Cocoa Powder vs Dark Chocolate
4LeafMint
Posts: 65 Member
What is better for you? Pure Cocoa Powder or pure dark chocolate...plain without any sugar or other ingredients.
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Replies
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By what metrics are you using to determine whether one is "better" than the other?12
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It depends on how you define "better," I suppose, but both are just fine within a balanced diet.2
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If you're eating a good variety of foods, you probably have your nutrients and macros down. Eat whichever one fits your calories, decide based on what you think tastes better.
You remember the tortoise and the hare, right? You're in this for the long haul, you're not going to drop X pounds and then gain them back. So make sure your nutrition is good, but make sure you get enjoyable treats too, that helps keep this sustainable.2 -
What is better for you? Pure Cocoa Powder or pure dark chocolate...plain without any sugar or other ingredients.
Chocolate by its nature must have other ingredients to be called chocolate. Even 99% dark chocolate will have cocoa butter and probably some sugar.
Pure cocoa powder doesn’t (or shouldn’t) have any other ingredients.
I know it’s crazy high in antioxidants but is extremely difficult to eat plain. I’ve tried!
If you want to try something very tasty, mix pure cocoa powder and some honey.
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What is better for you? Pure Cocoa Powder or pure dark chocolate...plain without any sugar or other ingredients.
Chocolate by its nature must have other ingredients to be called chocolate. Even 99% dark chocolate will have cocoa butter and probably some sugar.
Pure cocoa powder doesn’t (or shouldn’t) have any other ingredients.
I know it’s crazy high in antioxidants but is extremely difficult to eat plain. I’ve tried!
If you want to try something very tasty, mix pure cocoa powder and some honey.
I love making a spinach smoothie with a couple tsp of cocoa powder. Gives it a nice chocolate kick without too many added calories. A banana and almond milk sweeten it up.3 -
Unless you have a medical condition that requires it there is no reason to go 'pure'. There is also no reason to overthink food. Eat one or the other or both.
There are only 2 reasons to judge or compare food items.
1) One of them will make you sick.
2) The one you choose will make up a large percentage of your weekly calories.
If you had diabetes and asked if a candy bar or a cheese stick was better the choice is the cheese stick.
If you were trying to determine if the bulk of your weekly protein was going to come from baby back ribs or fish the choice is fish. Which does not mean there is anything wrong with BB ribs here and there.
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Cocoa powder is an ingredient or a flavor where chocolate is a food you can eat. Cocoa powder is a nutrient dense food.0
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It depends what you are trying to do.
Dark chocolate for eating, cocoa for baking and stirring into porridge.
I have both, both are good in different ways. Also cacao nibs are good, sprinkle on granola, yoghurt etc.0 -
Better for you how?1
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I put the cocoa powder in chilis and stews and that sort of thing, and put the unsweetened chocolate in desserts, because I think that's what each is best for. (In common terminology, "dark chocolate" commonly has some sugar or other sweetener in it; "baking chocolate" is the unsweetened stuff.)
Both have some useful antioxidants and potassium, but there's no point in eating lots of either one (unless you love them, in which case, just don't eat so much that it drives out necesssary nutrition).
Bottom line: It's useful and IMO important to get good, balanced overall nutrition, which includes adequate macronutrients and micronutrients. Any one food needs to be evaluated in the context of overall diet. In that light, all other things equal, I'd probably be more likely to pick the chocolate if I was under my fat goal (it has some fat), or the cocoa powder if I was already at/over my fat goal (it has very little).
Neither one is all that tasty on its own, but either can be a good ingredient in something.2 -
Milk chocolate is better for me, because it tastes yum and the others don't.3
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Dark chocolate is very rich in antioxidants, but you would have to eat a ton of it to get any measurable amount (or get enough to make a measurable difference in your health).2 -
I read at another site that the amazing health benefits of cacao are antagonized by the sugar in milk chocolate.
