Seventy% - Topic: Quality chocolate for diabetics

alex_h on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Mon, 17 Jan 2005 21:56:08 +0000

and a really yummy alternative if what you say is right. my favorite combination in domori with the salt and all...

Hans-Peter Rot on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Mon, 17 Jan 2005 21:31:55 +0000

Domori's 80% bars in the San Jose boxes are sweetened with fructose and are probably an ideal chocolate for diabetics. Since fructose does not require insulin for digestion and is broken down by enzymes in the bowels, its effect on the glycemic level is at a minimum. Indeed, a most worthy alternative to chocolates sweetened with sucrose.

Lone Ly on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Thu, 14 Oct 2004 01:05:45 +0000

quote:

Originally posted by choca

i also need to comment on callebaut . yes they have a near monoply , they tried to rip of Artisans name and they do make some cheap products . There do have some good staff though and some of their products are of good quality.

By chance I met a Callebaut representative the other day (he saw my bag from L'artisan), and according to him they did not at all try to rip of L'artisan's name, it was simply a mistake, they didn't research properly in advance - which he admitted was unprofessional. He even commented that L'artisan probably use their products as they use Valrhona in some of their bars. I told him I had been wondering about the same. I asked Chocolatero about this some weeks ago, but didn't get any answer. Would like to know, though.

It's not that chocolates are a substitute for love. Love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is, let's face it, far more reliable than a man.
Miranda Ingram

choca on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Wed, 06 Oct 2004 15:32:51 +0000

Do the people at "the diabetic chocolate company" really make everything themseleves . the way he is repeating statements makes me think these are made in Europe not by his own hands ?

choca on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Wed, 06 Oct 2004 15:28:18 +0000

i also need to comment on callebaut . yes they have a near monoply , they tried to rip of Artisans name and they do make some cheap products . There do have some good staff though and some of their products are of good quality.

choca on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Wed, 06 Oct 2004 15:11:49 +0000

I must reply to chocolateros comments on Organic. there are some chocolatiers using organic chocolate and mixing it with other organic ingredients to produce a totally organic product .
There are indeed issues with some companies using part organic / part non organic , just as there are often organic products out there such as cocoa beans that are not certified . ( the whole subject of certification is a topic in itself ) . I would also question the means of production . Craftsman v muti-national ,
I agree on the taste issue

Sebastian on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Fri, 01 Oct 2004 14:55:34 +0000

I think, in general - not just limited to diabetic consumption - that total fat content should indeed be watched. As you're aware, chocolates can be from 30-40% total fat content - usually mostly from cocoa butter, but also milk fat and in the EU it can be 5% other vegetable fat as well.

It's all about moderation 8-) I'm not a physician, and can't give you any recommendations, but I think in general the 'western' world eats too much fat and doesn't run enough.

Can sugar alcohol chocolate be a fit for a diabetic lifestyle? Sure - but it's my opinion that it's got to be just that - a lifestyle. It needs to fit with the other types of foods you eat, your particular health situation, your exercise routine, etc. As it should us all, not just diabetics.

chocolatero on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Fri, 01 Oct 2004 11:29:14 +0000

What is your view on the use of vegetable fat in "diabetic" chocolates, when -to my limited knowledge- people with daibetes also have to wathc their fat intake due to higher risk of heart problems?
regards

Sebastian on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Fri, 01 Oct 2004 11:13:35 +0000

Nope. Maltitol is a sugar alcohol (polyol, or polyhydric alcohol) produced by the catalytic hydrogenation of maltose (which is a sugar). Maltitol has about 90% the sweetness of sucrose, a digestive tolerance of about 0.15g/kg body weight, and a glycemic index of approx. 35.

It's definately not a sugar, but does have one of the highest glycemic indices of all the sugar alcohols (meaning it's probably the least suited sugar substitute for diabetics).

chocolatero on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Fri, 01 Oct 2004 09:04:16 +0000

Would you classify maltitol as a sugar?

