Sugar free chocolates are a nice development for those of us who have need to reduce our sugar intake. Perhaps a diagnosis of diabetes or simply a need to lower the amount of sugar you consume has driven you to try to find alternatives. Sugar free chocolate is really closer to the original chocolate. Initially, chocolate was consumed without sugar. The Mayans and Aztecs consumed chocolate pure, without sugar polluting its taste and benefits. It was the Europeans who dumped sugar into the concoction. Consuming sugar free chocolate is a return to its roots.
Sugar free chocolate is made through the use of sugar alcohols, natural sweeteners, which don’t add as many calories or fat. Additionally, these sugar alcohols are not absorbed into the blood stream so there is no insulin impact from its consumption. Sugar alcohols are preferable to simply using artificial sweeteners since they seem to counteract the bitterness of chocolate. The main sugar alcohol used in sugar free chocolates is maltitol. Maltitol has 75-90% of the sweetness that table sugar has. Maltitol does not cause tooth decay like sugar does. Sugar alcohols mimic sugar in terms of texture and moisture retention. This allows the sugar free chocolate to adopt the texture and moistness of chocolate.
The downside of this ingredient is that it has a laxative effect. As a side effect, you can have bloating, diarrhea, and gas. Maltitol has nearly identical chemical properties as table sugar as well. As a result, it can be used in tremendous quantities, so consumers end up eating more sugarless chocolate than they realize. In many countries, sugar free chocolate has warning labels on it mentioning the laxative effects. Many people who’ve consumed chocolate without sugar have complained of the stinky gas and painful gastric irritation. You want to limit the amount you consume because of the gastric side effect of maltitol. Additionally, there is some evidence of weight gain in those who consume too much of these products.
Some chocolate companies producing sugar free chocolates are using erythritol instead of maltitol. The primary benefit of erythritol is that it doesn’t cause the gastric distress in most consumers that maltitol. Erythritol is found in natural fruit sources. The downside is that erythritol is only 60-70% as sweet as table sugar.
Sugar free chocolate allows the consumer to enjoy all the benefits of chocolate consumption without the disadvantages to your waistline. Sugar free milk chocolate, sugar free dark chocolate, and sugar free white chocolate all come readily available. There are also gourmet sugar free chocolates that make great gifts, most notably sugar free chocolate truffles.
Sugar free chocolate still provides the same benefits to your health as the sugar-filled chocolate lining shelves. Your mood will be lifted from its consumption. Additionally, chocolate has been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Chocolate protects the heart and has some anti-aging benefits as well. Sugar free chocolate provides all these advantages as well.
Sugar free chocolates are becoming more mainstream so even traditional candy producers are getting in on the market. Hersheys and Russell Stovers are two of the companies now producing sugarless chocolate as part of their regular product lineup.