How do I get my chocolate fix w/o sugar?

[wren]

I've been reading about the stellabeam's sugar free trial 30 days sugar free and I would like to give it up too but I REALLY want to be able to eat chocolate.

I don't want any artificial sweeteners as a substitute. Any ideas for making hot chocolate without sugar in it? Is there such a thing as a chocolate bar without sugar?

[Angela]

Hi, Wren! I've stocked my freezer with no-sugar, no-fat fudgesicles and they satisfy my choco-ice creamy cravings well enough. They totally gross out my boyfriend and his son, though, and I am the subject of ridicule and scorn for eating them.

But I don't think a square or two of high-quality dark chocolate if you get the notion is anything but good.

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by wren

I don't want any artificial sweeteners as a substitute. Any ideas for making hot chocolate without sugar in it? Is there such a thing as a chocolate bar without sugar?

Yeah sure, I'm no expert but there are many raw chocolate bars.

[StellaBlue]

I eat so healthy...but...I will never give up chocolate It just makes me way too happy. I stick to dark chocolate at least.

I don't know how else you would sweeten it...agave nectar? I think I read someone on here talking about some chocolate agave nectar/syrup stuff. I have yet to find anything like that, but it sounds delicious!

Originally Posted by Vantage72

Yeah sure, I'm no expert but there are many raw chocolate bars.

I hear about people eating raw chocolate, so there has to be something!

[Calimero]

I know there is a sweetener that comes from plants called Stevia
just take a look at this link

Stevia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Europe it is not available. The EU is against the use of it but don't ask me why.

On an other website I found this...fake chocolate. I don't know if peanut butter is allowed in your diet or if you tolerate peanuts at all (myself I am allergic to it i don't touch it)
I don't know if it is something for you. Here is the link

"Fake Chocolate" No Sugar, No Saturated Fats. - Anabolic Steroids, Bodybuilding Discussion Forums - Steroidology

[wren]

Wow, never thought of raw chocolate bars... found this site: Loving Earth :: Raw Chocolate - Chocolate bars, Chocolate coconut butters, Cacao products, History of cacao, Chocolate parties. Their chocolate bars use agave syrup instead of sugar, too. I'm definitely going to look for a local source for that chocolate bar.

I had kind of pondered stevia... will have to see if I can score a free sample from my Whole Foods to try it before I buy it!

As far as fake chocolate, I'm not so sure about that. I'd much rather have the real stuff. I do love some good dark chocolate.

thanks people!

[Bleicke]

Stevia is not allowed to be sold as a food in the european union. There are still claims that it may contain risky substances.. who knows. Maybe it's true, maybe it's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ by the sugar industry.

You can still buy it, and I think it's legal. But it's not supposed to be a food but a plant. So be careful where you buy it!

Personally I'm thinking of adding very dark chocolate (>70%) to my non-sugar-diet. I can do without, but I really like dark chocolate. There is even a 99% dark chocolate with no sugar, but it's too much for me. I think 70% is about the best combination (try the 70% Lindt chocolate, it's amazing).

[lasti]

Stevia? That must be good! It begins with "Stev"

[Calimero]

Originally Posted by lasti

Stevia? That must be good! It begins with "Stev"

And it ends on "a"

[Michele321]

For anyone who might not know this- there is a difference between "No sugar added" and "Sugar Free". Most times when something sweet is labeled as "Sugar Free" it has sugar alcohols; i.e. "fake sugar" like Splenda or Aspartame (Equal, Sweet N Low) or Maltitol.

I have used Stevia- it's pretty good. You use such a small amount that I am not really concerned with any warnings about it, although I have heard of them. I LOVE Agave Nectar. I don't like the taste of honey at all, and Agave Nectar really is a nice substitute. In fact I just picked some up today at Whole Foods.

As far as chocolate without sugar- it's really bitter! Essentially you could buy unsweetened cocoa powder and use one of the aforementioned sweeteners if you really wanted to. Cocoa (or cacao) nibs are interesting- but bitter! They give you energy and you get the taste of chocolate if you just-must-have-it.

[Beloved]

Do you like mint with your chocolate?

There's a herb available called Chocolate Mint that tastes just like it's name implies.

[jenlili]

Wren, there are other sugar substitutes, like whey low, as well.

Lately I've been hearing a ton about agave nectar, like it's the new greatest thing for the sweet tooth. As I understand it, it serves the same purpose as honey, since it's the same sticky texture, but it has a much lower glycemic index, so it doesn't cause the crash and burn of a sugar rush. It does however have lots of calories, so keep that in mind. It's not a substitute for nonclaoric sweeteners. (It's not cheap either.)