So, if you're consuming it for the amazing health benefits of cacao, the less sugar included, the better.
I make a fat bomb recipe with peanut butter and coconut oil. I add cacao to it to make an integer number of 1 oz servings.5 -
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This isn't a facetious question, but why are you eating a lot of things you don't really like? Unless you have an extraordinarily small list of foods you like, I can think of a lot of ways to get a well balanced diet. And to be transparent, I have definitely tried to get myself to like various foods with generally poor results. I sometimes will eat cauliflower because, turns out, I like it in the context of Indian food. Once I realized I liked it in limited areas I tried to broaden those areas with no success. Yogurt is another food that I tried to get myself to like because it's a quick, easy, and cheap source of protein that some people also like as a snack. I still hate yogurt. That said, I've found other snacks that can tide me over and there's no real need for me to eat cauliflower.4 -
I eat 99% dark chocolate and I like it. It's expensive AF though. $5 a block of Lindt. However, you can't really eat more than one row anyway. I have it pre workout. It's good. Very delicious.
Seeing as you don't care what things taste like, then do a Google of the nutritional properties of cocoa powder vs dark chocolate and make your decision based on that.
Happy spoonfulls of cocoa powder.2 -
WinoGelato wrote: »
It is all about your goals. I eat somethings I like and somethings I don't. Food can be like medicine...you take it even when you don't like it. Plus I start liking some of the things I use to not like. Also it is similar to alcohol...no one liked the taste of their first drink (unless there was tons of sugar in it). Absolutely some are going to lie and say they did.9 -
I use both. Cocoa powder in my smoothies and pancakes and baking, pure unsweetened chocolate as a snack.0
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WinoGelato wrote: »
It is all about your goals. I eat somethings I like and somethings I don't. Food can be like medicine...you take it even when you don't like it. Plus I start liking some of the things I use to not like. Also it is similar to alcohol...no one liked the taste of their first drink (unless there was tons of sugar in it). Absolutely some are going to lie and say they did. And please woo me as much as possible. I am trying to be the WOO champion on MFP! WOOOOOOhooooo 😁
What illness are you trying to cure?0 -
Cocoa is in ingredient. chocolate is a food. So I eat chocolate. I haved tried and enjoyed lower sugar dark chocolates though. I prefer darker chocolates anyway (personal preference).
I also use cocoa nibs in my steel cut oats but don't eat them just like that out of hte bag.
i do not eat anything i don't like unless i'm a guest and it's provided by a host or made a bad choice in ordering and am too hungry to just not eat. I have too few calories in a day to waste on food i don't like otherwise.
I can still get a balanced diet and meet all my nutritional and weight loss goals while not eating foods i don't like.6 -
Well if you are not going to be serious I will assume that you are taking food "medicine" for no good reason. You have likely been on too many websites that talk about super foods and what this food can do for you. It is causing you to overthink eating.13
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Well if you are not going to be serious I will assume that you are taking food "medicine" for no good reason. You have likely been on too many websites that talk about super foods and what this food can do for you. It is causing you to overthink eating.
Too many websites... Maybe but probably way less then the average bear. Super foods...negative on that. I can show you my diary from the last month to prove that one. Plain chicken is probably my only super food and whey protein. But I am engineer and I for sure over think somethings...very guilty on that one. If there is a readily available cheap food that I can try, I am all onboard. As far as asking a simple question and getting woo-ed I love it! Wished woo-ing had more protein. BTW...never liked chocolate a day in my life. But if I can throw cocoa powder in my protein shake and down it real quick I will try it. Haven't done it yet but there is always tomorrow. Oh I do have a herb garden and I love cooking. So I am a little geeky there. Don't forget to woo me.....pleaseeeeeeee!3 -
I'll eat 4lbs of fruit and veggies every day before I'll choke down something that would gag me. Varied enough I'd get the same or better nutrition from it too. To each their own.9
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Sorry....I love me my nestle Quick!1
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WinoGelato wrote: »
It is all about your goals. I eat somethings I like and somethings I don't. Food can be like medicine...you take it even when you don't like it. Plus I start liking some of the things I use to not like.
