It should be no surprise that February is National Chocolate Month. And do we love chocolate! Chocolate sales in 2024 were a $21.4 billion dollars1. According to the National Confectioners Association, 58 million pounds of chocolate is bought for Valentine’s Day alone! We can all enjoy a bit of the deliciousness of chocolate, but let’s be smart about it. Some chocolates are impressively healthy and others have little or no nutritional value and are loaded with sugar. So let’s learn how to make the most of a good thing!
I was interested in writing an article this month on tips for choosing healthier chocolates since many of you may be planning to enjoy a little chocolate or give chocolate as a gift around Valentine’s Day. I am not a real chocolate lover, but every now and then I enjoy a square of dark chocolate from a chocolate bar. I always look for bars that are 80% cocoa or more. Not only do I want a more intense chocolate flavor, but the more cocoa contained in a chocolate bar, the more health benefits it has.
Native to South America, the cocoa tree was brought to Mexico by the Mayas. Made into a beverage by the Aztecs, it was quite bitter. Europeans added sugar to sweeten it as well as added flavors including vanilla and nuts. In 1828, Dutch chemist Conrad VanHouten patented the process of squeezing most of the coco butter from roasted cocoa beans, leaving a cocoa powder that could be mixed with liquids and formed a solid edible chocolate and could be formed into shapes.
Now the list of benefits. There are many. Dark chocolate is packed with bioactives that help the body heal. A study done by Holland’s National Institute of Public Health reported that dark chocolate contains up to four times the amount of antioxidants as green tea – dark chocolate contains 53.5mg of the antioxidant catechin per 100 grams vs black tea having 13.9mg of catechin per 100 grams. Cocoa powder and dark chocolate are full of antioxidants that counteract free radicals and can improve blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and improve our mood. Cocoa powder also has fiber which can lower cholesterol and is good for gut health as well as containing magnesium which is necessary for muscle and nerve functions. Cocoa powder and dark chocolate have the highest content of flavonoids (a type of antioxidant) by weight than any other food2, offering several of the same benefits as mentioned for antioxidants including lowering blood pressure and reducing inflammation as well as helping fight oxidative stress.
Flavonoids also can reduce the risk of heart disease, mental decline, and certain
cancers.3 Polyphenols in dark chocolate recruit stem cells from our bone marrow and
enter our bloodstream looking for areas in our body that need repair.
The terms cacao and cocoa are mistakenly used interchangeably. Cacao is cacao beans that have not been roasted and is raw. Cocoa is cacao beans that have been roasted and are made into cocoa powder. There is also cacao nibs which are raw cacao beans that have been crushed into small pieces (think similarly of crushed coffee beans) and fermented and is the least processed form of chocolate. Cacao nibs have a somewhat bitter, chocolatey flavor. One ounce of cocoa nibs has 9 grams of fiber and
also is high in magnesium. Cocoa nibs add texture and a rich intense chocolate flavor. Enjoy them sprinkled on top of a smoothie bowl, oatmeal, nice cream, non-dairy yogurt, or baked goods. Sprinkle a few cocoa nibs in with your ground coffee before brewing, and you will have a nice mocha flavored cup of coffee.
I was surprised to learn that unless a chocolate bar is 100% cocoa (think unsweetened Baker’s chocolate), it has added sugar. I spend a lot of time reading labels when at the grocery store, but this one slipped by me. Roughly speaking, the sugar in 10 grams (.35 oz) of a chocolate bar that is 70% cocoa can have about 2.1 grams (.07 oz. or 1/2 teaspoon) of added sugar. The darker the chocolate, ie the more cocoa in the chocolate bar, the less sugar it will contain. The amount varies by brand, so read the nutrition label. Some chocolate bars or bags of chocolate chips have labeling that says, “zero sugar,” “no added sugar,” or “sugar free.” They do not have added sugar, but they may have stevia or erythritol added for sweetness. It is a selling point for diabetics, since these sweeteners do not raise blood sugar levels.
Milk chocolate is just 10-50% cacao (vs dark chocolate 50-90% cacao) and must have at least 12% milk solids in the form of liquid, powder, or fat to be considered milk chocolate. Milk chocolate has a high sugar content. Because milk chocolate contains less healthy cacao than dark chocolate, has milk solids, and has a high sugar content, it is not the type of chocolate we want to consume.
Instead put a piece of dark chocolate on your tongue and let it slowly melt to savor its rich and earthy flavor as well as enjoy all the health benefits it offers.
1 Getting to Know Chocolate Consumers 2024. National Confectioners Association. 2024, October 3.
2 Goya L, Martín MÁ, Sarriá B, Ramos S, Mateos R, Bravo L. Effect of Cocoa and Its Flavonoids on Biomarkers of Inflammation: Studies of Cell Culture, Animals and Humans. Nutrients. 2016 Apr 9;8(4):212. doi: 10.3390/nu8040212. PMID: 27070643; PMCID: PMC4848681.
3 Kozlowaska A, Szostak-Wegierek D. Flavonoids–food sources and health benefits. Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig. 2014;65(2):79-85. PMID: 25272572.
