A Detailed Guide to Chocolate and How to Reap the Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

March 12, 2020

A Detailed Guide to Chocolate and How to Reap the Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

To reap the most benefits from your bar, reach for dark, not milk or white, chocolate.

When a sweet craving strikes, chances are that you, like many other people, reach for a piece of chocolate or dark chocolate. While both dominate the sweet and sugary market, we often take some of the facts for granted. For one, chocolate has a rich history but a much lower nutritional value compared with dark chocolate. Caffeine content, storage, and cooking uses are also helpful to know. Learn more about all things chocolate and the best ways you can incorporate this sweet treat into a balanced diet.

**Defining Chocolate and Understanding Its History**

While the world of the manufactured candies you see around Halloween and Easter may seem relatively new, chocolate itself is said to be about 4,000 years old. (1) Made from cacao beans, chocolate is originally from Central America, where *Theobroma cacao* trees thrived in the tropical climate. Centuries later, Spanish colonizers learned of the prized crop and took it back with them to Europe. The treat eventually made the rounds in Spain, France, and then Britain. It even gained a reputation for being healthy, thanks to studies of indigenous people who consumed chocolate and were found to have lower incidences of cardiovascular disease.

Still, the chocolate of centuries past was nothing like the sugary treats you may find at the store today. The ancient civilizations of Central America were said to have used cacao beans to make a chocolate drink, using a combination of water, honey, and spices.

It wasn’t until the 19th century that the first chocolate bar was created in Britain. Eventually, now-famous companies called their chocolate goods by the brand names, such as Hershey’s and Mars. Chocolate consumption spiked at the turn of the 20th century. It’s one of the first treats bought for holidays and special occasions, though chocolate is widely available to satisfy sweet cravings year-round.

How Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Are Made

All chocolate comes from cacao beans from the *Theobroma cacao* tree. Chocolate makers harvest pods from the trees, scoop the beans out of the pods, then ferment and dry those beans. Next, they roast and grind the beans. To create chocolate bars, makers convert this resulting substance into a liquor (nope, not alcohol), then sweeten it, grind it again, and pour it into their desired mold to solidify. Cocoa powder is the result of ground cacao beans.

The process varies slightly during the liquid phase depending on whether you’re making chocolate or dark chocolate. Regular chocolate — what is often called milk chocolate — is made with a combination of cocoa liquor, powdered milk, and sugar. The average milk chocolate sold in the United States has at least 10 percent cocoa content.

Dark chocolate consists of some of the same ingredients but in different amounts. Milk powder is not used to make dark chocolate. Most dark chocolate has a cocoa content between 35 and 85 percent. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the stronger the taste. Some people find the darkest of chocolate to have a bitter taste, while others appreciate its lower sugar content.

Mass-produced chocolates tend to have other ingredients added during the liquefying phase. Some examples include cocoa butter, soy, and other bulking ingredients that can help drive down costs.

**ARTICLE**

Why Your Dark Chocolate Bar May Actually Be a Milk Chocolate Bar

A 2015 survey of 100 dark chocolate bars revealed that a majority contained milk despite their labeling claims otherwise. If you have a food allergy or are lactose intolerant, here’s how to pick a safe treat.

Nutrition Facts for White, Milk, and Dark Chocolate

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 25 grams (g) of white chocolate has 146 calories and 10 g of fat. It also has 13 g of carbohydrates, all of which are from sugar, and 50 milligrams (mg) of calcium. Despite its name, white chocolate isn’t a typical cocoa-derived substance. In fact, it doesn’t contain cocoa at all.

How Much Caffeine Is in Chocolate Exactly?

While you might normally turn to coffee, tea, or soda for a caffeine fix, it’s important to know that chocolate also has caffeine. This is all thanks to naturally caffeinated cocoa beans.

