Chocoholic’s Revenge

Can chocolate really be good for you? We’ll take a look at the pros and cons of chocolate as a healthy treat, then you can decide for yourself!

The Good Stuff
. Chocolate contains flavonoids, powerful antioxidants which have been associated with a decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
. Dark chocolate contains the highest amount of flavonoids, while white chocolate doesn’t contain any at all.
. Milk chocolate may counteract the benefits, because milk has been shown to prevent the absorption of the flavonoids.
. Cocoa phenols in dark chocolate has been shown to lower blood pressure.
. Chocolate from Europe has more cocoa phenols than chocolate produced in the US.

The Not-So-Good Stuff
.The studies which showed that chocolate could reduce blood pressure involved consuming 100 grams of chocolate per day, equal to over 400 calories. If you don’t cut calories elsewhere, you can easily and quickly gain weight.
. Chocolate contains saturated fat. Some of these fats, namely stearic acid, do not cause an increase in blood cholesterol. However, chocolate contains other saturated fats which do increase blood cholesterol. If you eat a lot of chocolate, you should have your cholesterol tested regularly.

Nutritient Content of Dark Chocolate
Serving size: 44 grams (1.54 ounce)
210 Calories
28 grams Total Carbs
– 2.62 grams Fiber
13.2 grams Total Fat
– 7.7 grams Saturated Fat
– 4.4 grams Monounsaturated Fat
– 0.41 gram Polyunsaturated Fat
8 mg Cholesterol

Nutrient Content of Milk Chocolate
Serving size 44 grams (1.54 ounce)
226 Calories
26 grams Total Carbs
– 1.49 grams Fiber
13.5 grams Total Fat
– 8,13 grams Saturated Fat
– 4.38 grams Monounsaturated Fat
– 0.46 gram Polyunsaturated Fat
9.68 mg Cholesterol