Question about dark chocolate

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marie_2454
marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
edited October 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Dark chocolate is supposed to be healthy for you in small amounts due to all the antioxidants, but how dark does it need to be? I know the general rule is the higher percentage the better, but have you ever tasted 85% dark chocolate? Ewww! :sick: I just bought some Ghirardelli 60% and it's pretty good. A square is only around 70 calories. I think after a while I can work up to liking 70-75%, but that's probably about as high as I'll get. Is 60% enough to get the benefits, or should I save my 70 calories?

Replies

  • bitterbrownie
    bitterbrownie Posts: 369
    anything other than "milk" chocolate is better for you. but hey, eat chocolate because you like it! you can get the antioxidants from other foods such as blueberries and cranberries, and let's face it, even if you don't get them - you're not going to die ;p

    but yes, the higher the percentage the stronger and more bitter the chocolate will be. i personally like very dark chocolate but try some Green and Blacks at around 70-75% or maybe look at dark chocolate truffles? high in calories perhaps (around 60-70) but an easy snack portion and very dark!

    p.s: i'm not an expert - just my "knowledge"!
  • Jarvis95
    Jarvis95 Posts: 157 Member
    http://www.lindt.com/ca/swf/eng/products/bars/dark-chocolate/excellence-sea-salt/

    These bars from lindt are amazing, about 47% but one square is 50!
  • katya143
    katya143 Posts: 313 Member
    just had a whole bar or lindt orange excellence bar!!! YUMMMMMMMM! and I am a gluttunous pig!
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    Blasphemy!! I *love* 85% dark, LOL!

    I've read to aim for at least 70%. Here's an example: http://www.realage.com/blogs/doctor-oz-roizen/is-dark-chocolate-good-for-you
  • Whitneylol
    Whitneylol Posts: 244
    Blasphemy!! I *love* 85% dark, LOL!

    I've read to aim for at least 70%. Here's an example: http://www.realage.com/blogs/doctor-oz-roizen/is-dark-chocolate-good-for-you

    I'm with you girl!!! 85% is so good!!
  • Sherie13
    Sherie13 Posts: 250 Member
    Ghirardelli 72% is awesome! You have to try it. When it gets into the 80s, I can't stand it. You should have it because you like it, not because it's good for you because all in all, it's not all that good for you!
  • jumcadam
    jumcadam Posts: 95 Member
    I had to ween myself off my Cadbury Dairy Milk! Little by little, it becomes easier to get out of the sugar fix - dark choc has less sugar and general rubbish in it.

    I love Lindt with Chilli, Green & Blacks 85% and the Montezuma brand too. Just a couple of squares a day keep me happy!

    I'm not sure how much I believe articles like this though - but it's still interesting:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/09/14/dark-chocolate-may-impro_n_963217.html

    Also see here for some more input! :smile:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/250591-dark-chocolate?hl=dark+chocolate#posts-3321809
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Dark chocolate is supposed to be healthy for you in small amounts due to all the antioxidants, but how dark does it need to be? I know the general rule is the higher percentage the better, but have you ever tasted 85% dark chocolate? Ewww! :sick: I just bought some Ghirardelli 60% and it's pretty good. A square is only around 70 calories. I think after a while I can work up to liking 70-75%, but that's probably about as high as I'll get. Is 60% enough to get the benefits, or should I save my 70 calories?

    70% cocoa or higher is the general recommendation. I could never find this at my grocery but the local health foods store had a bar for $3 that was labeled "fair traded". I'm not a big chocolate lover (in fact I still have most of this bar) but wanted to see what it tasted like. I thought it was pretty good. It only tasted a little "darker" than a Hershey's Special Dark bar. It's great with pb.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Ghirardelli 72% is awesome! You have to try it. When it gets into the 80s, I can't stand it. You should have it because you like it, not because it's good for you because all in all, it's not all that good for you!

    It actually is pretty good for you. You're body treats the saturated fat in chocolate pretty much the same as it treats unsaturated fats, unlike the sat fat in the cream put into milk chocolate. So, as long as you have the calories to spare go for the dark chocolate if you want.
  • javamonster
    javamonster Posts: 272 Member
    One of the studies, done in 2008 (and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition) used 22g of cocoa powder, once a day, and found this to be beneficial. Someone can correct my math if I'm wrong, but using Lindt as an example, if you were to consume 3 squares (30g) of the 70% cocoa bar, you'd be getting that 22g (a little more, actually). Obviously the higher the cocoa content, the less you would need to consume. Add to that, it appears the less sugar in the "dose" (be it a solid bar or consumed as a liquid), the greater the benefit, so the higher cocoa bars, having less sugar, might be even better. I'm up to 90% now - 70% is too sweet! At most I have 1-2 squares of the 90% a day.

    Any other science geeks that would like to read the abstract of this particular article can see it here, and you can download the full article for free. :smile:

    http://www.ajcn.org/content/88/1/58.abstract
  • spngebobmyhero
    spngebobmyhero Posts: 823 Member
    :bigsmile: I'm enjoying a bar of Lindt 70% as we speak. I like the fruitiness of it, though it is a much different experience than milk chocolate. I second other's recommendation of the Chili or the Sea Salt, too, although not as high in cocoa content. Of course, I work at Lindt, so I might be slightly biased. I just got a whole load of 90% bars that I can't eat, but I think will be great for baking
  • ShrinkinMel
    ShrinkinMel Posts: 989 Member
    70% cocoa or more is the best for health reasons. It also lowers blood pressure a teeny bit. I really love the Green and Blacks 70%(I believe) and its a great source of iron too.

    Wanted to add that I was disgusted by dark chocolate before I started with Green and Blacks. It has grown on me. But the best thing is that the bitterness gives me a good stop point and I don't eat too much of it like I would with delicious milk chocolate. lol
  • Riverofbeauty
    Riverofbeauty Posts: 205 Member
    I recently read something on a news site about ALL chocolate being good for you (in moderation), but dark is the best.

    I only eat dark chocolate now, I tried milk the other day, and I didn't even like it that much! My taste buds have changed for sure.
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
    Thanks everyone! I'm going to try to work up to the 70s range. I like that it's not super sweet and that one square satisfies me if I'm craving something a little sweet. I just thought that if I'm going to indulge a bit I'd see about making it a little healthy :wink:
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    I don't mind the 85%, actually i rather like it. I did buy a 100% baking bar, now that I would suggest only for baking or drizzling.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    From what I've read, you want it to be at least 60% cocoa. Most of the major brands (Dove, Hershey's) aren't.

    Honestly, I was never a dark chocolate fan, but started eating it for the antioxidants and sweet fix. I on a whim tried Green & Black's 85% cocoa and fell in freaking love with it. It's seriously like eating a slice of chocolate cheesecake, and because it's so rich and smooth, you only need a tiny little bit and you're good to go.

    Best chocolate I've ever had.
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    Blasphemy!! I *love* 85% dark, LOL!

    I've read to aim for at least 70%. Here's an example: http://www.realage.com/blogs/doctor-oz-roizen/is-dark-chocolate-good-for-you

    I'm with you girl!!! 85% is so good!!

    Me too! I have found that the darker the chocolate is, the more slowly I need to eat it. Which is great because I just let it melt in my mouth.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Ghirardelli 72% is awesome! You have to try it. When it gets into the 80s, I can't stand it. You should have it because you like it, not because it's good for you because all in all, it's not all that good for you!
    Well, actually, it IS "all that good for you."
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