Sebastian on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Thu, 30 Sep 2004 13:25:53 +0000

Hoo boy. Let me preface this by saying I'm new to this place, and that I just wrote a sort of 101 primer on sugar free chocolates in the bar forum. I don't want to retype all that, but if you're interested in SF products, it might be a worthwhile read. There's a few misconceptions I've read here, allow me to address.

Fructose should never be labelled as sugar free. It is a sugar, no matter how you dice it - but is often consumed by diabetics as it has a low glycemic index (see above referred to post for definition). It's hard to use in chocolate, as it's hydroscopic, but can be done.

High intensity sweeteners are a class of materials that are *extremely* sweet. Most approved ones are not natural - they are halogenated materials (added cholorine/bromine molecules, specialty protein fractions, etc), and most frequently include aspartame, ace-k, and sucralose. There is a very vocal but not very scientifically based segment of people who are convinced that these tihngs are responsible for everything from the plague to boy bands and everything evil in between. Aspartame is made from an amino acid that folks with PKU lack the enzyme to metabolize, so they should not consume this. None of them, however, have been conclusively linked to any of the evils purported to them - if they were, they'd not be GRAS (a category of ingredients indicating food safety). Some of them have shown ill effects at consumption levels 10,000 x normal - but water has ill effects if you drink that much of it to - it will kill you. You have to use your head and consider consumption levels - these high intensity sweeteners are typically ~0.2% of a formulation - max. Many times they're an order of magnitude less.

There are certain 'natural' high intensity sweeteners - these may include things such as stevia and thaumatin. In the US they're not GRAS, in other countries they may be - check your local regs. They are not as effective in sweetening as the artificial ones, and have much more pronounced off flavors assciated with them.

Polyols (again, see previous post) are almost universally not natural, with the exception of erythritol. Reason being is that erythritol is produced by an enzymatic process, where as the others are chemically hydrogenated sugars.

Hope that helps

jamesfairfax on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Sat, 25 Sep 2004 11:15:12 +0000

Interesting to read your comments. Montegrano you make some good points. The fact that it is sugar free chocolate means you can't have it all. Chocolatero you seem a little mis-lead. Only a small amount of vegetable oil is used in the centres. As we are an online mail order company it is not really feasible to make chocolates with a shorter shelf life.
I think that you would find that our selection of diabetic chocolate is of a distinctly higher quality than any other diabetic chocolate on the market and this is why it is proving so popular. Not only this, but the fact that it doesn't contain any added sugar means that is also popular with those on low sugar and low carb diets. If you are not keen on the concept of sugar free chocolate, for whatever reason, fair enough, but Maltitol has actually been proved to have a beneficial effect on the intestines.

Kind Regards,

James
http://www.diabetic-chocolate.co.uk

Hans-Peter Rot on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Sat, 25 Sep 2004 03:16:18 +0000

Well then, you come across the dilemma of how you're defining "chocolate." Is chocolate the pure substance (i.e. cocoa mass), or the confection "chocolates," a common appellation used to designate anything made with chocolate. If you're referring to country of origin or country of maufacture, then it's an entirely different matter and one which must be taken into final consideration as well. However, this is not meant to be a big discussion [:)] People use terms and associations very loosely, and as a result, their claims are somewhat true but only to a certain extent.

chocolatero on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Fri, 24 Sep 2004 17:05:19 +0000

hydro veg fat used mostly in centres
other oils used in couverture
that's common and not really a step up.
yes, buy chocolate from Callebaut and make anything with it in anyplace in the world and you can call it belgian chocolate!!!
Same isseu for organic. Many people buy organic couverture and use it in an non organic way (other ingredients and processes) but call it organic chocolate!
sad world really but one can listen always to one truth: your palate!
chocolatero

Hans-Peter Rot on Quality chocolate for diabetics

Fri, 24 Sep 2004 16:42:00 +0000

Well, that's understandable, but since the chocolate isn't actually grown in Belgium (or France, Italy, or any other country), how fair is it to call it Belgian to begin with? The finished product might be Belgian, but the actual ingredients aren't. Just a random side note. Btw, at least butter oil isn't hydrogentaed vegetable fat, so I suppose that's one step up.