A 1.6 oz portion of milk chocolate may have about 9 mg of caffeine. While significantly less than the 95 to 165 mg in the average cup of coffee, eating a large serving of chocolate can increase your daily caffeine intake. Some candies even have a combination of cocoa and coffee beans in them for a whopping 200 mg of caffeine per serving, which is about half of your recommended daily caffeine allowance.

Dark chocolate, due to its higher cocoa bean content, is likely to have more caffeine. Keep this in mind as you indulge in other caffeinated drinks and foods throughout the day. Certain medicines, such as aspirin, also have caffeine.

What Are the Suggested Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate?

With its high sugar and milk powder content, milk chocolate isn’t typically regarded as a healthy food. As referenced earlier, researchers found that the Kuna people, who lived near Panama, consumed large amounts of cocoa regularly and had good cardiovascular health. But they later found that the cardiovascular attributes were likely linked to the group’s overall tropical environment, not the chocolate. It’s also important to note that the cocoa used by indigenous cultures is much different than the chocolate candies Western cultures indulge in now.

Still, researchers today are fascinated about the potential cardiovascular benefits of chocolate, especially dark varieties, which have larger amounts of cocoa than milk chocolate. Some studies even point to dark chocolate’s potential role in lowering high blood pressure. Part of this is linked to the high flavanol content of cocoa beans, which may help improve overall vascular health. Such compounds, which are found in other plant foods as well, may also reduce the long-term risk of cancer, heart attack, and stroke. The higher the cocoa content, the more flavanols you’ll consume. While regular milk chocolate technically contains flavanols from cocoa, these likely aren’t enough to have a positive impact on your health.

How to Select and Store Chocolate for the Most Health Benefits and the Best Taste

For the most health benefits, choose dark chocolate with a cacao content of 60 percent or higher. Some brands contain 85 percent or more.

Chocolate should be stored in a cool dark place to prevent melting. Avoid refrigeration, as this can cause the chocolate to harden and will affect its taste.

How to Cook With Chocolate and Recipe Inspiration

While a piece of a dark chocolate bar is perfect for a quick snack, this is not the ideal type of chocolate for cooking. Instead, you’ll either use cocoa powder or baker’s chocolate.

Cocoa powder, the crushed version of whole cocoa beans, is perfect for adding to smoothies, puddings, and even coffee.

Baker’s chocolate is used just as the name suggests — for baking. It comes in unsweetened, sweetened, and semisweet varieties. Unsweetened versions are likely to have the most cocoa content. You can check the ingredient labels to be sure there aren’t any additives, like milk, sugar, or butter.

Check out the following recipes for additional inspiration:

· Coconut Oil Chocolate Candies

· Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

· Chocolate Chip Cookies

· Dark Chocolate Tart With Almond Crust

· Spinach Cocoa Smoothie

Other Possible Uses for Chocolate and Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate is coveted as a flavonoid-rich food that can benefit your health, but there’s also some research suggesting that cocoa may help benefit your skin, too. One study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found that participants who ate pure cocoa for 12 weeks had better UV-ray protection in the skin. These effects were not seen in study participants who ate manufactured milk chocolate.

Cocoa beans have also made their way into over-the-counter beauty products, though most of the benefits on skin health come through the diet. Such benefits include protection from free radicals and loss of moisture, which may help reduce signs of premature aging.

What Are the Side Effects or Health Risks of Eating Chocolate or Dark Chocolate?

The greatest health risk of chocolate is not necessarily the cocoa bean content but the other additives found in commercial chocolates, namely sugar and fat. These can potentially derail your diet or weight loss efforts. Too many empty calories from added sugars and fats don’t offer the energy your body needs compared with other nutrients. When combined with a sedentary lifestyle, sweets can quickly lead to stored body fat.

Too much caffeine can also cause adverse side effects, such as irritability, jitteriness, and insomnia. While it’s not common to get too much caffeine from eating chocolate alone, it’s important to keep caffeine in mind if you consume coffee, tea, soda, and other caffeinated items throughout the day.