Chocolate may seem like a sweet, empty-calorie confection, but research is finding that it actually has healthy benefits when eaten in moderation. Plant-based foods contain antioxidants, and chocolate, which is made from cocoa beans, falls into this category. Small amounts of dark chocolate can help with certain conditions, like lowering blood pressure without weight gain or adverse effects, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Cocoa Beans
The story of chocolate begins with the cacao tree that produces a seed-pod fruit containing cocoa beans. Different varieties of cocoa beans may differ in flavor. The cocoa beans are gathered, roasted and shelled to get the cocoa nib that becomes a chocolate paste called liquor, which is the basis for all chocolate products. The chocolate liquor can be used to make edible chocolate products. It can also be pressed, removing some of the cocoa butter, producing cocoa solids that are ground into cocoa powder.
Antioxidants
Chocolate contains antioxidants called phenols, similar to those found in red wine. The higher the cocoa content, the more antioxidants supplied. These phenols improve cholesterol levels by increasing HDL, or high-density lipoproteins, the "good" cholesterol, according to a study published in the November 2004 issue of "Free Radical Biology and Medicine." Dark chocolate had the greatest impact, increasing HDL 13.7 percent for women who ate 75 g of dark chocolate daily for three weeks. A 1.45-oz. bar is equal to 41 g.
Healthier Saturated Fats
The cocoa butter in chocolate is high in saturated fats, but one-third of it is stearic acid, which does not raise "bad" LDL cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein, as do other saturated fats. This is because stearic acid is converted in your liver to oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat. Another third of the saturated fat in cocoa butter is oleic acid.
Nutrition Facts
Dark chocolate in the United States contains more cocoa solids than does milk chocolate. However, some European brands of milk chocolate will have a high content of antioxidant-rich cocoa solids. Choose chocolate that has a high cocoa solids content. Many manufacturers have begun to list the content on the label. A typical 1.45-oz. bar of dark chocolate has 228 calories, 2.27 g of protein, 13.28 g of fat, 2.7 g of fiber and 24.8 g of carbohydrate. The amount of cocoa solids can be anywhere from 35 percent to 90 percent.
References
- Cacaoweb: About the Cacao Tree
- Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition: Nutrition
- Yale-New Haven Hospital: Chocolate: Food of the Gods
- The Heart.org; Eating Dark Chocolate Reduces CRP; Lisa Nainggolan; Sept. 29, 2008
- "Free Radical Biology and Medicine"; Dark Chocolate Consumption Increases HDL Cholesterol Concentration; Jaakko Mursu, et al.; November 2004
- "Metabolism"; The role of fatty acid saturation on plasma lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins; P.M. Krist-Etherton, et al.; Janurary 1993
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