As a bean-to-bar brand and a real chocolate maker, Pascati wants to talk about what’s being done to our beloved chocolate. (Disclaimer: we don’t like to mess with chocolate)
We’re in a time when the demand for healthier, more convenient, and more functional foods has never been so high!
The post-COVID era has made us conscious of the importance of building healthy habits and having a strong immune system. People have finally started reading the back of the pack ingredients, consuming more protein, and paying overall attention to their lifestyle habits.
Honestly, we couldn’t be more glad! We’re hoping this sudden awareness will finally make people realize the difference between ‘compound chocolate’ and ‘real chocolate’.
But anyway, this current phenomenon is the reason behind the rise of so many better-for-you brands today. We’re removing the evil ingredients, pumping everyday foods with as much protein as possible, and using new technologies to make packaged food healthier for consumers.
And, healthified chocolate seems to be the latest trend on the block. Now chocolate has been consumed for its health benefits for thousands of years. Its high flavonoid content is linked to lower rates of diabetes, cancer, and strokes. (Please note that these flavanols are mainly found in dark chocolate with a high cocoa content and not in your average candy bar)
So let’s understand how brands are attempting to create healthy chocolate and what’s our honest take on it:
- Protein Chocolates: This all-persuasive trend has now infiltrated the chocolate industry too. You’ll now find a handful of brands adding either whey or pea protein to their chocolates. Now the protein content will differ from each brand but the general industry trend is that these brands have at least 3-5 times more protein. This can be a decent way to get in some extra protein but the taste of such chocolates is a little questionable. If you’ve ever drank a protein shake, you know the chalkiness and graininess one experiences upon consuming it and even the world’s best powder isn’t immune to this. So you might wanna be prepared for some unmasked protein taste with a bite of your chocolate.
- Sugar-Free Chocolates: Given the staggering diabetes statistics in India, sugar-free chocolates are the need of the hour. These kinds of chocolates are artificially sweetened with zero GI making them completely safe for diabetics. Taste-wise, of course, the cane sugar ones will always taste better but still a great option for diabetics who still want to enjoy chocolate.
- Not So Sugar-Free Chocolates: Now we personally at Pascati do not get the point of substituting sugar with another form of sugar. In this type of chocolate, the usual cane sugar is replaced either with dates or a slightly less refined sugar- jaggery. Now both these replacement options have a slightly higher dose of micronutrients but the glycemic index and calories are 99% the same. So, long story short, you may have to pay a higher price for pretty much the same thing. And not to forget the taste of chocolate also gets impacted, especially when the chocolate is sweetened with dates.
- Multivitamins Chocolates: We first put vitamins in tablets, then gummies, and now it's turn for chocolates. With the multivitamin market size valued at USD 35.29 billion in 2023 in India, this was only expected. You can now find chocolates loaded with different kinds of multivitamins, minerals, and bio-active ingredients to help one get their daily dose of health in a tasty format. A little nutrition never hurts anyone, but be careful while shopping for these. Check for the quantity and quality of the supplements used, and buy from certified brands only!
- Energy-Boosting Chocolates: Caffeine is one of the most well-known, effective, and affordable stimulants. For the most part, people get their dose of caffeine either from coffee, energy drinks, or in a tablet form but you’ll now find brands infusing bite-sized pieces of chocolate with a shot of caffeine. Sounds like a nice pre-workout to us, just saying!
That was our 2 cents on the healthification of chocolate. We don’t love it, we don’t hate it, you choose what kind of chocolate works best for you. And if you’re ever in the mood to just try real and plain chocolate without any of the fancy stuff, our 72% Dark Chocolate bar is worth giving a try.
See you soon for the love of chocolate
Team Pascati