Stevia, on the other hand, because it's such a super sweet substance requires you to use very very little or you'll end up with a bitter aftertaste. I've read that you can use it for baking, but it doesn't have the same chemical properties as sugar, so I'm skeptical about that. But I stir it into my yogurt (when I want it sweetened...seems I don't need it to be sweet anymore, since I've jumped on the low-sugar, good fats, good carbs bandwagon). You can use it with cocoa for hot chocolate too. If you buy the powdered type, mix it with the cocoa before you add liquid, it's a little hard to dissolve. But again because of the chemical properties, I don't know how well it would do for making chocolate syrup. I also used to mix cocoa and stevia with ricotta cheese for a chocolate dessert. A little drier than pudding, but low-fat, high protein.

If you're going to go completely sugar free, the hot chocolate or chocolate ricotta would be my suggestion. I've had cocoa nibs too, and they didn't seem bitter to me, just not sweet. But none of these suggestions has the creamy candy consistency of a chocolate bar. Mmmmmmmmmm. A really good quality dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa might be what you want to try after all, because even though there's sugar in it, a tiny little bite is usually enough; it's so rich.

[wren]

Originally Posted by Beloved

Do you like mint with your chocolate?

There's a herb available called Chocolate Mint that tastes just like it's name implies.

Yup, I tasted this once at my local gardening store. It was really good.

[wren]

Michele321,

You know I don't like honey either, so that is good to know about the agave.


jenlili:

Agave has a low glycemic index... awesome! I am hypoglycemic so that works for me.

Can you tell me the measurements for your cocoa, stevia, ricotta dessert? That sounds pretty good. Thanks.

I don't think I'll ever give up eating chocolate bars completely. I love them too much. Usually get 70% or higher. Dagoba is my current favorite, but I also buy Lindt & random others I find at the store.

I was mostly trying to figure out a way around the refined sugar in hot chocolate & other desserts... I have used maple syrup in some recipes but thought there might be better options.

[openeyes]

Originally Posted by wren

Any ideas for making hot chocolate without sugar in it?

Aztec Chili Hot Chocolate

[jenlili]

This sounds good, huh!?

Originally Posted by openeyes

Aztec Chili Hot Chocolate

"Your cinnamon looks rancid."
"Oh, that's not cinnamon. It's a special kind of chili pepper."
Chocolat Love that movie!

Chocolate Ricotta Creme
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon stevia

Stir it all together, eat it up yum.


I use Sweet Leaf brand Stevia with inulin fiber added. The only other brand I ever tried seemed to have a bad aftertaste, which is probably why my sister-in-law gave it to me, "We won't eat it, we don't like it." I've never tried the liquid stevia, but you can buy it pre-flavored. I wonder if there's a chocolate one?

Also, it's better if you can make a larger batch in the blender and cream it until smooth, but you'll need a really good spatula to get it out of the blender, it's thiiiick.

[UtopiaFive]

Originally Posted by wren

Is there such a thing as a chocolate bar without sugar?

They call it 100% dark chocolate

[stellabeam]

Do you want to need chocolate?

I decided because of all the ingredients it comes with that I would rather lose my dependency on it.

I did this very quickly (about 4 days) by putting some at eye level in my kitchen cupboard and imagining it as mud. I also repeated "chocolate is mud" when ever I saw it and imagined eating mud.

The next time I had an emotional trauma, which is a time when I would have succumbed to any "resolution" I could not touch it. I even had my dad saying "come on, have a timtam" and waving them at me. I had one bite and had to spit it out, it was so revolting.

That was 3 years ago. It was about a year before I could touch it and I have had chocolate since then once or twice since then, but it has lost it's appeal.

I can always repeat the "cure" if I need to.

I saw an interview with a guy on TV who lost a ridiculous amount of weight without dieting, just meditating away his various bad food addictions. He associated awful things with food he liked and I got "chocolate is mud" from him. I am sorry I cannot remember who he was but i am indebted to him for sharing the gold.

Just a suggestion...

[sleon]

For myself, I enjoy chocolate...I don't "need" it since I don't have cravings like I did before. But like many foods--avocado, red wine, salsa, scrambled eggs--I very much ENJOY it, and don't see a reason to give it up entirely.

Chocolate solutions I currently employ:

-- Homemade brownies made with stevia+prunes or Splenda as sweetener.

-- Homemade chocolate-chip cookies using the above as sweetener for the dough, and extra-dark chocolate sweetened with sugar for the chips. If I was able to find chocolate for baking sweetened some other way, I'd try it.

-- A couple squares of extra-dark chocolate with sugar when I feel like it. (About 100 calories' worth.)

I've experimented with a lot of substitute sweeteners over the years. Different ones have their advantages and disadvantages. My priority is generally taste and texture...I end up not eating chocolate extremely often, because I have to be really wanting it in order to feel motivated to bake!

[Boreas]

I use this no sugar added chocolate banana recipe and basically add as much cocoa powder as I want.

For hot chocolate I just mix cocoa powder with hot water and then add something like cardamom or a shot of brandy.

[hkalchemy]

Originally Posted by Angela

I don't think a square or two of high-quality dark chocolate if you get the notion is anything but good.

Dark chocolate contains antioxidants and other goodies - I read somewhere (reputable) that eating a small bar of very low sugar chocolate (90% or more) each day has beneficial effects on your health.