I think trying things multiple times is a good idea, and if you are struggling to have sufficient nutrients because you are really picky working on your palate (and your cooking, perhaps!) is a good idea, but for most people who have a reasonable range of foods they like, I don't think it's necessary to tell yourself that you can only achieve goals by eating foods or meals that aren't tasty to you.
For example, I like most fruits and almost all vegetables, but I don't like grapefruit. I've tried it off and on over the years, don't mind it as an ingredient in some things, but that I don't like it is no biggie, there are plenty of other foods I enjoy that have similar nutrients.
I absolutely hate canned tuna and don't like tilapia or catfish, but I like pretty much every other fish I've tried, so no reason to force myself to eat foods I don't care for.
So on.
I suppose one could have a different approach if one feels like they just don't like enough things, but I also sometimes feel like there's this idea that there are certain magical foods that must be consumed, and that's not so. Like flaxseed or chia are healthy (and I like them fine although question whether they are always worth the cals for me), but most people don't need to add them to their diets unless they enjoy them. But because they are trendy people sometimes feel like they should. Similarly, I don't like green tea, so don't drink it. Sure, it's supposed to be healthy, but I doubt drinking herbal will doom me or prevent me from reaching any goals.
Like I said, I do think trying foods is a good idea, though.
On cocoa powder vs. dark chocolate, I eat both on occasion (I like dark better than light and currently my favorite easily available dark chocolate is Chocolove 88%). I also quite like these unsweetened chocolate brewing powders (you make them basically like coffee -- I have used my french press) and they are a nice evening alternative to tea.3 -
BTW...never liked chocolate a day in my life. But if I can throw cocoa powder in my protein shake and down it real quick I will try it. Haven't done it yet but there is always tomorrow.
Why would you do this? It seems like a waste of calories vs. adding something to the protein shake you will enjoy (assuming you don't like it when you do try it). What amazing effect do you think cocoa powder will have?
(For the record, I use it in cooking from time to time but not in smoothies other than one time when it happened to go with my ingredients. I usually choose ingredients that would not go well with chocolate in my smoothies, IMO, and I want tasty (in addition to healthy) smoothies. Obviously YMMV, but I'm just trying to understand what you believe you are accomplishing.)4 -
If dark chocolate is high in antioxidants then cocoa will be too. Cocoa has less fat in it.
Try dusting your coffee with cocoa and cinnamon. You’ll be imitating the Aztecs.3 -
BTW...never liked chocolate a day in my life. But if I can throw cocoa powder in my protein shake and down it real quick I will try it. Haven't done it yet but there is always tomorrow.
Why would you do this? It seems like a waste of calories vs. adding something to the protein shake you will enjoy (assuming you don't like it when you do try it). What amazing effect do you think cocoa powder will have?
(For the record, I use it in cooking from time to time but not in smoothies other than one time when it happened to go with my ingredients. I usually choose ingredients that would not go well with chocolate in my smoothies, IMO, and I want tasty (in addition to healthy) smoothies. Obviously YMMV, but I'm just trying to understand what you believe you are accomplishing.)
Thanks lemurcat and jgnatca....Finally an honest to goodness informative dialogue. I am going to try adding cocoa powder to my coffee. I realized that I shouldn't be asking questions on MFP. I am a powerlifter trying to lose weight for competition. I have to make every macro calorie count while being in a calorie deficit. Most of MFP have different goals than I, which is awesome! But don't be a smart a$? about it. I will use MFP for tracking calories and macros...and try to stay away from chats. Just want to see how many more woo's I can get then leaving this community. Again thank you!1 -
For what it's worth, cocoa powder is a decent source of non-heme iron (1.8 g per 5 g of product) & it adds fiber (1 g per 5 g of product).0
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