I haven’t been eating any sugar for probably 8 months. No cakes, no chocolate. I’m only eating honey, fruit, PB and sometimes fruit jams. So now I saw some healthy recipes but they use dark chocolate. So, does dark chocolate impact the blood sugar levels?
Honey, fruits, jams are impacting blood glucose levels similar to sugar, because they are sugar as well. Dark chocolate also can impact bg, though it depends on what kind of dark chocolate it is. I like to eat something with 80% cocoa and above, which is quite bitter. But net carbs are almost non-existed in such chocolate
All carbohydrates and sugar affect blood sugar in some way and that’s not a bad thing. Our body needs it as a primary energy source and is well equipped to store it away for use in a healthy body! It’s just that complex carbohydrates tend to break down and release into the blood stream at a slower rate not causing such a quick spike and fall as simple sugars (this can make you feel tired and sluggish).
However, honey is a simple sugar and the sugars in jams are too. Again, this is not necessarily bad, they have their place, it’s just that we want to reduce these, as many people eat way too much simple/added sugars, and have more complex carbs or “slow release” (which ultimately do break down into some sugars in the body and are stored as glucose for energy).
If you are interested in the effects of different foods and how fast they enter the blood stream you can look at the GI index which lists foods and their effect. However it is worth noting that this is slightly flawed as most of these foods we don’t eat in isolation and other foods in a meal can also have an impact on how fats we break down and asorb the sugars from these foods. E.g. Protein in a meal will slow this digestion and breakdown so consider that too.
Dark chocolate is honestly fine as are most things in moderation. It’s really important to consider the overall context of your diet as well if you are generally eating a balanced healthy diet, dark chocolate in a recipe is certainly no deal breaker. Dark chocolate also contains some vitamins, minerals and are a source of antioxidants; everything has its benefits and drawbacks, it’s just about context.
Sugar is sugar though whether granulated, added, in honey, fruit whatever its just that sugar on its own will affect you immediately differently to say sugar in fruit where absorbtion is slowed by fibre and has added nutrients with it such as vitamins and fibre.
Please make the recipe and enjoy! 😊
> So now I saw some healthy recipes but they use dark chocolate. So, does dark chocolate impact the blood sugar levels?
Yes but generally not very much. Dark chocolate can get super low on GI. Even diabetics are generally safe with dark chocolate in moderation.
Also I envy your self-control (and if you are doing it so you can stick your diet ignore me) but;
> I’m only eating honey, fruit, PB and sometimes fruit jams. So now I saw some healthy recipes but they use dark chocolate. So, does dark chocolate impact the blood sugar levels?
Your body doesn’t know the difference between sugar from honey and sugar from HFCS (honey actually usually contains lightly more fructose). Both contain free glucose & fructose that you can absorb without any gut work. Pretty much the same deal with jams & compotes.
Fruit is not as bad because it at least has some fiber, but honey and fruit jams are practically sugar. A tablespoon of honey has more than 4 teaspoons equivalent of sugar. Also, better to use peanut butter without added sugars.
Pure 100% dark chocolate (cocoa powder + cocoa butter) is very low in carbs, most of which is fiber, and zero sugars.