Chocolate And Diabetes: Myths And Truth

Learn More about this Quiz

People often think that someone who has diabetes must have eaten too much sugar. This is incorrect. There are two types of diabetes. With Type 1 diabetes, the insulin producing cells in your pancreas are destroyed by your immune system. No amount of sugar in your diet _ or anything else in your lifestyle _ causes Type 1 diabetes. With Type 2 diabetes, though sugar doesn't directly cause it, you are more likely to get it if you are overweight. You gain weight when you take in more calories than your body needs, and sugary foods and drinks contain a lot of calories.

Best Chocolate For Diabetics

So along with the myth of how you become a diabetic, there is another misconception that diabetics can't eat chocolate because it makes the condition worse. There is also a myth that diabetic chocolate is okay to eat. Both of these bits of misinformation are incorrect. Diabetics can in fact eat small amounts of regular chocolate as part of a healthy balanced diet, and it is recommended they don't eat diabetic chocolate.When you are diabetic, your diet is all about balancing foods and eating the right food at the right time. This doesn't mean you have to cut out sugar altogether; it just means you need to manage what you eat and the amount. You need to balance the right foods like a set of scales. Too much of one thing causes issues. Fruit and vegetables have natural sugars in them. Manufactured foods have added sugars, and those are the ones we need to be aware of. People don't always check the content of what they are eating, and some foods are full of artificial sweeteners and sugars.A tip for diabetics who want to eat chocolate is to try dark chocolate with a higher cocoa content, ideally 70 percent, as this satisfies your craving quicker and you eat less. Try keeping chocolate in the fridge so it melts slower in your mouth and a piece lasts longer. Grate some chocolate over fruit or dessert to make it go further. If you like fruit and nuts in your chocolate, go for fruit rather than nuts as they have less fat.