Dark chocolate is typically made with fat, sugar and cocoa. Unlike milk chocolate, dark chocolate contains little or no milk. Dark chocolate is available in many concentrations, based on a percentage of cocoa solids in the chocolate. Although 99 percent dark chocolate is available, it is typically used only for cooking. The highest percentage used for chocolate bars is usually 70 to 85 percent.
Calories and Sugar
One ounce of 70 to 85 percent dark chocolate contains 179 calories, 80 percent of which come from sugar or fat. One serving contains 13.8g of carbohydrates, 7.2 of which come from sugar. All of the sugar in dark chocolate is in the form of sucrose, which is white table sugar. Sucrose is a disaccharide, which means it is made up of two simpler sugars, called monosaccharides. The two monosaccharides from which sucrose is made are glucose and fructose.
Fat
One ounce of dark chocolate contains 12.8g of fat, which provide 115 of the 179 calories. More than half, 7.3g, of this fat is saturated fat, which should be consumed in limited quantities as it can contribute to heart disease. An adult who eats 2,000 calories a day should consume 22g or less of saturated fat per day. If you eat 1 oz. of dark chocolate, you are consuming about 1/3 of your saturated fat intake for the day.
Minerals
Although dark chocolate is high in fat and sugar, it also contains high amounts of some essential minerals. One serving of dark chocolate contains 3.6mg of iron, which is 45 percent of the recommended daily amount for men. Because women need more iron, the 3.6mg of iron in one serving of dark chocolate provides only 20 percent of their recommended daily amount. One serving of dark chocolate also provides more than 25 percent of the recommended amount of manganese and more than 50 percent of copper, both of which are essential trace minerals. In addition, one serving of dark chocolate supplies more than 10 percent of the recommended amount of potassium.
Antioxidants
The Mayo Clinic suggests eating dark chocolate for its high antioxidant content, as it contains more antioxidants that most fruits or vegetables. The antioxidants in chocolate and other foods can be useful in fighting damage to cells caused by normal cell breakdown as well as exposure to dangerous substances, such as pollution and cigarette smoke. According to the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity of Selected Foods 2007, which was published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, chocolate contains more antioxidants than many fruits, such as blueberries, that are typically considered high in antioxidants.
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