Not all chocolate is created equal…
… so which chocolate is the best for our health?
Chocolate is everywhere. And it keeps calling our name in every coffee shop and grocery store. Luckily chocolate is not only delicious but can be also good for our health. Fortunately that’s the news we all chocoholics want to hear. Nevertheless it all depends on…
…which chocolate we choose.
If we want to be smart about which chocolate bar we put in our shopping basket we need to understand a few things about chocolate. At the end of this article you will know what to look for and what to avoid in chocolate.
What is actually chocolate and what is not?
Dark chocolate is a chocolate with a cocoa content of min 55%. The most common dark chocolate we will come across has cocoa content of 70%-80%. But we can even buy 100% dark chocolate. Such chocolate only contains cocoa solids and cocoa butter. It does not have any additional sugars or sweeteners.
You might have noticed that the darker the chocolate the more bitter the taste. You are right! But why? Stay tuned, we will explain all that!
Milk chocolate
Milk chocolate is a chocolate with a cocoa content of min 10% (in the USA) and min 25% (in the EU). Max cocoa content for milk chocolate is about 55%. It is because at this level we start considering it as a dark chocolate. Milk chocolate additionally contains milk and sugar or sweeteners.
White chocolate
White chocolate is not a chocolate at all. This is because it does not contain any cocoa solids. Instead, it contains cocoa butter, sugar, milk, vanilla and lecithin. The minimal required amount of cocoa butter is 20%.
Did you know?
White chocolate was created in Switzerland just after WW1 in order to utilize oversupply of a cocoa butter.
The dark side of chocolate. Why can dark chocolate be so good for our health?
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are one of the reasons for chocolate’s bitter flavor. You can find them in cocoa beans. As we process cocoa beans and turn them into our favorite chocolate they lose part of their polyphenols. This way chocolate becomes smoother in taste. Nevertheless a certain amount of polyphenols remains present. Polyphenols reduce risk of cancer or cardiovascular disease. They promote skin health and help in increasing our insulin sensitivity. This means less chance of developing diabetes.
Dark chocolate and brain function
Dark chocolate contains more caffeine than milk chocolate. Caffeine together with theobromine are non-polyphenols. Our body absorbs and metabolizes them very quickly. We feel their impact mainly 30 min to 2 hrs. after ingestion. We feel more alert and energized. This is why dark chocolate is a perfect pick me up ahead of a strenuous physical or mental activity.
Dark chocolate contains flavonoids. Flavonoids are polyphenols. They encourage our white cells not to stick on the walls of our arteries. These little superheroes also prevent arteries from hardening. All this improves blood flow to the brain and increases the ability of the brain to create new connections between neurons.
The stuff we want to minimize…
Emulsifiers
We can find emulsifiers on food labels. They are present in most cheaper chocolates found in our supermarkets. They act like a glue binding cocoa mass and sugar to make chocolate smoother. The most common emulsifiers we come across in chocolate are Soya or Sunflower Lecithin (E-322), Monoglycerides and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids (E-471) or Ammonium Phosphatides (E-442).
Try to avoid emulsifiers. They can potentially increase risk of inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, cardiovascular and liver disease. Luckily a good amount of producers avoid using emulsifiers. With a bit of awareness we can always find those in the chocolate aisle.
Alkali/Dutch processing
Alkali processing is sometimes also known as Dutch processing. It is a treatment of cocoa beans in order to reduce its acidity. This improves chocolate’s bitter flavor. Unfortunately it also reduces the amount of the healthy polyphenols.
How is it done? The chocolate producers treat the cocoa beans with an alkalizing agent. Such agent can be potassium carbonate (E501), sodium hydroxide (E525) or sodium carbonate (E500).
Heavy metals
Unfortunately most of dark chocolate contains traces of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium. The more cocoa chocolate contains, the higher chances of these being present. Heavy metals get in the cocoa bean from the soil, water or air. Cocoa beans harvested in certain geographic locations (South America) may be more prone to this than others (Africa). For this reason we should check which dark chocolate brand we are buying.
But we don’t find heavy metals only in dark chocolate. Unfortunately we can also find them in other food sources. Such examples are fish, root vegetables, leafy greens. All these foods can all contain heavy metals. We need to take this into account when we think about the cumulative amounts of heavy metals we consume.
This is a reason why we should eat dark chocolate as a treat. Most crucially by pregnant women and small children. You can find an interesting comparison of lead and cadmium content in chocolates on the US market here. Luckily a good understanding of where our food actually comes from can eliminate most risks.
Homework pays off
There are vast differences in the quality of chocolate on the market. Unfortunately a large amount of chocolate we come across has an inferior quality. For this reason try to do a bit of research next time before you tuck into your favorite chocolate bar.
From the health point the four main areas we should pay attention to are:
- First, where the cocoa beans have been harvested?
- Second, how much cocoa and sugar content does the chocolate have?
- Third, are emulsifiers present?
- Last but not least, has the chocolate been produced using Alkali/Dutch processing?
How to get used to the dark chocolate flavor?
Dark chocolate is similar to coffee in many respects. Initially you might find it a bit bitter in comparison to its milky competitors. Over time you will likely get used to it and might prefer it. The best is to start with a lower cocoa content and make your way up. Chocolate with a high cocoa content will make you feel satisfied even in small amounts.
Let’s stay in touch!
Which chocolate is your favorite? Do you like dark chocolate? And how often do you like to indulge in this delicious treat? We would love to hear from you! Let us know your thoughts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or TikTok. Would you like to learn more about nutrition? Check out our article about fiber! Or do a workout with me.
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