How to eat chocolate when you have an alternative diet

Chocolate: it’s more than just a delicious treat. It’s the comfort of a friend’s hug when you’re feeling down. It’s laying on a couch to watch TV after a long day at work. Chocolate is a spirit-lifter and a mood-enhancer. And that’s why no one should be denied the experience of a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate bar.

One of the great aspects of living in today’s world is that more emphasis is being placed on making food accommodating to all types of diets. Chocolate bars are no exception! You may have seen some chocolate bars recently that were labeled with words like “keto,” “paleo,” or “vegan.” Perhaps you were unsure what it meant and whether it was a good option.

If you’re someone who eats a particular diet, or are even just curious what it means, we’re going to break down the different labels you might encounter on a chocolate bar: their benefits and what makes them different. Perhaps you’ll discover that you can splurge on chocolate after all.

Keto

When someone eats keto, or “ketogenic,” it basically means that the diet is low carb. Most of the calories you consume are coming from fat and protein. Chocolate typically contains some amount of sugar – even the bars that have a high cacao percentage. When a chocolate bar is made keto, those sugars are replaced with a sugar replacement, like stevia or monk fruit. They often have a high cacao percentage as well to account for the lack of sugar.

Paleo

The idea behind the Paleo diet is to eat like our Paleolithic ancestors did. That means cutting out processed foods and sticking to lean protein, nuts and seeds, fruits, and vegetables. While chocolate is in fact processed, minimally processed chocolate is allowable in small portions on a Paleo diet. Even though Paleo and Keto diets are different, the result for chocolate is often the same: taking out the sugar and avoiding preservatives. They’ll sometimes replace the sugar with an alternative sweetener like Keto bars do, but the emphasis here is really on eliminating processed ingredients.

Vegan vs. lactose-free

People who are on a vegan diet don’t consume any animal products. That doesn’t just mean meat. It includes dairy, eggs, and even honey in many cases. The most common culprit that could stop it from being vegan is dairy. Typically, dark chocolate is a safer bet for vegan compliance, but it isn’t always.

There is one thing to note about this designation. While a lactose- or dairy-free designation may sound like a vegan product, that’s not necessarily the case. It’s important to check out the ingredients when you see those words. Lactose free simply means that people with a lactose allergy can drink it. The milk itself is still being used in these situations.

Gluten-Free

When you think of somethings with gluten in it, you’re probably thinking of bread or pasta. Your first thought might not be a chocolate bar. But, surprisingly, chocolate can have gluten in it – especially the more processed bar. It’s not found in the actual cacao, but ir works its way in as processed ingredients are used. As with some of the other diets listed here, that means you need a bar with clean and minimally processed ingredients to pass the gluten-free test.

The best part about such a wide variety of chocolates is that there is something for everyone to enjoy. No one has to feel any remorse for not enjoying a chocolate bar in their life. Instead, you can just ask yourself what you’re in the mood for.