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Chocolate

annie24342
annie24342 Posts: 49 Member
in Debate Club
I have been trying to eat Paleo for the last 2 months or so, and there's one thing i still don't get. How is dark chocolate okay (and to some people considered healthy)? I'm not saying that people need to avoid anything that isn't perfectly healthy or Paleo-aligned. I also understand that milk chocolate usually has lots of sugar and milk added, along with other things. What I dont understand is when people avoid all processed foods, milk, cheese, bread, candy, etc. but make recipes often which involve dark chocolate.

Replies

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    I don't understand it either.
  • jeebieheebies
    jeebieheebies Posts: 68 Member
    edited July 2016
    Probably because it tastes good. The paleo diet seems very weird to me, like the guidelines are made up and are essentially "eat less processed foods" but people seem to eat very varied diets while still considering themselves "paleo". I think that you can eat a lot better, more nutritious things, than chocolate. So I think that they just include it because it tastes good and "dark chocolate" has a reputation of ~~having antioxidants~~ (eating chocolate to get nutrients is like eating ice cream to get calcium, imo).


    Edit: I don't follow paleo, but I suggest carob powder to replace cocoa powder to anyone! It is a similar taste but it comes from a naturally sweeter plant.
    "A 2-tablespoon serving of unsweetened carob chips contains about 70 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 8 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein." --www.fatsecret.com
    2tbsp Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips have: 160 calories, 8g fat, 20g carbs, 2g protein. -- caloriecount.com
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    edited July 2016
    http://ultimatepaleoguide.com/paleo-guide-dark-chocolate/
    The history part is relevant.
    ETA: As is the "What Exactly is..." section.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited July 2016
    I eat dark chocolate because 'they" said it was healthy.. Who is 'they'? no clue.. but I go with it. I eat milk chocolate because it made with some milk, and that is healthy..

    I also really like the taste so it is a win win..
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited July 2016
    I go wih cacao nibs. No milk. No sugar. Tasty with macadamia nuts.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Because the rules are arbitrary? I don't know, nothing about Paleo makes sense to me. I eat dark chocolate because it's heavenly :innocent:
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
    I've never tried paleo (I do LCHF), but I eat dark chocolate because 1. Yum... So much more actual chocolate flavor than milk or semi-sweet chocolate and 2. While there is some sugar, it is a pretty decent LCHF "treat" so I can have a couple squares, get my chocolate fix, and still be on plan.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
    jeebieheebies wrote: »
    Probably because it tastes good. The paleo diet seems very weird to me, like the guidelines are made up and are essentially "eat less processed foods" but people seem to eat very varied diets while still considering themselves "paleo". I think that you can eat a lot better, more nutritious things, than chocolate. So I think that they just include it because it tastes good and "dark chocolate" has a reputation of ~~having antioxidants~~ (eating chocolate to get nutrients is like eating ice cream to get calcium, imo).


    Edit: I don't follow paleo, but I suggest carob powder to replace cocoa powder to anyone! It is a similar taste but it comes from a naturally sweeter plant.
    "A 2-tablespoon serving of unsweetened carob chips contains about 70 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 8 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein." --www.fatsecret.com
    2tbsp Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips have: 160 calories, 8g fat, 20g carbs, 2g protein. -- caloriecount.com

    Anything by Hershey pretty much sucks, lol.

    40 g of carob chips, unsweetened have 187 cal, 9g fat, 21 g carbs (19 g sugar), and 5 g protein

    40 g of Lindt 85% cocoa bar has 230 cal, 18g fat, 15g carbs (5g sugar), and 5 g protein.

    More calories in the dark chocolate, but keep in mind 40 g is about 4 squares, which is a pretty big serving. The carob chips have triple the amount of sugar! I'd prefer the higher fat dark chocolate because even though it has more calories, it has a lot less sugar (so it won't spike my blood sugar so much). That said, my tastes have changed pretty dramatically since going low carb, so 85% is plenty sweet enough for me. I can understand swapping sugary chocolate (Hershey's semi-sweet is NOT dark chocolate) for carob.

  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    edited July 2016
    tlflag1620 wrote: »
    jeebieheebies wrote: »
    Probably because it tastes good. The paleo diet seems very weird to me, like the guidelines are made up and are essentially "eat less processed foods" but people seem to eat very varied diets while still considering themselves "paleo". I think that you can eat a lot better, more nutritious things, than chocolate. So I think that they just include it because it tastes good and "dark chocolate" has a reputation of ~~having antioxidants~~ (eating chocolate to get nutrients is like eating ice cream to get calcium, imo).


