2023.04.04

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Is chocolate good for you? Bad for you?

Contradicting news headlines regarding chocolate are just about cyclical at this point.

Wanna know the truth once and for all? *Based on what we know from a wealth of evidence-based nutrition to date.

Here ya go.

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Cocoa powder is health promoting.

(unless of course you’re allergic, or have some specialized condition, etc.)

Cocoa powder is rich in flavonols and is a great antioxidant to include in the diet.

It also contains fiber – which most Americans don’t get enough of.

With acute intake, we see that it is good for arterial function as measured in various parts of the body – arms, legs, during angiograms, brain, kidneys. Even 1 teaspoon can have an effect within a few hours.

With habitual intake people experience lower blood pressure, better levels of good cholesterol, and it is good for the immune system (thank you antioxidants!).

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Chocolate’s impact depends on what it is made with.

Chocolate isn’t pure cocoa powder. So, while cocoa powder has excellent evidence about its health benefits, for chocolate it really depends.

Dairy actively works against the antioxidant properties in the cocoa powder. So dark chocolate is better than milk chocolate when it comes to health.

The other main ingredients in chocolate are added sugar and added saturated fat. Too much of either/both have their own negative health impacts. (We’ll talk about them another day.)

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Read the label.

If you get in the habit of reading ingredient labels, you can make incrementally better choices.

First, if you are buying cocoa powder, remember that “Dutch process” or “processed with alkali” means that fewer flavonols are left in the cocoa powder after processing, which means it’s not as health promoting.

Second, let’s compare two 3.5 oz (100 g) chocolate bars from popular brands.

Godiva 85% vs Lindt 85%

Both contain 85% cocoa powder. Great start! But we’re unsure as to the method used for processing the cocoa powder so we’ll hope for the best.

• Godiva’s other ingredients as listed (in order): sugar, cocoa butter, butter oil (milk), emulsifier (soy lecithin).
• Lindt’s other ingredients as listed (in order): cocoa butter, demerara sugar, bourbon vanilla beans.

One contains a dairy ingredient and the other doesn’t!

Reading further, the saturated fat content, added sugar, and fiber content are all similar between the two.

Given the above, I’d choose the Lindt 85% over the Godiva 85%

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Ignore the news headlines about chocolate.

Headlines are designed to attract attention. They don’t necessarily capture what a study actually found and they often extrapolate or make inferences. Also, the amount of saturated fat and added sugar matters in nutrition/health studies! Furthermore, headlines will often use the word ‘chocolate’ since that is a word that consumers like, even if the study itself was about cocoa powder.

At this point, it would take a mountain of new, contradictory evidence to overturn what we know about the health benefits of cocoa powder. So, think about how you can incorporate it into your diet.

As for chocolate, look for a higher percentage of cocoa powder and skip any with dairy ingredients. The less added sugar and saturated fat, the better.

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This post is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Read full disclaimer.

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