A keto chocolate bar is the kind that has a small amount of carbohydrates in its composition, making it a great option for people who are adepts of ketogenic or low carb diets.
Many people wonder about the consumption of this food on a low carb diet. There are different opinions on this question, but the answer will depend on the type you consume. But does this delicious food have carbohydrates?
Yes, it has carbs. That’s why not all types are permitted in diets. On keto and low carb diets, only some are allowed for consumption.
That is because it is important to understand that not all chocolates are the same. Both in taste, of course — and in the effects on your body.
You might already imagine that milk type is not exactly a healthy food. Specially because, in this type, you will find much more milk and sugar than cocoa itself.
So, understand that the main factor for this food to be healthy is how much cocoa it has.
Everything else in the bar (sugar, milk, etc.) is an additive that, at best, is neutral to your health, and at worst, as in the case of sugar and hydrogenated fats, is harmful to your body functioning system.
That said, it becomes easy to understand the reason why some types of these products, such as the milk ones, for example, are completely prohibited in weight loss diets. And that is for the fact that they contain a very large amount of sugar and, consequently, more carbohydrates.
Thus, a 50g milk bar can contain more than 30g of carbohydrates. So, you should really avoid this type, not only because of your body weight but as well because of your health itself.
But what about white chocolate? The same rule for milk ones applies. It is rich in sugars, saturated fats and sodium. That way, you should also stay away from this diet boycotter.
In fact, the more cocoa, the better. So, of course, semisweet bars are already better than the other types mentioned above, in general.
Therefore, the most suitable chocolate for those who are on a ketogenic or low-carb diet is the dark types, more specifically those with a concentration greater than 70% of cocoa in their composition, and also the raw ones.
These versions are allowed because they have a much smaller amount of sugars, fats and, consequently, carbohydrates.
A 50 g dark bar 70% cocoa contains only 16 g of carbohydrates compared to 30 g of a bar of the same size of the milk form.
However, it is important to be aware, because although 70% dark bars have only half the amount of carbohydrates of the ones in the milk type, it can still have a high amount depending on your diet.
Researchers have proven that conscious and moderate consumption of this type of food brings several health benefits. They have the power to:
- Reduce blood pressure;
- Increase HDL (the good cholesterol);
- Protect against LDL oxidation;
- Decrease insulin resistance.
Keto approved chocolate bar
We can conclude that an 85% cocoa bar is very different from the milk types. From 85% cocoa onwards, things start to get even more interesting, because:
- the amount of sugar in the bar starts to get really small,
- the amount of fiber and good fats in cocoa is greater,
- flavonoids (beneficial compounds in cocoa) are more concentrated,
- the “compulsive potential” decreases substantially, and
- the taste becomes simply amazing.
Of course, this last point — about taste — is debatable. Because many people don’t appreciate the taste of the healthiest styles on the first try. But it’s important to know that your taste buds are adaptable.
And proof of that is people who can — even after years of drinking sweetened coffee — switch to unsweetened.
So, chances are you’ll start out finding 70% bars too bitter, but over time the picture reverses, and samples with more sugar take on a less pleasant taste.
In a few months, you can start consuming 85% cocoa, until you get to consume 100% raw bars, considered keto approved chocolate bar, in a joyful way.
Pure cocoa powder itself is also considered a ketogenic food and permitted in low-carb diets.
Keto bar chocolate
There are some brands that bring the term Keto on the packaging.
However, it is important to understand well what characterizes a low-carbohydrate food to make sure that you are consuming the right product and not falling for the label prank that describes the perfect product, but in the end, proves itself to be actually not so perfect.
If you are really concerned about what you are ingesting, you should look at the label carefully when choosing the best cocoa product for your diet.
There are two things you should look out for when shopping for it. And they are the same two things you should look out for when buying any product.
These are the ingredients list and the nutritional table.
Ingredients are usually listed in descending order of proportion. In other words, the order of the ingredients comes from what is present in the greatest amount to what is present in the least amount.
Therefore, the first ingredient on these products list should be cocoa. Words like cacao, cocoa beans, cocoa mass, cocoa liquor, and cocoa powder are all ok.
If “milk” or “sugar” (or anything else) comes first, know that this is not a proper chocolate.
In addition to the ingredient list, you’ll also want to look at the nutrition facts table. That is: the amount of energy, protein, fat, fiber… And — more importantly for our purposes in this case — the amount of carbohydrates.
In this case, it tends to relate very well to the amount of cocoa in the bar. That is: the more cocoa, the probably less carbs.
That is: if 85% of the bar is cocoa, there is not much space left to add other things to it. This way you can guarantee that you will stay within your stipulated amount of carbohydrates per day.
At this point, you may be thinking the following. But do I need to read the label on everything I buy?”
And the truth is, if you want to make good choices, you do. There’s no way you want to insert food into your daily life without looking at the label a lot. This may seem excessive, but it is very important for you to know what you are really eating.
At first, it can seem intimidating to read the labels on absolutely everything you buy. However, two things happen when you read labels frequently.
The first is that you get really good at it: just glance at a product label to spot strange things that shouldn’t be there.
And the second is that you’ll identify brands and products that meet your criteria — and then you’ll buy them all the time, without having to read the label every time you go healthy shopping.
So, now you know that in what concerns to keto bar chocolate, you can find labeled ones or you can as well understand what types of this food are considered suitable for keto diets, and purchase the correct one for you, even if the name keto it is not explicitly written on the label.
