Sugar-free chocolate is definitely for mom’s who want to watch their weight. Just like all dieters, they want to maintain their figure, and keep a health lifestyle. But a word of caution, before you go out and buy sugar free chocolate consider the pro’s and con’s.

Sugar-free chocolate sounds like the perfect answer for dieter’s and diabetics alike. It is a booming product category — in part because diabetes is one of the fastest-growing chronic diseases in America. But are they really worth the hype. Do these chocolates really taste like the real thing? And are they as healthy as they claim to be?

To sweeten sugar-free chocolate, most companies use maltitol, a substance 90% as sweet as sugar. This type of sugar replacement (a group that also includes sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, and isomalt) is definitely helpful to people with diabetes, because only a portion of it is digested and absorbed. And the part that is absorbed through the intestinal tract is absorbed slowly, so there’s a relatively little rise in blood sugar. This type of sugar does not cause tooth decay. And with improvement in technology they taste better too. But there is a catch. There always is.

Check out the latest videos on our chocolate videos page

The catch is that sugar free doesn’t necessarily mean fat free. The sweetness of chocolate is not the only reason that the taste of chocolate appeals to so many of us. The other reason is cocoa butter. And cocoa butter is rich in saturated fat, therefore so are many of these sugar-free products. Of course, cocoa butter is also used in lotions, and other skin creams show glowing skin. So the important lesson in this is that just because the chocolate is sugar free you can’t just pig out on it. You have to set limits for eating chocolate.

There is also another reason why you should limit the size of the portion that you eat. Excessive amount of this type of chocolate can cause a laxative effect. This is because the sweetener isn’t absorbed by the walls of the intestine. So, moderation has to be exercised.


tags: chocolate, sugar free chocolate, cocoa butter, diabetes, cocoa butter lotion, maltitol, sorbitol, mannitol, isomalt

Previous in series Next in series