99% Cocoa Chocolate - Made for Atkins?
 

I'm sorry if this sounds like a Lindt commercial - its not :)
When my wife and I stared induction, we remembered reading that dark chocolate was low in carbs. Most of the chocolate bars we checked however had considerable amount of carbs.

Then we found Lindt chocolate bars. They have 70%, 85%, 90%, and 99% Cocoa varieties. The 70% and 85% were prohibitive, but one 10 gram square from the 90% had 1 net carbohydrate (of sugar). Taste wise, It was very bitter but it grew on us eventually as our palate adjusted.

After the first week I saw their 99% in the supermarket. A 50g bar had 4 Carbohydrates. 3 grams were Fibre and 1 gram was sugar. That was for the entire bar! Well, it was definitely bitter the first time I had it. I've been having it for about a week or so now .. and I am definitely over the bitterness, I actually prefer it to the other stuff now. I can eat one bar a day and only get one net carb. And one bar can be nursed the whole day when at work. I also leaves a dryness in my mouth which prompts me to drink more water (yay!) We all know chocolate is healthy .. full of antioxidants (80,000 ORAC rating). I was reading that 99% Cocoa is the best of the best and one of its great attributes is the fact it has more magnesium than calcium - 6:1 ratio! (Mag to Calcium is supposed to be 1:1 but on average people have 18x more Calcium than magnesium ..)

Wow that really did sound like an advertisement. The point I'm trying to make is that its been making induction very easy for us. We ran out on Friday and didn't get to the store to get more ... we kind of fell off the wagon this weekend. Bought some more tonight ..

Weight-wise we've been having it for a week or so now .. weight loss is semi-consistent .. I'm losing about a quarter to half a pound a day.

Are you sure the label is a USA-style one rather than a European-style one.

Do the listed fibre (not fiber) numbers come immediately below the total carbs number or are they in a different part of the label (below the fat numbers) like in the example here?



If so then the fibre has not been included in the total carb number (outside USA fibre is not counted as being a carb) so the total carb number shown is actually the equivalent of US-style net carbs.

double post

wow. even if the fiber was already substrated 4 grams is not bad for a whole bar which is probably 10 squares I am guessing correctly. I eat one square of 85% (1.5 carb) from time to time and am pretty darn satisfied. I will keep my eye out for the 99%, although I found it odd the 90% had more carbs than the 85%.

It is a European product, but the company has a sticker back applied to the packaging so they can adhere to Canadian food regulations, of having the Nutritional / product information displayed in French and English. The Fibre/Sugars are listed (indented) below the Carbohydrates.

If you aren't adjusted to it - this chocolate is PRETTY bitter - I can see there being 1g of sugar in the whole bar :lol:.

Also, the listed ingredients are: Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Powder, Cocoa Butter, and Brown Sugar.

My Custom Ingredient P.L.A.N. Entry

Its good :)

Wow, then it IS lowcarb!!

I like the Ghirardelli, 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate, it is in the baking section at the store.

43 g 220 calories, 14 carbs, 7 fiber, o sugar, net carb 7

Lindt Nutritional Data
 

Maybe I am looking at the wrong data, but according to the Lindt website the carb count for an entire bar of 99% Cocoa shows Total Carb 13g with Fiber 6g. This is still a low amount, but could be up to 25% of your daily carb allowance if you aren't careful. I occasionally indulge in a square of very dark chocolate when hormones get out of control, so I am not being critical of your choices. I just wanted to make sure you have the correct data. Knowledge is power!

I have had a part eaten bar in my cupboard for about a year. I don't know how you can eat it! It is so bitter. I'd rather brave the sugar alcohols in diabetic chocolate!

Do you have the link for that? I'm curious. If it contradicts the info I have, I'll fire off an email to them for confirmation (maybe request a full nutritional breakdown)

Lindt Canada's Product Info with Nutritional Label (Mirrors Packaging)

*giggle* I gave a square to a coworker of mine and she gagged and choked for about 3 minutes .. You _have_ to work your way up to the 99%. I don't even taste the bitterness anymore - in fact its a bit sweet now. The 90% stuff is super sweet to me now.

The bar on the website with 1g carbs seems to be a 50g bar which is a very small one.

I used to hate dark chocolate, but now I think the 85% bar is delicious. You just have to get into the habit.

I wish I could find a place that sells the 90% or 99% bar.

I found where you saw that. On the Lindt USA site. Even if they subtracted the carbs - it doesn't add up to my Label. I fired off an email to the company asking if they have a detailed nutritional breakdown, and if its a different product then what is in the USA.


Its half the size of the normal bar (100g). They have a it packaged differently. The chocolate is thinner, and the squares are smaller.


Up here in Canada, I can get the 90% at all major supermarkets (including Safeway). The lowest price / best selection is actually at a store called London Drugs which is kind of like a K-mart. You can also go to their website and use the locator - but the actual Lindt stores here in Canada are nowhere close .. you may have better luck.

If you're near a World Market, they have 99% chocolate bars. I think it's 5 or 6 carbs in the whole bar, but one square is enough for me.

They're really awesome if you melt them over a double boiler, add some ginger and sea salt, then freeze. The saltiness cuts out some of the bitterness.

If you are on Atkins Induction, then chocolate is not on the acceptable foods list. You could be sabataging yourself, especially with a bar a day. That is a significant amount. Carbs or no carbs, some foods can trigger cravings or an insulin release. It could be triggering cravings - you mentioned you fell off the wagon on the weekend - I would suggest doing a "clean" induction to kill your cravings and reset your body. Then perhaps later you can try adding in the chocolate and see how your body and weightloss responds.

