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After watching a broadcast on BBC TV’s Watchdog regarding the dangers of eating some diabetic chocolate brands, I can recommend Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate. In particular, their Mint and Dark Chcolate bar. If you’re not able to buy this locally, you can purchase this (and other fine gourmet chocolate) directly from Green and Black’s, or  the World Wide Chocolate Internet website.

The full transcript of BBC TV’s Watchdog broadcast on diabetic chocolate, as presented by Julia Bradbury on 22 December 2008,  is below.

Chocolate is the perfect gift for Christmas but for 2.5 million diabetics in the UK, it’s not that simple. They have to carefully manage how much sweet food they eat, not just at Christmas but all year round. That’s why two high street stores, Thorntons and Boots offer a range of chocolate labelled specially for diabetics.

The diabetic ranges offered by these shops may seem ideal but many diabetics steer well clear of them.

Lucy and her five-year-old son Miles are one example. Miles was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes three years ago. If he has too many chocolates or sweets his blood glucose levels go very high and he has to have extra insulin. Christmas time means that mum Lucy needs to be especially careful because there is chocolate everywhere.

Laxative effect
So what about special diabetic chocolate – surely that’s ok? Lucy explained that she doesn’t give her son diabetic chocolate because, as she discovered, it can have a laxative effect. If it is known to have a laxative effect on an adult, a child like Miles only needs a small amount of diabetic chocolate before its laxative properties take effect.

Ian Day was diagnosed with diabetes back in 2000 and last Christmas his friend gave him Thorntons diabetic chocolates as a gift. Ian only had three pieces but that was all he needed to spoil the rest of his day. He too suffered from the laxative effects of diabetic chocolate. Read More…

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The Guane Indians of Columbia have been eating this delicacy for centuries – slowly roasting the giant leaf cutting queens of this species when they emerge in the spring time from their nests. They are slowly cooked in clay pots over an open fire and later consumed as a rare treat.

Covered in the very best Belgian chocolate, these ants provide a slightly bitter sweet sensation and for the more adventurous diner, they provide an after dinner experience not generally experienced by the average household. Perhaps you don´t really care but they are said to be extremely nutritious and good for boosting your immune system because they are rich in formic acid. They are said to give you a mini energy boost.  I don´t really care about the benefits to my immune system or the energy boosts but I can´t wait to give them a try.  After all, who would dream of wasting good Belgian chocolate if they are not delicious and stunningly different?

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