Not so sinful

It’s true that chocolate makes everything better. But it also usually contains a lot of sugar, which is a complete no-no for those looking to shed a few kilos. To make life a little easier, health food restaurants and cafes in the city have come out with a range of chocolate-based desserts so that weight-watchers don’t have to hold themselves back anymore. 

Shweta Bhosle, owner of Nutri Bistrofood, which has outlets in Kalyani Nagar and Model Colony, says, “We have two delicious chocolate recipes on our menu — the Ragi Chocolate Brownie and Dark Chocolate Mousse. Our preparations are Keto-friendly, so we use dark chocolate and milk fats. Since sugar is not allowed for those on a keto diet, we use stevia to sweeten these desserts, but only a little bit because we don’t want them too sweet.”

The Keto Dark Chocolate Mousse is a hot selling item made with 85 per cent dark chocolate and butter. 

Sorted Delicatessen in Kalyani Nagar is restaurant for those who are trying to lose weight. Be it Keto, Paleo or Atkins, they cater to all kinds of diets. They have a range of clean dessert options with a glycemic index below 55. This means that the calories are burnt at a slower pace, there are no insulin spikes or drops in blood sugar levels. The must-try here is the chef’s special Buckwheat Chocolate Cake. 

“All our desserts are healthy because we do not use anything refined or processed,” says corporate chef at Sorted Delicatessen, Ubeid Khan. “I came up with the idea of working with a dessert that involves buckwheat and chocolate because the former is a great pseudo-cereal. At the restaurant, we do not use any grains. Buckwheat is high in protein and fibre which makes it very healthy. We do not use the chocolate compound that comes in the form of a slab, instead we use chocolate liquor which is 100 per cent cocoa mass. It is the purest form of chocolate, so it is bitter as well. We usually use three types of sweeteners including forest honey, maple syrup and raw jaggery,” says Khan. 

Another customer favourite is their Almond Chocochunk Cookie. “We use almond flour and coconut in the cookies along with chocolate chips that are made in-house using the cocoa mass. Since it is bitter, we use cocoa butter and raw jaggery to add some sweetness,” he adds. The restaurant also serves Orange Chocolate Mousse which is a vegan dish made with coconut cream and served with crumbles of their Chocolate Chip Cookies. There’s no egg and no dairy, so it suits a vegan diet. The entire concept of the restaurant is built on healthy eating, be it a wholesome meal or a satisfying dessert,” says Khan. 

Cafe Food and Fit in Model Colony offers a refreshing chocolate flavoured protein ice cream. Partner Rohan Chhajed talks about how he decided to start this venture when he came back from the US a couple of years ago and did not find enough joints in the city that offer healthy food. They also serve a delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie. “Everybody likes chocolate, so this flavour of smoothie is also very popular among our customers. It is sugarfree, yet tasty. We use oats, peanut butter, cocoa powder, and almond milk. We also give our customers the option of adding whey protein to their smoothie to make it a pre or post workout drink. By adding this protein to the smoothie, it can work as a mini-meal in itself,” says Chhajed, sharing that the smoothie comes in portions of 200 ml and 300 ml. “The chocolate flavoured protein ice cream is specially brought in from Bengaluru twice a month. It is also sugarfree and best for fitness freaks. When you’re working so hard to sweat it out and get in shape, you can reward yourself with this indulgent yet healthy ice cream,” says he.