Being diabetics, we went searching for a sugar free chocolate flavored drink that would fit within a diabetic's diet. We spent quite a bit of time looking at labels in local grocery stores. We're trying to live by the principal that if you can't pronounce an ingredient, you probably should not be eating or drinking that product. We thought that this would be fairly easy to do. We were wrong. Even the number 1 brand states in the ingredient list that it has cocoa processed with alkali.
We were looking for a cocoa drink because of the antioxidants found naturally in cocoa. While it's true that chocolate is made from cocoa, almost every chocolate product is has more sugar than cocoa. We also wanted a drink low in calories and low in carbohydrates.
The other problem is that every cocoa drink found on the grocery shelves requires sugar, honey or some other sweetener before you can drink it.
Happily, there is an internet. We must have looked at 50 web sites and tried looking at ingredient lists for cocoa drinks. A few hours of Google searching later, we found something we wanted to try. We placed our order and waited.
It's not often that we find a food that is both good and good for you, especially for diabetics. Well, we found one we really like. It's called Crio Bru and it's made from 100% roasted cocoa beans. The great news is that cocoa beans have several health benefits, all of which are preserved when roasted and brewed into a delicious sugar free chocolate flavored drink.
Low Calorie -Only 10 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 grams sugar and 0 milligrams sodium per 6 oz. Cup. These numbers are for just the brewed cocoa itself. Many people add sugar, honey and/or creamer or milk. Naturally, this adds to the calories.Antioxidants - I've learned that raw cocoa beans, by weight, have more antioxidants than almost any food in the world, even after being roasted and brewed, Antioxidants help prevent cell damage caused by free radicals thus helping your immune systems. Brewed cocoa beans are also 100% gluten free.
Carbohydrates - A 6 oz serving of brewed cocoa beans contains only 1.5 grams of carbohydrates. For us diabetics, this is a real treat. Almost no carbs with a great chocolate taste.
As we said earlier, it is very easy to brew. Just brew it exactly the same way you brew your coffee. It will take a little longer to brew. You can use a permanent filter or paper filters, both work very well. To brew it thicker and richer, think hotter and longer. Set your auto-drip to brew slowly or brew it longer in a French Press. We like it "black" but many of our friends add cream and honey or sugar. Either way, it's very good. For many years, we drank only coffee in the mornings. Now, we substitute brewed cocoa beans 2 or 3 days a week. Even better, you can get this product in 6 flavors,
As I write this, I'm brewing a very small amount of Vega Real flavor. No, it's not to drink. I'm making chocolate cupcakes with it. I'll use both the brewed liquid and some of the grounds. There are many other ways to cook and bake with roasted and brewed cocoa beans or the grounds.
In conclusion, there are very few chocolate flavored foods that fit comfortably within a diabetic's diet. Most diabetics have to severely limit our chocolate. Here is one of a very few exceptions I've found that is 100% pure food, no chemicals, no additives, no whatever. Be careful as this product is very, very good. If you order it once, you will be back for more.
Tom and Nancy Cory are the authors and provide information related to living with diabetes. This brewed cocoa bean drink is very good. They have a blog at http://tinyurl.com/brewed-cocoa-beans
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