Being on the ketogenic diet, or way of eating (WOE), one of my first questions after understanding what I could and could not eat was, “what am I going to do about chocolate?” I love chocolate, especially milk chocolate. I love to drizzle it, dip in it, and just devour it. But what I love more is being in ketosis and all the amazing benefits I get from it. So, I wanted a chocolate option that would satisfy my milk chocolate cravings while not affecting my ketone levels. This is when I stumbled upon ChocZero’s Keto Bark™ and my curiosity grew.
ChocZero® (10% off all ChocZero products with code – ketomojo) makes sugar free syrups, chocolate squares, chocolate dipping cups (milk, white, and dark chocolate), and Keto Bark™ (10% off all ChocZero products with code – ketomojo). The Keto Bark™ comes in either Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt or Milk chocolate. Then you can choose almonds, coconut flakes, or hazelnut to be mixed in with the chocolate. On their website they list themselves as a gluten free, soy free, GMO free, sugar alcohol free, ethically sourced company. While all of these claims are certainly impressive and positives for someone following a ketogenic diet, how could they create a palatable chocolate without sugar alcohols?
ChocZero® uses a combination of monk fruit and soluble corn fiber syrup to sweeten their products. I was skeptical at first (hello corn syrup), but after some research and my own personal testing of my ketones and blood glucose levels pre and post-prandial (before and after eating) with my Keto-Mojo Meter, I was pleasantly surprised with my numbers in that they were within the parameters I have set for myself on what is a safe increase in blood glucose for me (everyone’s is different and we will have a post on how to know what yours is shortly). My post-prandial numbers for ketones returned to pre-prandial numbers within 2 hours. Another surprise was the lack of gastric upset. While I have a stomach of steel my family members are not so lucky. Neither myself nor my family noticed any gastrointestinal upset with the consumption of the keto bark. While I limit myself to 3 pieces at most on a given day, I do have a family member (who shall remain nameless) who does not control themselves and ate an entire bag – 6 pieces. While individual experiences can differ, when perusing the Amazon reviews I noticed many similar mentions… no stomach upset.
So far, I have enjoyed eating the bark alone, with some peanut butter on top, and crumbled over some homemade keto ice cream! Each way is just as good as the last! I would say this is now a keto staple in my home.
Ingredients
- ChocoZero uses fair-trade premium cocoa beans from South America.
- No added sugar with no sugar alcohols and no artificial sweeteners. Sweetened with a unique monk fruit and fiber blend (Everyone can use a little more fiber in their day).
- The 1g of sugar is a trace amount and it comes from milk to make milk chocolate. Their Dark Chocolate Keto Bark has 0g.
- Low carb: only 2-3g net carbs per ounce depending on the nut or seed you choose.
- All natural, non-GMO, gluten free.
- I can pronounce every ingredient and I know what they are.
- Made in the USA.
Ketosis
- Ketone levels were affected within a normal parameter associated with eating food, and returned back to pretest levels within 1 hour.
- Blood glucose increase was within a normal expected range for keto foods.
Value
- At $6.99 per bag and 6 pieces per bag this breaks down to $1.17 per piece.
- In relation to other keto/low carb chocolates it’s slightly less per oz.
- Lilly’s Chocolate: $1.33 per oz.
- Chocoperfection: $1.94 per oz.
- Cocopolo: $1.83 per oz.
- Quality ingredients are used without the higher price tag normally attached to that claim.
Overall
- Overall this product tastes very similar if not better than the “carb-heavy” milk chocolate I was used to pre-keto. I do not notice an aftertaste with this chocolate like you do on some keto sweets.
- These are very good and I could see them being a challenge for some to stick to just one serving. So for those with portion control, I would maybe limit the amount I keep in the house.
- I love the variety in flavors: Milk chocolate with almond/coconut/hazelnut or Dark chocolate sea salt with almonds/coconut/hazelnut.
- One of the biggest positives for this chocolate is the fiber content. With the Keto Diet many complain of constipation. This can be attributed to a lack of micronutrients, water, and lack of fiber. As a female, you should strive for 25g a day and a male should try and consume 38g of fiber a day (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983). So with 8g of fiber per piece, you can make an impact on your fiber goal.
10% off all ChocZero products with code – ketomojo
