For someone living with diabetes, a lifestyle change is a real challenge, most especially with the food intake and following the right diet in managing the disease. While eating sweet foods is believed to be a restriction for diabetic people, there is still an exemption – dark chocolate.
Will you bid goodbye to your all-time favourite treat? Avoiding all sweets is only a myth. As a matter of fact, some sweets are capable of alleviating several medical conditions, add to that the positive effects it could give to the body and keep the entire body system healthy.
Dark chocolate, once consumed daily, can lead to significant health benefits. It works by lowering the blood sugar level and helps the body to use insulin more efficiently. It decreases insulin resistance, thus, preventing more complications of type 2 diabetes to occur. Furthermore, dark chocolate is known for having antioxidant properties – compounds that protect the cells from free radicals, as a result, inhibiting diabetes from producing further health dilemmas.
Benefits of Eating Dark Chocolate
- Lower blood sugar levels – Diabetes is characterized by a high blood sugar level over a long period of time. Eating dark chocolate will help in lowering the sugar levels in the blood and control the levels from spiking. It stabilizes blood sugar, which is necessary for managing diabetes.
- Improve insulin use in the body – The insulin is responsible for regulating the glucose in the blood into the inside of the cells. When you eat dark chocolate daily, it improves insulin sensitivity in the body. If the body cells do not resist this process, chronic conditions associated with type 2 diabetes can be prevented.
- Improve brain function – Dark chocolate contains flavanols necessary for brain health and proper blood flow.
- Reduce the risk of heart disease – Diabetes is one of the main causes for people to acquire heart disease. When the level of blood sugar is beyond normal and high, there is a greater risk for people to suffer symptoms of heart failure. Daily consumption of dark chocolate, add to that the benefits of flavanols will lower the sugar level and prevent heart disease from developing.
How to Choose the Right Dark Chocolate?
Since you’ve already known the benefits of eating dark chocolate and how good it can be for diabetes, you might have planned by now to start buying this sweet and have a good stock of it on your fridge. But wait, there’s still more that you need to know.
You must remember that not all chocolates are created with the same levels and ingredients. When it comes to buying dark chocolate, there are still guidelines you must follow, especially if you have diabetes.
- Choose a higher cocoa percentage – It is highly recommended to only purchase dark chocolate that contains 70% cocoa or more. Always read the label and the key ingredients of the product you will buy.
- Limit intake with extra sugary ingredients – As much as possible, limit yourself from eating dark chocolate with extra sugary ingredients. Instead, consume dark chocolate bars with nuts and almonds.
Eat in Moderation
Too much consumption of chocolate may have negative effects on the body, especially if it’s not checked during purchase. Eat in moderation and always seek medical advice with regards to your medical situation at the moment. Always check with your physician or dietitian for the right amount of food and diet you need to follow and consume.
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Disclaimer: Please note that the contents of this community article are strictly for informational purposes and should not be considered as medical advice. This article, and other community articles, are not written or reviewed for medical validity by Canadian Insulin or its staff. All views and opinions expressed by the contributing authors are not endorsed by Canadian Insulin. Always consult a medical professional for medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment.
