At IQS, we get asked ALL the time about raw chocolate. And with so many brands out there these days spruiking healthy, raw and refined sugar-free options, we don’t blame you for being confused.
We certainly don’t advocate a life without chocolate – quite the opposite, in fact! But when ditching the sweet stuff, it can be a minefield deciding which brands are safe to eat, and which are laden with hidden, so-called “healthy” sugars.
Before you buy, here’s what you need to consider…
What’s the difference between cacao and cocoa?
The first thing to understand is that cacao and cocoa are not the same thing. Raw cacao powder is made by cold-pressing unroasted cocoa beans. This process removes the fat while retaining all the lovely living enzymes.
Cocoa powder by contrast, has been roasted at a high temperature, destroying much of its nutritional value. So sorry to say, but anything you read about the antioxidant qualities of chocolate refers to raw cacao, not cocoa.
What does “raw” really mean?
When companies label their chocolates as “raw” or “refined sugar free”, this can be super confusing and refer to a couple of different things. There may not be any refined white sugar in the product, and it may contain raw cacao rather than cocoa as its main ingredient, but as we have mentioned before here, sugar by any one of its (many) other names is just as sweet, and just as troublesome.
Our advice? Always check the ingredients list on the back and if it contains honey, maple syrup, agave, coconut sugar/nectar/syrup or dates, it’s likely the product still contains a good dose of fructose. If you’re going to indulge, enjoy one or two squares per serve, not the whole block!
So, what chocolate should I buy?
We always suggest opting for the highest cacao content available as these varieties contain less sugar overall.
But whenever possible, we prefer to make our own! The Ultimate Chocolate Cookbook contains 100 fabulous fructose-free chocolate recipes to try. Trust us, once you start to experiment at home, you won’t look at store-bought varieties the same again!
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