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How quickly does chocolate affect blood sugar?

After eating, your blood sugar levels begin to rise within 15 to 30 minutes, but only if your meal or snack includes carbohydrates.

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After eating, your blood sugar levels begin to rise within 15 to 30 minutes, but only if your meal or snack includes carbohydrates. The speed and level of the increase depend on the type of carbohydrates and other nutrients found in the foods you eat, as well as on your body's ability to manage your blood sugar levels.

The Effect of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the main constituent of food that can raise your blood sugar levels. The amount and the type of carbohydrates you eat influence how quickly your blood sugar levels change after eating. Carbohydrates from liquids, such as juices and soft drinks, are usually digested more rapidly, while carbohydrates from solid foods, such as pasta and fruits, take a bit more time to break down. Foods that don't contain carbohydrates or only very little, such as non-starchy vegetables, butter, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, cheese and nuts, do not have the ability to significantly influence your blood sugar levels.

Glycemic Index and Blood Sugar

Only carbohydrate-containing foods have a glycemic index, which can be used to assess how quickly and how high your blood sugar levels will rise in response to different foods. Many high-glycemic foods can raise your blood sugar levels within as little as 15 minutes after eating, including white and whole-wheat bread, most breakfast cereals, rice, potatoes, french fries, scones and pretzels. Low-glycemic foods have a more modest effect on your blood sugar levels and it may take a bit longer to see a rise. The rise in your blood sugar levels is first seen in your venous blood, the blood drawn at the lab, and it takes a bit longer for the changes in your blood sugar levels to be measured in your capillary blood, the blood used when testing your blood sugars at home.

Fat, Fiber and Mixed Meals

Other foods you eat with carbohydrate-containing foods usually slow down the rise in your blood sugar levels in the post-meal period. For example, fat, fiber and protein all have the ability to delay gastric emptying. If it takes more time for your stomach to churn your food before releasing its content into your intestines where it can be absorbed, the increase in your blood sugar levels can be delayed. For example, even high-glycemic foods won't raise your blood sugar levels as quickly if consumed with butter, extra vegetables and a serving of chicken.

During Blood Sugar Testing

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Is Ghirardelli 72 dark chocolate healthy?

Dark chocolate has intrinsic health benefits similar to fruits, vegetables and tea. All of these foods contain flavonoids that have potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory actions in bodily functions. Dark chocolate with 72 percent cocoa solids has positive effects on your health, with a small risk.

Dark chocolate has intrinsic health benefits similar to fruits, vegetables and tea. All of these foods contain flavonoids that have potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory actions in bodily functions. Dark chocolate with 72 percent cocoa solids has positive effects on your health, with a small risk.

Health Benefits

An animal study published in Journal of Dietary Supplements in 2016 linked dark chocolate intake with reduced cognitive decline. Obese rats fed a dose of 70 percent dark chocolate daily for three months prior to the study had reduced hyperglycemia and improved cognitive function by its end. The chocolate also seemed to enhance spacial memory, allowing the rats to better navigate a maze. Moderate intake of dark chocolate may also reduce high blood pressure and guard against heart disease.

Fats and Calories

A small amount of 72 percent dark chocolate does not contribute too much fat to your diet. But you can't eat however much you want,because calories and fats add up. An ounce, or 28.35 grams, contains 170 calories and 12.9 grams of fat. Of those fats, over half are saturated fats, which are not as healthy as monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats.

Sugar

The American Heart Association recommends that women consume only 100 calories of sugar daily, equivalent to 6 teaspoons. For men, that number is 150 calories, about 9 teaspoons. Chocolate with 72 percent cocoa solids has less sugar than milk chocolate or even dark chocolate with 50 percent cocoa. A 1-ounce bar of dark chocolate with 70 to 85 percent cocoa contains 6.8 grams of sugar. Since, 4 grams of sugar are about 1 teaspoon, limit your intake of chocolate accordingly.

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