Chocolate makes life sweeter. It is prized for its delicious taste and health benefits for the body and mind. You can bite into it, melt it, drink it or bake with it for a richly delicious treat.
Choose the right type of chocolate and you’ll also get a rare dessert that gets the approval of dietitians.
June is National Candy Month, although chocolate really rules in October for Halloween, December for the holidays, February for Valentine’s Day and spring for Easter.
But people love it all year round: The average American eats almost 10 pounds of chocolate per year, according to Forbes.
Many may not know that chocolate comes from a fruit tree and is made from a seed: the cacao bean, notes the National Confectioners Association.
What is the healthiest chocolate?
Of the three types of chocolate – dark, milk and white – dark chocolate is the healthiest, say nutritionists.
“The health benefits of chocolate products are all thanks to the cocoa bean, which contains numerous phytochemicals that have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and blood pressure-lowering properties,” Whitney English, a registered dietitian with Whitney E. RD in Palo Alto, California, tells TODAY .com.
“The more cocoa solids a product contains, the more nutritious it is. Dark chocolate contains the most solids from cocoa beans and is therefore the most nutritious.”
Dark chocolate also has higher flavonoid content than milk or white chocolate, says Elisabetta Politi, a registered dietitian at the Duke Lifestyle and Weight Management Center in Durham, North Carolina.
Flavonoids function as antioxidants and block the damaging effects of free radicals, which have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and cancer, she notes.
“Additionally, flavonols, a type of flavonoids found in dark chocolate, may influence the function of the immune system by reducing inflammation,” Politi tells TODAY.com.
Is 70% dark chocolate healthy?
Both experts recommend choosing chocolate with a cocoa content of at least 70%, as it contains less added sugar and more phytochemicals than chocolate with less cocoa.
A 70% chocolate bar contains cocoa beans or one of their derivatives – cocoa solids or cocoa liquor – as the first ingredient, Politi says. If sugar is listed first, it means cocoa makes up less than 50% of the bar, she adds.
Benefits of dark chocolate
Cocoa beans contain protein and are a great source of minerals such as iron and magnesium, plus manganese, copper, zinc and phosphorus, TODAY.com previously reported. You’ll also get some fiber: about 3 grams per 1 ounce of dark chocolate, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Chocolate is rich in polyphenols, useful substances produced by plants.
Higher chocolate intake is associated with a lower risk of future heart problems, researchers reported in the journal Heart.
Reviews of studies have found that consuming chocolate “significantly reduces” triglycerides – a type of fat in the blood – and may slightly lower blood pressure.
Cocoa flavanols protect against vascular disease and appear to improve blood flow to the brain, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.
Chocolate also has benefits for the mind.
Dark chocolate “contributes to the production of the feel-good hormone serotonin and contains magnesium, which has been linked to reducing anxiety” and relieving stress, notes Keri Glassman, a registered dietitian in New York.
Eating 85% dark cocoa chocolate can also boost mood via the gut-brain connection, with dark chocolate having a prebiotic effect on healthy bacteria in the gut, potentially improving negative emotions, a study shows.
Could it make you smarter? There is a “surprisingly strong” correlation between chocolate intake and the number of Nobel Prize winners in different countries – perhaps because chocolate “improves cognitive function,” according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
For example, Switzerland performed best when it came to both the number of Nobel Prize winners And the amount of chocolate residents eat, the authors noted. (Other experts were highly skeptical of the correlation.)
Side effects of dark chocolate
When Consumer Reports tested 28 dark chocolate bars from different brands in 2022, it found cadmium and lead – two heavy metals that are harmful to health – in all of them. The levels were not extremely high, but they were detectable, the organization said when it announced its test results.
The National Confectioners Association countered that chocolate is safe to eat and that all products tested “complied with strict quality and safety requirements.”
Any damage from heavy metals appears to be offset by other positive substances in dark chocolate, English notes.
If heavy metals are a problem, Politi suggests choosing milk chocolate, or varying between milk and dark.
Dark chocolate contains caffeine — about 23 milligrams per 1-ounce square, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Eating four squares is about the same amount of caffeine as drinking a cup of coffee.
And it’s still candy: It contains fat and sugar, with 170 calories per ounce, so eating too much can lead to weight gain.
How much chocolate per day can I eat?
Politi recommends using 1 ounce per day, or the size of a dental floss box.
Engels says that a few pieces of chocolate per day is a reasonable amount for most people.
How do you eat dark chocolate if you don’t like it?
If it’s too bitter, try putting two small pieces in your mouth and letting them melt over your tongue, which helps unlock the complexity of the dark chocolate flavor, Politi advises.
A bar of dark chocolate that contains sea salt or dried fruit may also taste less bitter than regular dark chocolate, even though they contain the same amount of cocoa, she adds. Politi personally likes chocolate with orange flavor added.
Yogurt with fresh berries and some dark chocolate pieces sprinkled on top is another option, English comments.
Both dietitians are fans of dipping fruit in melted chocolate.
Is chocolate unhealthy or healthy?
Dark chocolate contains nutritious components and its benefits likely outweigh any potential harms, as long as you consume it in moderation, says English.
If someone likes a sweet treat in the evening, choosing a few pieces of dark chocolate over a bowl of ice cream is more beneficial, but it’s probably less healthy than a bowl of blueberries, she explains.
“If someone likes a treat at the end of a meal, I think a small amount of dark chocolate is a harmless choice that has been shown to provide health benefits,” Politi added.
“(But) I wouldn’t say chocolate is a health food.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
