Learn details about chocolate's nutritional content and natural composition. Find graphs and charts outlining everything from chocolate's antioxidant potential to its protein content. This section gives you all the information you need to know about chocolate.
Antioxidant Power of Chocolate
From this bar chart you can see that dark chocolate and cocoa are packed with antioxidants. One serving of dark chocolate has more antioxidant properties than a serving of blueberries or cranberries.
Dark chocolate is just one of many antioxidant-containing foods that can be used as part of a healthy diet. Flavanols, the type of antioxidant found in dark chocolate, are also found in berries, grapes and tea.
Including a small amount of dark chocolate in your diet is safe and healthy, however it is also important to consume healthy fruits like blueberries, cherries and grapes for additional antioxidant power, not just chocolate.(Picture 1)
The reason why cocoa and dark chocolate pack such a punch is because the antioxidants are so concentrated.
Consider this: antioxidants known as polpyphenols make up more than 10 percent of the weight of dry raw cocoa beans.
Cocoa Butter, a natural fat
Despite chocolate's saturated fat content, studies show that eating chocolate has no effect on the level of potentially harmful cholesterol in your blood. Why? Because not all saturated fats are created equal. The fat in chocolate comes from cocoa butter, the natural fat found in cocoa beans. (Milk chocolate has additional fat from milk.)
About 36% of the fat in the cocoa bean is "good fat" — either mono- or polyunsaturated fat, of which, oleic acid (the fatty acid also abundant in olive oil) makes up the largest proportion.
Of the saturated fat content in cocoa butter, over half comes from stearic acid. Stearic acid has been shown in numerous studies to have a neutral impact on blood cholesterol.
The main reason for this may be that stearic acid converts from a saturated fat to an unsaturated fat when metabolized in the body. Studies conducted showed that when total calories in the diet were kept the same and participants were fed chocolate daily for two weeks there was no change in blood cholesterol.
This chart shows that more than half of the saturated fat in cocoa butter is stearic acid, which is cholesterol neutral, and another one-third is mono- or polyunsaturated fat, which can reduce cholesterol levels.
Chocolate products are rich in minerals
A natural and mineral rich food
The table below shows the average amount of minerals that various chocolate and cocoa products provides. These amounts may vary depending on a number of factors. Chocolate and cocoa naturally contain copper, magnesium and potassium, which are vital for good health. One average sized dark chocolate bar provides nearly 12 percent of your daily requirement for magnesium, which may be important for people at risk of several chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Table 2: Average mineral content (in milligrams) and % of Daily Value (%DV) for cocoa and chocolate products
Basic Nutrition Elements of Chocolate
New research indicates that there are components in cocoa beans (used to make chocolate) that may help prevent heart disease, cancer and other degenerative illnesses. It is worth considering this research, as the findings are very interesting. However, further evidence is needed to substantiate it.
The nutritional content of chocolate varies according to the recipe. Generally, chocolate contains:
Protein – needed for cell maintenance and repair.
Fat – varies, but chocolate contains approximately 30–45 per cent fat, of which about half is saturated fat.
Vitamin E – a fat-soluble vitamin essential for cell membranes.
Calcium, phosphorus and magnesium – minerals essential for strong bones and teeth.
Iron – needed to form haemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying compound in blood.
Caffeine and theobromine – nervous system stimulants.
Copper – assists iron metabolism, formation of melanin (in hair and skin) and functioning of the central nervous system.
Sugars – varies, but often make up about 50 per cent.
Antioxidant phytochemicals (such as flavonoids) – cocoa beans, the main ingredient of chocolate (particularly dark chocolate), contain more than 600 plant chemicals, including antioxidants, that may protect against heart disease and cancer.
The following table gives you the nutritional breakdown of a wide range of chocolate products. Dark chocolate and cocoa are surprising sources of fiber. In addition, you can see that chocolate contains little or no cholesterol. Any cholesterol comes from the addition of milk ingredients. Remember: chocolate is a plant-based food and plants do not produce cholesterol.
Chocolate is beneficial when used as part of a balanced diet
Chocolate has a long history as a favoured food of many cultures, including Aztec and Mayan. Today chocolate is considered a luxury food that should be eaten sparingly as it can contribute to migraines, acne and obesity. New research, however, disputes these common beliefs and suggests that eating chocolate in moderation, as part of a nutritious well-balanced diet, may have health benefits.
Chocolate is a more complex food than most people realize. The flavonoids work to protect our cells from damage and they contain antioxidants, much like vitamins. The potential benefits of chocolate lie with its unique composition and how it is put together. It’s the cocoa solids (or cocoa liquor) in chocolate that contain the flavonoids. The regular consumption of flavonoid-rich foods is beneficial to blood pressure. A dark chocolate with more cocoa butter will give you a richer, more satisfying chocolate taste. Another benefit of chocolate is the positive effect it can have on your mood.
Things to remember
- The main type of saturated fat in chocolate is stearic acid, which doesn’t increase blood cholesterol levels.
- Chocolate and cocoa contain substances called catechins, which may help protect the body against degenerative illnesses like cancer.
- Chocolate is a high fat food that must be consumed in moderation as part of a well-balanced, nutritious diet.
- Cocoa provides the same amount of catechins as chocolate, but with less fat.