AnimalsDream @ AnimalsDream @slrpnk.net

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341

Joined

1 yr. ago

Date sugar kind of dissolves, but it's also high fiber, so it has a thickening effect. Unfortunately when it comes to sweeteners, the only ways to really keep them healthy is to make sure they're combined with a source of fiber and antioxidants, to blunt blood sugar spikes and prevent inflammation. Natural low calorie sweeteners like Stevia might be an option, but it's not clear what their health impacts may or may not be either.

I've never seen a chocolate bar that can truly be called healthy. See this comment for details on why. While it is possible to make a healthy chocolate-flavored treat, It's not possible to make a healthy true chocolate bar.

I think you're right, it's not possible without modifying the product so much that it can no longer be considered a true chocolate bar. I was going to post another comment in this thread about how I would make a chocolate bar. The sugar isn't even the hard part - the thing that makes sugar harmful is when it's 1) refined away from a whole-food source, 2) consumed in excess, and 3) part of a diet that is high in both sugar and fat, and low in other nutrients like fiber and phytonutrients. The first issue can be solved by using date sugar as the sweetener, which is just whole pulverized dates. Molasses (in small amounts) could also play a role.

The bigger problem is the cocoa butter itself. That stuff is really high in saturated fats, and chocolate cannot be considered chocolate without it's inclusion. If I were to prioritize health over adhering to a standard, I would use either some kind of nut butter as a replacement (ideally one high in omega 3, like walnut butter), or a healthier oil like canola oil. Hmm, maybe avocado could be a good choice.

At this point I think it starts to run into stability issues, so an emulsifier of some sort would be desirable. I wouldn't want to use industrial products like lecithins, so maybe something like chickpea flower. But then at this point we're gone so far from chocolate bar that we're probably talking about something that would be closer to a brownie texture.

Another thing I found in looking into this is that there are two main forms of cocoa powder/solids. The one used in chocolate bars uses a so-called "Dutch process" which leads to a product that is lower in flavanoid/polyphenol content. The other kind of cocoa, usually sold as "natural cocoa powder" has higher acidity, so a more sour taste. It requires either more sugar to taste good, is generally preferred more in baked goods, or in some cases will include an alkaline ingredient to neutralize the acidity.

So in pursuing health I end up removing literally every ingredient that makes a chocolate bar what it is. I guess I'm just finding out that I don't like chocolate bars after all. XD

It'd be interesting to experiment with these lines of thought and see what comes out...

What a stupid opinion to block someone over

I dunno, I've yet to see a chocolate bar product that actually gets everything right. I think that it's entirely possible to make a chocolate bar that is not only every bit as much candy as any other, but is completely health-promoting as well. The bar here is really just the status quo.

Milk chocolate is ruined chocolate.

Edit: I'll elaborate. The primary health benefit of chocolate is the high antioxidant levels. So if a chocolate producer wants their product to lean on the health-promoting side, the last thing they want to do is include an ingredient that eliminates the primary benefit that a thing is known for. Dairy literally acts as an antinutrient in this sense, blocking the absorption of antioxidants in chocolate. It's been shown to do this to coffee, tea, and berries as well.

Soy milk would be a relatively better choice, but then again, like dairy, soy is one of the most common allergens. So I would argue oat milk would be the best choice for "milk" chocolate.

This. There are defined criteria as to what a real cult is, and once you have any familiarity with that, you realize that 99% of what people call "cultlike" is really just culture.

Yikes, ice cream is one of the worst things you could be eating, super high calorie density and extremely high fat content. Here is a far better ice cream alternative that can be made at home.

Processed or not, sugar is only turned to fat in the body if it is 1) fructose, or 2) more than what you need. Every cell in our bodies can store sugar in the form of glycogen. If our glycogen stores are low, any consumed sources of sugar will be enzymatically broken down, the fructose converted in our liver, and the glucose converted to glycogen and circulated in our blood to replenish the rest of our stores. Then after this process the excess will be converted to fat.

As for fatty acids themselves, they generally go to our muscles first if needed, and then the rest fills our fat cells.

Kind of ironic. Chocolate is naturally high in saturated fats, which hypothetically might contribute more toward diabetes than the sugar. On the other hand, high fat plus high sugar will certainly do a lot more damage than just one or the other.

Sounds like you chose the shitty chocolates. I almost never buy chocolate, but when I do, there is always a healthy selection of 85-90% cacao goodness available.

Why'd they ruin it with powdered milk? 😣

Generally I agree, and am so deep in the habit of not making my bed that it's never a thought in my mind. That said, if you or someone you might be sharing the room with is experiencing any kind of hard emotional state and feeling overstimulated, then making the bed as well as other general cleanup can make the space less noisy. In that context it can be therapeutic.

Yeah to be fair I don't use it either. These days I tend to just look for editors with good markdown support.

I love orgmode to a point, but when I tried to learn how to do the more complex stuff, that syntax began to make my eyes bleed.

Emacs is available in Android now, right on F-Droid.

I don't have plant-based grease, because I don't eat foods high in saturated fats plant-based or not, and I almost never cook with oil (except for rare occasions like the popcorn with olive oil I had last night).

What exactly is unhinged and overdone about my comments?

It's a little weird that anyone still thinks a joke that was overdone 30 years ago, would do anything other than make you sound unhinged today. "Tell me not to do a thing that causes suffering, will you? Well what if I cause even more suffering then?!"

I dunno, cartoon villain isn't a good look in real life.

Yeah, tough call. It's all just fucked.

Lol, nobody is eating candy for the calcium, and there are better sources.