Not Quite Ready for 100% Cacao page 2

[Dr. Bork Bork]

Try Scharffen Berger's 99% bar. It's pretty good! Also anything from Amano is wonderful, especially their Occumare cacao nibs. If you can chomp cacao nibs happily, you're ready for 100% bars.

[Nocona]

Buy some 100% cacao powder and mix it in with your protein powder drink. Very healthy and tasty without the bitterness!

[KathyH]

I have been enjoying my 90% Lindt. Yesterday took a trip to Whole Foods and discovered they carried 100% Ghiradelli so I bought a bar and tried a couple squares this morning. Whew, not quite ready for that just yet. Had to wash it down with a couple 90% squares.

I didn't know chocolate (especially in a bar form) was paleo, isn't it processed food?

[Artbuc]

I didn't know chocolate (especially in a bar form) was paleo, isn't it processed food?

The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate | Mark's Daily Apple

[KathyH]

The Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate | Mark's Daily Apple

These are the benefits of cocoa bean, why should I subject myself to eating processes food this article doesn't explain.

[Artbuc]

These are the benefits of cocoa bean, why should I subject myself to eating processes food this article doesn't explain.

I really don't know any more than you about this subject so someone else will have to answer your question. However, I have read this forum enough to say that most of the long time PB folks would probably say if you don't want to eat processed chocolate bars, don't eat them. No big deal.

[ChocoTaco369]

Trying to reduce sugar wherever I can.

I'm going to let you in on a secret: the "sugar" issue is completely overblown.

Unless you're a diabetic, I don't see the point obsessing about removing all sugar from one's diet. Mark puts white sugar in his coffee. A serving of 72% cocoa has what, 15g of sugar in it? So conceivably, you can eat an entire 3.5oz bar of chocolate every single week and still come in around a teaspoon a day. That is around what Mark Sisson himself puts in his coffee daily.

Let's look at the facts:

American Per-Capita Sugar Consumption Hits 100 Pounds Per Year - Business Insider



The average American eats 100 POUNDS OF SUGAR A YEAR! Simple math shows that is 0.274 pounds A DAY, or 125 grams of sugar a day. According to Fitday, 125g of sugar is 29.8 teaspoons. So, essentially, the average American is eating 30 teaspoons of sugar a day on average and you're worrying about 1 teaspoon a day.

I just want to put it into perspective for you. Sugar isn't like gluten. Gluten is toxic to pretty much all of us, so I can understand wanting to avoid it 100%. However, sugar isn't toxic. The problem with sugar is we consume ridiculous amounts of it. I doubt any of us are so broken we can't handle 1 teaspoon of sugar a day, so don't go all insane shooting for full elimination. The issue is when a teaspoon or two becomes a tablespoon or two, or three, or four...you get the idea.

Ideally, you could make your own chocolate like I do. Buy molds off Amazon, melt down baker's chocolate (pure cocoa mass) with coconut oil, butter, cocoa butter or some type of fat and blend in stevia and vanilla extract or flavor however you want. Add nuts, shredded coconut - whatever your heart desires. The best chocolate is always the chocolate you make yourself (in taste and in quality). And it's fun.

[magnolia1973]

I just would not bother eating something that doesn't taste good to you. You won't die without cacao. If the sugar in the 90% bothers you find another treat.

I also agree with choco on the sugar thing. I was upset about not liking stevia in my coffee- yeah... its a teaspoon or so of sugar a day, when I used to probably eat a cup of the stuff a day.

[ChocoTaco369]

^^^Exactly.

Sometimes you're on the road and run into a Wawa or Dunkin Donuts and want a coffee. Since I don't carry stevia around with me at all times and my options are white, pink, yellow or blue...I'm going to pick a little packet of white sugar over that chemical crap for sure (and I don't particularly enjoy jet black coffee). One little packet won't hurt. You just have to make sure the "one little packet" doesn't turn into a slippery slope.

[sbhikes]

You can melt that 99% chocolate, put it in the blender and add your morning coffee. Blend it for a few minutes until there's froth. The bitter chocolate and coffee go nicely together. At least then it won't go to waste.

I tried one of those dark milk chocolates yesterday. Not bad. It's like 47% chocolate. Sort of different from normal milk chocolate. I've always liked the dark stuff better than milk but this was quite good. I figure if I'm going to eat chocolate, it's going to be good chocolate.