder in the morning drink. Get a natural cocoa powder that does not contain sugar, as sugar can disturb your condition.
In a nutshell, you can eat dark chocolates in a moderate and beneficial way. Doing so can help reduce the risk of heart disease and hypertension. Moreover, dark chocolate will also bring positive results on diabetes if consumed in a moderate and beneficial amount.
