Dark chocolate mousse recipes call for a rich amalgam of whipping cream, sugar, egg yolks, bittersweet chocolate and sugar, so it is important to balance the nutrients in this dessert against the high fat, sugar and calorie content. Most recipes for dark chocolate mousse are similar to the one presented by SimplyRecipes.com.
Calories and Fat
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that a half cup of chocolate mousse has 454 calories and 32.32g of fat. Almost all mousse recipes call for bittersweet chocolate, which is a form of dark chocolate.
These data suggest that dark chocolate mousse is not a wise choice for people trying to lose weight. Even small quantities of this dessert pack in a lot of calories and fat.
Vitamins and Minerals
Despite the calories and fat, dark chocolate mousse is not devoid of nutrition. According to the USDA, a half cup of chocolate mousse has 96mg of calcium and 20mg of magnesium. It has 509 IU of vitamin A, 0.2mg riboflavin, 15mcg of folate and 0.5mg of pantothenic acid.
Controversy
A 2010 article appearing in "Hypertension" commented on research regarding the effect of dark chocolate on blood pressure. The authors examined 13 different studies. They concluded that although some studies showed that dark chocolate seemed to have a modest effect on blood pressure, the number of subjects was too small and the process of making chocolate too secretive for these studies to have merit.
Benefits
According to the USDA, a half cup of chocolate mouse has 117mg phosphorus and 143mg of potassium. This suggests that patients with advanced kidney disease and others who need to restrict their potassium and phosphorus may be able to occasionally enjoy small amounts of chocolate mousse.
Chocolate mousse also has the benefit of being a low sodium food. Mousse can be enjoyed by people who are restricting their sodium intake, as it comes in at only 38mg of sodium per half cup.
Warning
Diabetics and others who are are trying to lower their sugar intake may want to use a sugar substitute when preparing this food, or avoid it altogether. The USDA reports that a half cup of chocolate mousse has a whopping 29.92g of sugar, so diabetics should talk to their doctors about how this dessert will affect their blood sugar levels should they wish to eat it.
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