Sugar Free Mocha

My 3rd cup today! Don't judge...
See how chocolatey it looks? Mmmm!
This is an iced mocha. Just add ice to the cup before anything else!

Are you or is someone you know at risk for diabetes or do you struggle with being overweight? Diabetes is prevalent on both sides of my family as is a tendency to be overweight. While I am not currently considered at risk, I do have diabetic tendencies like I shake and feel weak when I haven’t eaten or not long after consuming too much sugar. I also have struggled with being overweight for about ten years, even more so after my son was born. Many parents know that pain of losing pregnancy weight. With the advice of family, I started doing research on the Atkins diet. I’ve read the book written by Dr. Atkins as well as the new version released only recently as new scientific discoveries have been made since the 1960s. Using the invaluable resources on the internet, I've read about research projects and their findings on how the human body is affected by the Atkins diet versus a low fat or an unrestricted diet. I’ve joined the Atkins online community to learn more about recipes, the struggles of others and how our bodies react to certain foods. It only took a few months for me to realize this was the best course for me. A low-carbohydrate, no sugar diet to improve my health, balance my blood sugar and lose weight. One of the best concoctions that adheres to this diet is of my own design, a coffee drink I call a sugar free mocha.

Everyone likes a treat now and then and it’s possible to have one even on a diet that has sugar restrictions. Sugar free mochas are my favorite drink, hot or iced. It’s a delicious way to start my morning or finish off a rough day without consuming high amounts of sugar.

Before we begin, you’ll need some basic items to make your own. Make sure to have a coffee pot and filters, a cup of some sort to drink from and a teaspoon. As for ingredients, you’ll need your favorite ground coffee, heavy whipping cream or half and half, baking cocoa and Splenda. I prefer heavy whipping cream because it is creamier than half and half, however both have no sugar. Milk of any percent has natural sugars and should not be used. Also, the lower in fat a dairy product is, the more sugar is added to make it taste better.

Consuming sugar, natural or otherwise, will make your blood sugar rise even before you swallow. Your digestive system, starting with your saliva, starts the digestive process immediately. The higher your blood sugar on average, the more at risk for diabetes you are. Consuming natural fats does not make you fat. It is a huge myth that is very hard for people to look past. Your body needs natural fats to function. It will break down natural fats to its smallest building blocks that are used by even your cells. This is the same reasoning for using Splenda instead of sugar. I prefer Splenda to Sweet & Low because it doesn’t have the strange taste of saccharine. Using baking cocoa is also important because it has no added sugar at all.

First, I like to start off with an already chocolate flavored coffee like Folger’s Chocolate Truffle but if you want this at night before bed, just substitute regular coffee for a decaffeinated version. I also like my coffee very strong so I use about seven teaspoons of coffee in the filter to the 12 cups of water my pot uses. When the coffee is done, I get out the biggest cup I can find. It’s about 20 ounces.

Next, using the teaspoon I put two to three scoops of the baking chocolate into the cup and Splenda to taste. For a cup the size of mine I use four teaspoons of Splenda. I find Splenda sweetens more than sugar, but it boasts that it sweetens the same, so be sure to use it conservatively because you can always add more at the end. Splenda is more powdery than granulated sugar so it melts faster and better.

Third, I pour in some coffee but no more than a fourth of the cup. The best way to make sure the chocolate melts properly and doesn’t float to the top is to mix it with just a little bit of hot liquid. I learned this in seventh grade home economics. I stir it quickly and firmly until all the chocolate is wet and well mixed. Once, in a rush, I just poured the whole cup of coffee. It wasn’t so much a mocha as clumps of unsweetened, bitter chocolate on top of a cup of coffee. It really wasn’t very good.

After melting the cocoa correctly, I fill the cup with coffee leaving room for the cream. I add enough to lighten the mixture and take the edge off the bitterness of the coffee. When having a mocha from a coffee shop like Dippin Donuts, I enjoy a little bitterness in the taste. When I’m making it at home, however, I like it sweet and creamy. Remember the chocolate will make the coffee darker than normal so don’t use too much cream. Too much can make it taste thicker than you’d like.

Last comes the best part, tasting the delicious, chocolaty coffee. If it’s still too bitter I’ll add a little more Splenda but the ultimate result is such an indulgence.

If you’ve followed these directions you have a sweet coffee treat that won’t affect your blood sugar and won’t hurt your bank account like chain coffee shops. Dieting in any form can be tough and when faced with something as life-threatening and life changing as diabetes, it is extremely important to adhere to the diet your doctor gives you. However, knowing you can have treats that are as delicious as their sugar-filled counterparts is an important step to sticking to it. I stick to the Atkins diet because it means a healthy future, teaching my son healthy eating habits and a possible avoidance of Type 2 Diabetes. Living a sugar-free lifestyle has given me the opportunity to find and create mouthwatering creations such as this. Even if you don’t have to or don’t want to eat sugar-free, replacing a few things in your diet like a single cup of coffee can help your body be healthier overall.