Cocoa is rich in antioxidant flavanoids known as flavanols.
We all love to read about the “health benefits” of dark chocolate right? Does the title “To improve a memory, consider chocolate” ring a bell? This article was published last year by the New York Times and had chocoholics across the world rejoicing. The irresistible headlines about the benefits of dark chocolate suggested that it had miraculously climbed up the food ladder from junk food to superfood.
It is not surprising that the majority of research “proving” the health benefits of chocolate are largely funded by the chocolate industry. So to what extent can we trust this information?
What does the % cacao mean?
A common misconception is to assume that the higher the cacao percentage the healthier the chocolate, however this is not always the case. First things first, you need to understand that “% cacao” is calculated by the quantity two ingredients: cocoa and cocoa butter.
- Cocoa is the residue after the cocoa butter has been pressed out of the cocoa nibs, and the remainder has been ground down to form a powder. It is cocoa that has all the health benefits.
- Cocoa butter is the fatty part of the cocoa bean and it is what gives chocolate its smooth and “chocolatey” texture. There are no health benefits associated with cocoa butter.
In order to make any kind of chocolate, the cocoa and cocoa butter must be combined in the manufacturing process to make chocolate liquor. A typical dark chocolate bar has cacao percentage of 70%. If the manufacturer used 50% of both cocoa and cocoa butter in the process, the dark chocolate would have a reasonably high level of cocoa content (the healthy stuff).
However, what you want to avoid (and what is often hidden well from the consumer) is when the manufacturer has either used a higher percentage of cocoa butter, or used additional cocoa butter, in making the chocolate liquor. Additional cocoa butter is used in many dark chocolate brands to give it a smoother texture. This means that although the % cacao would remain at 70%, the overall % of cocoa in the chocolate would be lower, thus lowering the overall “health benefits” of the chocolate.
Is dark chocolate healthy?
Dark chocolate is considered to be the “healthiest” of all the types of chocolate as it is thought to be full of antioxidants. The cocoa itself used to make the chocolate is rich in antioxidant flavonoids known as flavanols. These flavanols are linked to health benefits such as improving blood flow and reducing memory loss by increasing brain activity.
However, during the chocolate manufacturing process, a large number of flavanols are lost once the cocoa bean has been heated, fermented and processed. So, although it is true that dark chocolate has a higher percentage of cocoa than milk chocolate, it doesn’t mean it contains a significantly high number of antioxidants to grant it “healthy” status purely for this reason.
How to choose your dark chocolate
Quality dark chocolate should never have “sugar” listed as one of the first ingredients, and should fall into the following categories:
- 100% organic
- More than 70% cacao (ideally 50% balance between cocoa and cocoa butter)
- No additional cocoa butter added
Keep an eye on the ingredients on the label of your dark chocolate and enjoy dark chocolate in moderation.