Why Dark Chocolate Is One of the Best Desserts for Diabetes
Diabetes is a name common to all. It is one condition that everyone is familiar with, a condition characterized by a high amount of glucose in the blood. Sensitivity or resistance to insulin is one of the reasons for the development of diabetes. Diabetes is a condition that is often accompanied by an aggravating risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. People having diabetes have to exercise strict control over their diet to keep their sugar levels at the optimum level. All choices associated with food or snacks need to be made carefully.
When you talk of diabetes and desserts these two do not seem to go well with each other. Well, this means that for people with diabetes it a no-no for desserts. As one receives a positive diagnosis for diabetes one feels forced to say goodbye to all those sweet yummy treats that are difficult to part with.
So what can people with diabetes do to satisfy those cravings for sweet? Well, we have a delicious answer and that is Dark Chocolate! Surprising but true, studies have shown that dark chocolate consumed in small quantities can actually help manage diabetes and some of the common conditions that come along withit. In fact, some research also suggests that eating small portions of dark chocolate may actually even help in the prevention of type-2 diabetes. Dark Chocolate comes loaded with minerals.
What is Dark Chocolate?
Dark chocolate is a type of chocolate that has no added milk solids, the basic ingredient being different types of cacao beans. More cocoa and less sugar the dark chocolate contains the more bitter it will taste and the bitter the better.
Benefits of Cocoa
Cocoa which is the key ingredient of chocolate has versatile benefits. Let us see the benefits of Cocoa. Cocoa is a plant that has high levels of minerals and antioxidants. Cocoa contains powerful antioxidants known as flavonoids that provide many health benefits.
Cocoa flavonoids enhance certain cells’ ability to secrete insulin, the hormone that manages blood sugar. This leads to further improvement of brain function, blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart health.
It has also been proven that flavonoids are capable of improving, stabilizing, and long sustaining insulin secretion, human islets, and pancreatic cell respectively.
Dark chocolate improves insulin sensitivity. The improvement in insulin sensitivity may help in the prevention of the onset of diabetes. Researchers also suggest a decrease in blood pressure in the same study. This is very beneficial for people having diabetes and also hypertension.
Scientists also associated improved health of blood vessels and levels found that consumption of dark chocolate reduced levels of bad cholesterol and improved the levels of good cholesterol.
Choose your Dark Chocolate Wisely
The benefits of consuming dark chocolate are proven but it would be good to remember one thing. It is important to be mindful of the percentage of cocoa. Just because a chocolate bar is labeled dark does not mean it is packed with health benefits. Some types of dark chocolate could have a cocoa percentage as low as 30 percent, making them more like regular milk chocolate. Nutrition-wise, to reap the most health benefits from chocolate, opt for a bar that contains 70 percent of cocoa or more.
Restrict dark chocolate that has caramel, toffee, or other sugary additions. The chocolate should be high in cocoa content and low in sugar, the best being sugar-free dark chocolate.
How Much Dark Chocolate is good for Consumption?
Have a rich serving of dark chocolate — but restrict the serving to about 21.26 to 28.35 gm. That way you’ll get some of the benefits of dark chocolate and satisfy your craving for something sweet, but you won’t cross the limits for calories, saturated fat, carb, or sugar intake.
Mindful indulgence in moderation is your best bet for reaping the heart and hypoglycaemic benefits that the treat can provide.