Domingo Ghirardelli opened a general store in 1849 during the California Gold Rush. His success in chocolate began in 1852 with his original confectionery company. Ghirardelli chocolates squares are available in milk and dark chocolates, with a variety of flavor configurations
Calories and Nutrients
Ghirardelli 60 percent Cacao Dark Chocolate Squares contain 220 calories per four squares. Of the 220 calories, 150 are from fat. Four squares provide you with 2 g of protein, 3 g of dietary fiber, 16 g of sugar and 15 percent of your daily iron requirement.
Benefits
Karin Reid, author of a 2010 meta-analysis study published in the BMC Medicine journal, found that study participants who consumed chocolate with between 50 percent to 70 percent cocoa saw a decrease in both "systolic hypertension or diastolic prehypertension." The polyphenols in dark chocolate are responsible for the decrease, according to the study.
Considerations
Although the Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Squares contain a potential benefit to blood pressure, the squares are relatively high in calories and fat. Eat just one square as an after-dinner treat to reduce the calories of the four-square serving size from 220 calories to 55 and the fat calories from 150 to about 37.
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