I think the acceptable foods list is a list designed to simplify the diet. The whole core concept is to reduce the carbs, get the body into ketosis and keep it in ketosis. The Carb ladder is more or less a way of reprogramming eating habits. That's my own opinion of course.


In my experience, the need to eat is from consuming high GI foods, which flood the blood with insulin, causing a low blood sugar, triggering hunger. "Cravings" is the body's way of saying it needs something it doesn't have. For me, I find the hunger/insulin see-saw is easily avoidable by eating healthy foods with a lower GI/GL. As for the cravings, I find that if I am having cravings, I need to go back and look at what I ate, see what I'm low on, and then start adding that in. www.nutritiondata.com is great for finding foods that meet specific requirements. Again, my own opinion and perception based on what I've read and my own experiences.


I could go without the chocolate and see how things go. But I don't have any cravings now. The women at work around me all have jars of candies, chips, and nuts on their desk for others. I find that when I am eating substantially, I am unphased by them being there .. doesn't even register. BUT if I eat too little food at lunch or something - I find myself eyeing them .. thinking of things I want, etc. I've gotten in the habit of identifying this behavior and go quickly grab a salad or something to quash this.

This weekend I fell off the wagon because we had guests. I wasn't worried about it because I knew we'd get right back on the wagon. I don't think the chocolate was to blame .. we had Quesadillas on Friday .. ate properly Saturday .. and then had some Cabbage rolls on Sunday because we ran out of LC food. (I have 3 kids I also need to feed - so there is not just LC food in the house)

I have tasted the 99% but find it far too bitter for my taste buds.

I prefer the 85 % one by Cote d'Or as it has a more delicate taste.

I looked up the nutrition and carb content and it states 13 g per 40 g of chocolate.

http://www.fatsecret.com/Diary.aspx?pa=fjrd&rid=326577

I love cocoa nibs...they're just little bits of cocoa bean, so no sugar or anything else. Bitter but moreishly nibbly

I find the 90% Lindt has a better taste than the 85% -- it is difficult to find in the stores though. I have a bar of both that I have avoided since induction -- but I will have a square once in awhile when I'm clearly on OWL. I have lost my taste completely for anything very sweet, so this chocolate is very satisfying to me and I don't taste the bitterness at all anymore. It is definitely an acquired taste, but if you avoid sugar and heavy artificial sweetness, you may find you really like it.

I've heard they don't sell the 99% bars in the US. :(

Bummer Nancy! I can't just nibble on the 99% bars, but a square or two in your chocolate cake for one recipe is awesome!

70% and up are very good for cancer prevention , you will get used to the taste of the 70%, i usually eat 1-2 squars a day and sometimes when i want a real challenge i will buy the 85% yuke LOL

where are you getting this from? here's the website and the whole bar has 13 grams of carbs. it's a european chocolate and they already substract fiber from the carbs. And even if not, it's still got 7.



http://www.lindtusa.com/product-exe...ce_99_Cocoa_Bar

For all you chocolate lovers out there--

If you can afford it and can find it, try the 85% Venci chocolate from Italy. It is fantastic. For a 100g bar (about 3.5oz), 550 cals, 50g fat, 16.5g carbs, 5.7g protein. I usually break the bar into 5 pieces and end up with a 2 inch x 3/4 inch piece. The flavor is just very slightly sweet and the chocolate is smoother than any I have ever had.

http://worldwidechocolate.com/shop_cuba_dark85.html

Carne, here's a link to what the back of the Lindt bars in Canada look like:
http://www.lindt.com/ca/swf/eng/pro...lence-99-cacao/

I think they have got it wrong - I ran the numbers through a hidden carb calculator and it came out with a difference of 3.56 carbs, so it looks as if they have double-deducted the fibre to me.

I think in general thats true. I was just thinking that Dr. Atkins might have had a reason why cocoa powder or no sugar chocolate is not on the Atkins acceptable foods list for induction. Maybe its no big deal, it just seems like when I read the book it said don't eat anything not on the list, and its not on there.


Studies have shown that some foods cause insulin release in some people, and not in others. Apparently 25% of people have an insulin response to sugar alcohols. Some have insulin response to coffee. Or to a sweet taste. In another study one person had insulin response to bitter tastes. I guess it means everyone is different. I can't eat raw celery or I get bad cravings. Weird. Maybe you can eat a chocolate bar a day and be okay. If that's true, then that's cool. But it might be something to consider if you stop losing or get cravings.

I hope it goes well for you!

dayyyyyyyyyyyyyum! k then...


:::runs to get lindtt::

Ack! I shouldn't have opened this thread. Now I've had to go make myself some coconut oil chocolates. Oh well.

Depending on what edition you have, there are some variations in this list. When Dr. A first wrote the book (in 1972), there were foods we commonly use now that wouldn't even have been on the radar screen. For example, commercial protein powders, coconut oil (specifically), flaxseed meal. For that matter, "shortening" and "margerine" WERE on the list--now notoriously discredited as evil hydrogenated fats.

Chocolate isn't on either list--obviously Dr. A wasn't a chocoholic. :lol: But this was way before sugar alcohols, many choices of artificial sweeteners, and designer chocolates.

In any case, YMMV. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I hear a bit of chocolate calling my name.