    Edit: I don't follow paleo, but I suggest carob powder to replace cocoa powder to anyone! It is a similar taste but it comes from a naturally sweeter plant.
    "A 2-tablespoon serving of unsweetened carob chips contains about 70 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 8 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein." --www.fatsecret.com
    2tbsp Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips have: 160 calories, 8g fat, 20g carbs, 2g protein. -- caloriecount.com

    Anything by Hershey pretty much sucks, lol.

    40 g of carob chips, unsweetened have 187 cal, 9g fat, 21 g carbs (19 g sugar), and 5 g protein

    40 g of Lindt 85% cocoa bar has 230 cal, 18g fat, 15g carbs (5g sugar), and 5 g protein.

    More calories in the dark chocolate, but keep in mind 40 g is about 4 squares, which is a pretty big serving. The carob chips have triple the amount of sugar! I'd prefer the higher fat dark chocolate because even though it has more calories, it has a lot less sugar (so it won't spike my blood sugar so much). That said, my tastes have changed pretty dramatically since going low carb, so 85% is plenty sweet enough for me. I can understand swapping sugary chocolate (Hershey's semi-sweet is NOT dark chocolate) for carob.

    Ghirardelli master race.
    100% cacao
    40g - 213 kcal, 21g total fat, 13g carbs (0g sugar), 5g fiber, 5g protein

    Yeah yeah, I know. 85% vs 100%, but damn that stuff's good.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    tlflag1620 wrote: »
    jeebieheebies wrote: »
    Probably because it tastes good. The paleo diet seems very weird to me, like the guidelines are made up and are essentially "eat less processed foods" but people seem to eat very varied diets while still considering themselves "paleo". I think that you can eat a lot better, more nutritious things, than chocolate. So I think that they just include it because it tastes good and "dark chocolate" has a reputation of ~~having antioxidants~~ (eating chocolate to get nutrients is like eating ice cream to get calcium, imo).


    Edit: I don't follow paleo, but I suggest carob powder to replace cocoa powder to anyone! It is a similar taste but it comes from a naturally sweeter plant.
    "A 2-tablespoon serving of unsweetened carob chips contains about 70 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 8 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein." --www.fatsecret.com
    2tbsp Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips have: 160 calories, 8g fat, 20g carbs, 2g protein. -- caloriecount.com

    Anything by Hershey pretty much sucks, lol.

    40 g of carob chips, unsweetened have 187 cal, 9g fat, 21 g carbs (19 g sugar), and 5 g protein

    40 g of Lindt 85% cocoa bar has 230 cal, 18g fat, 15g carbs (5g sugar), and 5 g protein.

    More calories in the dark chocolate, but keep in mind 40 g is about 4 squares, which is a pretty big serving. The carob chips have triple the amount of sugar! I'd prefer the higher fat dark chocolate because even though it has more calories, it has a lot less sugar (so it won't spike my blood sugar so much). That said, my tastes have changed pretty dramatically since going low carb, so 85% is plenty sweet enough for me. I can understand swapping sugary chocolate (Hershey's semi-sweet is NOT dark chocolate) for carob.

    Ghirardelli master race.
    100% cacao
    40g - 213 kcal, 21g total fat, 13g carbs (0g sugar), 5g fiber, 5g protein

    Yeah yeah, I know. 85% vs 100%, but damn that stuff's good.

    100% is hardcore, even for me, lol! I do like 90% tho...

  • williammuney
    williammuney Posts: 2,895 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Because these diets are funded on bad science and built up on arbitrary rules, that's why.

    100%
    End thread/
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    I've preferred dark chocolate for 60+ years of my life because it tastes better. I don't care whether cavemen ate it or not. Here's an explanation of the advantages of eating it:

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-dark-chocolate-good-for-you-thank-your-microbes/

    Note that cavemen aren't mentioned in the article. :)
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    vingogly wrote: »
    I've preferred dark chocolate for 60+ years of my life because it tastes better. I don't care whether cavemen ate it or not. Here's an explanation of the advantages of eating it:

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-dark-chocolate-good-for-you-thank-your-microbes/

    Note that cavemen aren't mentioned in the article. :)

    Same here. I have never been a fan of excessively sweet things, which even a lot of dark chocolate falls into for me. If it's not 85% or better, I'm probably not going to touch it.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    What would you expect from a diet that says beans should be avoided?

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