How much do I love dark chocolate? Let me count the ways... (Apologies to Elizabeth Barret Browning.) Dark chocolate can improve brain health, more specifically cognition and memory. Chocolate is also what’s called a prebiotic, it increases good bacteria and improves gut health. Dark chocolate also contains polyphenols, which prevent oxidative stress and oxidative stress contributes to the aging process. But as I mentioned in my previous chocolate article, not all chocolate is created equal.

A few years ago, low-sugar items were pretty junky. Treats contained questionable sweeteners and lacked quality ingredients. Fortunately, there are now a slew of healthy, low sugar options. It’s nice to have options for treats that you feel good about eating. Just remember to look at the ingredient list. Here are some of my favorite low sugar or sugar-free chocolates:

Pascha

Even though I’m a nutritionist, most 85% chocolate tastes too bitter for my tastes. Pascha is the first 85% dark chocolate that gets my vote. This bar is organic, keto friendly, kosher and plant based. Plus two pieces (each bar contains 12 pieces) have just 2g of sugar. Pasha also has stevia sweetened bars.

Lakanto

Lakanto makes monk fruit sweetener, which is a great, safe sweetener, good for those who dislike the taste of stevia. They also make a line of low-sugar sweets. If you’re a salty sweet fan, you’ll love these chocolate chips. A tablespoon or two of these contain 0 grams of sugar. They are gluten free, dairy free and vegan. (Note: These do contain sugar alcohols, and some people have GI side effects from sugar alcohols.)

EVOLUTION_18 Beauty Bites

When I first heard about Beauty Bites, I thought they sounded interesting. After all, they contain collagen, biotin and hyaluronic acid for healthy hair and skin. Plus, they have no added sugar and only 2g carbs but…I had to taste them. And when I did, I was even more excited. These bitese are not just good, they’re amazing. Peanut buttery chocolate that boosts my skin? I’m in.

Good Sam Chocolate Almonds

Some tastes can really bring you back —these chocolate almonds are reminiscent of Jordan almonds and so good. To quote Good Sam, these sugar-free almonds are a “keto-friendly, vegan, gluten-free dream. Each morsel is made with organic and regeneratively farmed chocolate sourced in Columbia, plus alternative sweeteners, allulose and isomalt. “ Each serving has less than 1 gram of sugar.

Blissfully Better

In our nutrition practice, some clients feel a bar of chocolate can be tricky, so it’s sometimes easier when treats are pre-portioned. I fell in love with Blissfully Better’s Mint Thins. Blissfully Better is a woman-owned company, the ingredients list is short and top notch with organic, fair trade dark chocolate, coconut, and mint oils. Each bite is the size of a domino or a pink eraser (do people still use erasers?) and contains just 2 grams of sugar.