Photo by Tom Sharrow/SoNourished.com

When choosing to go with a low-carb diet, a sweet tooth can present a significant obstacle. Fortunately, one company has made it possible to go low-carb while still (occasionally, at least) indulging the sweet tooth. If you have an insatiable craving for chocolate, then check out kAAKAO, a Finnish confectionery company that offers a low-sugar chocolate bar that contains forty percent less sugar than a comparative bar of chocolate.1 Here’s how they work their magic.

Sweetened with dates, not sugar

kAAKAO’s recipe consists of only four items: single-origin cocoa beans, cocoa butter, dates, and coconut milk. The bar contains no added sugars. As a result, a forty-gram bar contains only ten grams of sugar, and all of that is naturally occurring sugars. By comparison, a forty-three gram Hershey bar will gain you nearly twenty-four grams of sugar, most of which is added. Since the bar does not rely on refined sugars for its sweet flavor, it has a low glycemic index, meaning that it will have a smaller impact on diabetics than a typical chocolate bar. Additionally, kAAKAO snack bars are free from gluten, dairy, soy, additives, preservatives, and colorings.

Is it chocolate?

Technically…no. According to the company’s website, European Union law allows only items sweetened with cocoa and sugar to be labeled chocolate. Since the company’s “chocolate” is sweetened with dates, it can’t legally be called chocolate according to EU law. However, if you’re looking for a creamy lower-sugar candy bar with an extremely chocolaty taste, then this is the bar for you. But it isn’t (technically) chocolate. But it basically is. Once again, government bureaucracy unnecessarily confuses the road towards healthier choices.

Can I stuff my face with this right now?

If you live in the United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Hong Kong, or Germany, then you can probably obtain it quite easily. Otherwise, you will have to wait. The European Union’s regulations have created difficulties for the company to spread its wares quickly.

Then the question becomes, of course, should you enjoy the chocolate? One of the great things about the keto diet is that it helps you make healthy choices while also fine-tuning your body to maximize its weight-loss potential. If you’ve become well-informed about the way the diet works, and you can enjoy the bar while minding your macros, then by all means! In a bit of a self-conscious moment, the company responds to the question “Is kAAKAO a healthy chocolate?” by stating: “kAAKAO bars are made with good fats, cacao, and organic fruit. We use the best organic ingredients we can find. Calling kAAKAO ‘healthy’ is a bit of a stretch – we all have our own definitions of what that means so we’d rather stick to ‘insanely tasty not-chocolate sweetened with dates.'”2

Although the bar may not be “healthy,” this company signals a desire to meet the needs of consumers who are rejecting the consequences of consuming massive amounts of refined sugars. The future is certainly bright for those who choose a low-carb lifestyle.

NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER

The content on this website should not be taken as medical advice and you should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The website or content herein is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. This website shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on the Website or actions you take as a result. Any action you take is strictly at your own risk.

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