Chocolate is considered dark when it does not have whole or skim milk powder in it. Sometimes called bittersweet chocolate, it has no added sugar and contains up to 75 percent of cocoa solids. Some semisweet chocolate may also be called dark chocolate. Dark chocolate chips find use in cookies as well as many other desserts. These small morsels contain a range of nutritional benefits.
Serving Size
One tbsp. of dark chocolate chips, or 15 g of chips, constitutes a serving. This amount may vary depending on how many dark chocolate chips you add to your cookies or desserts.
Calories
A 1-tbsp. serving of dark chocolate chips contains 50 to 80 calories, or 2.5 to 4 percent of the calories you may consume daily if you follow a 2,000-calorie diet. Dark chocolate chips may find a place in your meal plain as a plain snack, but since they are commonly incorporated into dessert recipes, be sure to adjust your total caloric intake to accurately reflect the complete dessert serving.
Fat
One portion of dark chocolate chips has 3 to 4.5 g of fat. The percentage of fat calories is quite high -- more than half the calories in a serving comes from fat. MayoClinic.com recommends consuming no more than 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories from fat, so be sure to monitor your diet to adjust fat totals for the day.
Carbohydrates
The carbohydrates in your diet are your body's primary source of energy. However, the carbohydrates in chocolate are considered simple carbohydrates -- not the most complete type. A 1-tbsp. serving of dark chocolate chips contains approximately 9 g of carbohydrates, or 6.9 percent of the 130 g of carbohydrates recommended for daily consumption by the Institute of Medicine.
Protein
Dark chocolate chips contains less than 1 g of protein per 1-tbsp. serving. The Institute of Medicine notes that you should include 46 to 56 g of protein each day to help you build muscle and maintain optimal bodily function.
Benefits
Dark chocolate may relieve chronic fatigue syndrome, according to research by Thozhukat Sathyapalan and colleagues and published in the November 2010 issue of "Nutrition Journal." Study participants consumed dark chocolate daily for a period of eight weeks and showed improvement in symptoms associated with this condition. More research is needed to confirm findings.
References
- MyFitnessPal: Generic -- Dark Chocolate Chips
- CalorieLab: Hershey's Special Dark
- What's Cooking America: It's True -- Dark Chocolate Is Healthy Chocolate!
- MayoClinic.com: Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Nutrition Guidelines
- Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes
- MedlinePlus: Protein in Diet
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