Can chocolate ever be healthy? A dietitian breaks it down (plus her five top picks)
Whether you prefer milk, dark or white chocolate, the question is whether any of them can really be considered a “health food”.
If you were to compile a list of Australians’ favourite foods, chances are that chocolate would be at the top of the list. The sweet, creamy taste that can make it difficult to stop at a single square or two can now be found in many variants, including dark, white and other flavours.
Specifically, it is dark chocolate that is associated with all things health and wellbeing related. But before you treat yourself to another block of dark chocolate, let’s take a closer look at what you really find in chocolate, both the “healthier” kind and the more popular milk blocks – and whether it can really be considered a “health food”.
Milk chocolate
Chocolate, or specifically milk chocolate, is a mix of cocoa, cocoa butter, milk and sugar, which gives us the creamy, sweet food used to make the popular chocolate blocks and bars we find in supermarkets. Milk chocolate is a high-fat and high-sugar food, with more than 50g of sugars and 30g of fat per 100g block. From a calorie perspective, a 100g serve of milk chocolate contains more than 500 calories, or the equivalent of a meal. As milk chocolate is so easy to overeat, thanks to its rich mouthfeel and high sugar content, the issue for many of us is that it can be challenging to control our portions.
Is dark chocolate healthier?
Dark chocolate, especially varieties with more than 70 per cent cocoa, are often considered a much “healthier” option. While dark chocolate does have a higher proportion of antioxidant compounds than milk chocolate, a closer look will reveal that nutritionally it is not that much different from regular chocolate, with even higher proportions of fat, and only slightly less sugar.
Higher quality blocks will have a higher cocoa percentage, and fewer ingredients overall. While poorer quality blocks will have a higher proportion of sugar and a lower percentage of cocoa.
The actual benefit that comes from choosing dark chocolate over milk varities is that the higher the percentage of cocoa, the greater the amount of antioxidants you consume. Some may argue you are also less likely to overeat dark chocolate due to its more bitter flavour.
What about white chocolate?
While some varieties of white chocolate may contain some cocoa butter, many supermarket brands are made with a base of vegetable oil, milk and sugar, which means you won’t get the same health benefits that come from chocolate with a relatively high percentage of cocoa.
The reality of eating a lot of chocolate
Ultimately, chocolate remains a high-fat, high-sugar and high-calorie food. Like all foods, overeating it occasionally is no cause for concern, but if you regularly down a block or two, there are significant metabolic effects that will drive appetite and weight gain long term.
Within an hour or two of consuming a large serve of chocolate, the hormone insulin will be working overtime to keep glucose levels controlled. High levels of insulin over time promote fat storage and drive hunger. Even within a short time period, the large amounts of fat result in more fat circulating in the blood stream, inflaming the arteries and increasing blood pressure. Exposing the digestive system to large amounts of fat will also put extra pressure on the gall bladder, and many cases of gallstones have been triggered after an abnormally high intake of fat in a short period of time.
The high calorie load is also likely to leave you feeling tired and lethargic, with blood redirected to the digestive system. You may still feel unsatisfied, as your body is craving the nutrients and protein it would usually receive after eating balanced meals. Like all discretionary foods, the key is to keep portions controlled.
How much is too much?
Just 30g of both milk and dark chocolate (about the equivalent of a row of squares) contains more than 150 calories, 9g of fat and more than 15g of sugars. This means that if you enjoy a daily serve of whichever variety of chocolate you prefer, sticking to just 20-30g is the key to avoiding a complete fat and sugar overload.
Are any varieties of chocolate healthier?
Like all processed foods, the shorter the ingredient list of your chocolate, the less processed it will be, and the better the option nutritionally.
Top supermarket picks
Pico Super Dark – 85 per cent cocoa
Made with just three ingredients, this minimally processed block has an extremely high percentage of cocoa – but in this example, you do pay for quality.
Lindt Supreme Dark – 90 per cent cocoa
Another option that contains just three base ingredients, Lindt 90 per cent dark is one of the lowest sugar dark chocolate options you can find, with just 7 per cent sugars, compared with 30 per cent sugars in the 70 per cent dark block.
Coles Finest Belgian Dark Chocolate – 85 per cent cocoa
With 15 per cent sugars, this 85 per cent cocoa block strikes a nice balance between good quality dark chocolate and a little sweetness.
Aldi Moser Roth Finest Dark – 85 per cent cocoa
With a similar percentage of sugars to other dark blocks, it is the lower price point of the Aldi range of chocolate that makes this an appealing option.
Whittaker’s Dark Ghana – 72 per cent cocoa
With 27 per cent sugars, this dark block is relatively sweet but also has a high percentage of cocoa along with plenty of flavour.
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Susie Burrell is an accredited practising dietitian and nutritionist.