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Consultations

Chocolate pudding was one of my favorite treats growing up as a child. Now, being a calorie conscious person who reads labels, I realized how unhealthy and packed with sugar pudding can be (1). Chocolate hummus is a better alternative to chocolate pudding but there are still many calories and added sugars in this too (2,3). Also, for a small container it costs about $3 to $5 which only lasts for a few servings (2,3). As a doctor, researcher, and foodie I naturally came up with my own recipe that is easy to make, delicious, and far healthier than anything you can buy in the store. Also it’s cheaper to make! Since it has a smoother and airier texture I have called my creation chocolate hummouse (not hummus).

Ingredients
1.Chickpeas, 1 can
2. Reduced sugar chocolate almond mild, 2 cups
3.Lily’s stevia sweetened, no added sugar chocolate chips, 1 bag (255g)
4.Gelatin, 1 small pack/envelope

Instructions
1. Heat on low-medium heat 2 cups on almond milk
2. Add 1 bag of chocolate chips to the milk
3. Add 1 pack of gelatin
4. Heat mixture until all chocolate chips are completely dissolved
5. Note the gelatin may not completely dissolve (but that’s ok because you will blend it)
6. Place the milk-chocolate chip-gelatin mixture in a blender
7. Strain liquid from canned chickpeas and wash the chickpeas
8. Add chickpeas to the blender and place on high for 2-3 minutes which places a lot of air into the mixture
9. The resultant mixture should be smooth with small bubbles but without any lumps, like chocolate milk (if you don’t get bubbles it won’t make a mousse but rather a pudding)
10. Add the mixture to a container and place in the refrigerator overnight (at least 12 hours)
11. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

    As you can see my chocolate hummouse beats out both pudding and traditional chocolate hummus in terms of nutrition. Amazingly smart and easy hummouse barely has any sugar, nearly 2 x less calories, same fiber content and half the fat compared to hummus. Also chocolate hummouse is cheaper to make. Note one serving = 2 tablespoons.

    Smart and easy chocolate hummouse owes it’s low sugar hence low calorie status to one of it’s ingredients: Lily’s semi-sweet style baking chips. These chocolate chips taste just like regular chocolate chip with only a fraction of the calories (4). Lily’s chocolate chips are sweetened with Erythritol and Stevia instead of sugar or sucrose. Erythritol is a naturally occurring plant based sugar alcohol that tastes just like sugar and it’s very safe for consumption according to research (5,6). Stevia is a sweetener and sugar substitute derived from the leaves of the plant species Stevia Rebaudiana. Stevia extracts are recognized as safe by the FDA (7). Stevia extracts have been deemed safe in over 200 research studies and in moderation it is considered safe to consume (8,9).There are only minimal potential side effects with each sweetener but the benefits (basically not eating excess sugar) far outweigh any risks especially if you only consume minimal to moderate amounts. Of note, chocolate has many health benefits due it’s composition of healthy fats, antioxidants, and other compounds (10). The benefits of chocolate include reduced cardiovascular disease (10, 11), reduced blood pressure (10, 11), antidiabetic effects (10, 11), and improved digestive health (11). The chickpeas found in chocolate hummouse are also a healthy source of vitamins and minerals (12, 13), and can help reduce cardiovascular disease (12, 13), type 2 diabetes (12, 13), digestive diseases (12), obesity (13), and some cancers (12). Given favorable nutritional profile and added health benefits my chocolate hummouse it can be considered a functional dessert which is a food that provides health benefits in addition to basic nutrition.

    What’s the bottom line

    Smart and easy chocolate hummouse is a far healthier alternative to traditional chocolate pudding and it has a better nutritional profile than traditional chocolate hummus with nearly half the calories and 6x less sugar. Chocolate hummouse has many potential health benefits and it’s considered a potential functional food. If you enjoy chocolate hummouse then stay tuned for my vanilla hummouse recipe!

    References:

    1. Nutritionix, Jello Chocolate Pudding. Calories in Chocolate Pudding (nutritionix.com). Accessed 07/28/21.
    2. Nutritionix, Boar’s head chocolate hummus. Calories in Dessert Hummus, Dark Chocolate from Boar’s Head (nutritionix.com). Accessed 07/28/21.
    3. Sabra, Sabra dark chocolate dessert dip & spread. Products – Hummus & Guacamole Dips & Spreads from Sabra. Accessed 07/28/21.
    4. Lily’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. Semi-Sweet Chocolate – Baking Chips | Lily’s Sweets (lilys.com). Accessed 08/02/21.
    5. Healthline. Erythritol — Like Sugar Without the Calories? Erythritol — Healthy Sweetener or a Big, Fat Lie? (healthline.com). Accessed 08/02/21.
    6. Storey D, Lee A, Bornet F, Brouns F. Gastrointestinal tolerance of erythritol and xylitol ingested in a liquid. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Mar;61(3):349-54.
    7. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Has Stevia been approved by FDA to be used as a sweetener? https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-basics/has-stevia-been-approved-fda-be-used-sweetener. Accessed November 24, 2019.
    8. Margaret Ashwell. Stevia, Nature’s Zero Calorie Sustainable Sweetener. A New Player in the Fight Against Obesity. Nutr. Today. 2015 May; 50(3): 129-134.
    9. Healthline. Is Stevia Safe? Diabetes, Pregnancy, Kids, and More. Stevia Safety: Forms, Dosage, and Side Effects (healthline.com). Accessed 08/02/21.
    10. Latif R. Chocolate/cocoa and human health: a review. Neth J Med. 2013 Mar;71(2):63-8.
    11. Montagna MT, Diella G, Triggiano F, et al. Chocolate, “Food of the Gods”: History, Science, and Human Health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(24):4960.
    12. Jukanti AK, Gaur PM, Gowda CL, Chibbar RN. Nutritional quality and health benefits of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): a review. Br J Nutr. 2012 Aug;108 Suppl 1:S11-26.
    13. Wallace TC, Murray R, Zelman KM. The Nutritional Value and Health Benefits of Chickpeas and Hummus. Nutrients. 2016;8(12):766. Published 2016 Nov 29.

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