Which chocolate is best for health, taste and the planet?
A nutritionists guide to the evidence-based health benefits of chocolate on people and the planet. Which is the best to buy?
By Laurentia Campbell, Nutritionist and Neuroscientist (mental health, polyphenols, diabetes/obesity, gut microbiota) academic, content writer, food waste warrior & science/healthtech/food/fmcg NPD(ideation-scale)
Happy food? What are the health benefits of cocoa?
Cocoa in chocolate is a happy mood boosting, brain supercharging food. It is high in polyphenols, the most beneficial is a flavonol called epicatechin. Flavonoids, including catechin, procyanidins predominate in antioxidant activity. This helps to increase blood vessel diameter via nitric oxide and increase blood flow to the brain, improving vitality, cognitive capacity and mood. It also helps improve stress response and blood pressure. Cocoa contains caffeine. Dark chocolate (75–90% cocoa) contains 230mg per 100g (or 23g per 10g (1 average square) which is the same as half an average 64mg caffeine 250ml brewed coffee or the same as a mug of green tea or a weak black tea). It is also high in theobromine. There are approximately 60 mg theobromine in 28g milk chocolate, 200mg in 28g dark chocolate. Theobromine is a bitter, volatile compound obtained from cacao seeds and is what gives dark chocolate its bitter taste. Dogs are allergic to theobromine (which is why you should never feed dogs chocolate). It contains nitrogen and acts via nitric oxide, widening blood vessels and increasing blood flow to the brain (increasing energy and vitality) and tissues. It lowers blood pressure (as it is a vasodilator). It is also high in phenylethylamine (a brain stimulant) and helps to block Adenosine (the brain chemical that builds up during the day from activity and makes us feel sleepy) and so inhibits sleep and stops us feeling groggy and unfocused. Therefore, it is a brain-stimulating, mood boosting HAPPY FOOD. Cocoa in dark chocolate (providing no added sugar) is also low in sugar and tastes amazing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4696435/
Which chocolate is best for health?
All chocolate is high in carbohydrate and fat and so should be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet. Dark chocolate is made from cocoa powder and cocoa butter and can have no added or added sugar. Milk chocolate has added milk and less cocoa and sugar. White chocolate has no cocoa, just sugar, cocoa butter and milk. Some chocolates have added shea butter, vegetable oils, emulsifiers, sugar alchols, artificial sweeteners and refined sugars such as high fructose corn syrups (HFCS). The more added fats and sugars and artificial ingredients, the less healthy the chocolate.
Unprocessed chocolate
Dark chocolate: sugar (some are sugar free which is great for improving blood sugar control, for diabetics and those monitoring this), cocoa (caffeine, theobromine- decreasing fatigue and stimulating the brain) and cocoa butter.
Milk chocolate: sugar, milk, cocoa butter and cocoa (caffeine, theobromine). The added milk provides milk chocolate’s unique, melt-in-the-mouth sensation as it lowers the chocolate’s melting point.
White chocolate: milk, sugar and cocoa butter. No cocoa (caffeine and theobromine free).
Processed and ultraprocessed chocolate
Some chocolates are processed and ultraprocessed to contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) such as glucose syrup or corn syrup instead of sugar (which makes it even sweeter and does not give us energy, it is just stored as fat). HFCS high fructose corn syrup does not turn off our appetite fullness signal Leptin so can leave you with a bottomless hunger. Chocolates can also contain high amounts of tooth rotting, blood sugar spiking and crashing (increasing cortisol stress hormone and fatigue and hunger) sugar or salt (which raises blood pressure), artificial sweeteners or flavourings, palm oil (an unsustainable unhealthy vegetable oil which can raise blood cholesterol) or cheap sunflower or shea oil. They can contain emulsifiers such as soya lecithin’s, aracia, xanthan or gellan gums (which research shows may lower cholesterol levels, and several studies have linked acacia and xanthan gums with improvements in insulin function among people with type 2 diabetes, acacia also appears to act as a natural prebiotic, feeding the beneficial bacteria in the gut). However they can also contain emulsifiers CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose), and P80 (polysorbate 80) which research shows may damage the gut microbiota and worsen the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and egg white or whey permeate or whey or milk powder (so be unsuitable for those with dairy intolerance or vegan). They can also contain as little as 3% cocoa solids and still be called milk chocolate. These chocolate bars are far less healthy and contribute to obesity. It is best to stick to a low-added-sugar, unprocessed chocolate when possible. Adding nuts also helps to make chocolate healthier, such as peanut dark chocolate bars. Ideally the cocoa beans are ethically sourced, from a sustainable cocoa farm.
Which chocolate is best?
Best chocolates for energy and mental focus:
- Green and Blacks Dark Chocolate
This organic chocolate contains just caffeine and theobromine brain boosting cocoa, cane sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla extract. It is 85% cocoa, with easily portioned chunks and is intense and indulgent so you don’t need much to feel very satisfied. A total win in terms of chocolate and health.
2. Lindt Dark Chocolate or Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt
This contains only sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, anhydrous MILK fat, emulsifier (SOYA lecithin), sea salt (Fleur de Sel) and is indulgent, low-sugar and only 50 calories a square. It gives you a quick caffeine and theobromine energy boost without lots of ultraprocessed artifical ingredients. It is also thin, quick melting chocolate so is easy to portion control and dunk in your tea for elevensies. My mum swears by this for her every day 11am pick-me-up.
3. Nomosu sugar free organic vegan chocolate.
This is high quality organic cacao from Ecuador and Dominica which gives it a bitter and rich taste that’s almost fruity. It is also keto, low in carbohydrates as no-added sugar! NOMOSU chocolate is made with water-purified stevia (rather than using other sugar replacements, such as coconut sugar or agave) so this bar still has a sweetness.
4. Pip and Nut chocolate almond and peanut cups.
These delish cups combine Pip & Nut signature smooth almond butter or penut butter, wrapped in a thin layer of Colombian dark chocolate. It is nutty, chocolately, indulgent and also low sugar. The almond nut butter is high in vitamin E which supports your skin and hair, selenium antioxidant and lots of anti-inflammatory monounsaturated fats. It is not ultra-processed and is a great morning snack, providing a caffeine and theobromine boost from the chocolate, and a high protein (the most satiating macronutrient which helps to make muscle, control blood sugar and improve skin and hair), sustained energy (complex not simple carbohydrate), focus and mood boosting lift. WINNNNNNNN
5. Vitamin enriched BENEFIT chocolate
Each Benefit dark chocolate bar is blended with 12 key vitamins, giving you 50% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A, D, B12, B6, B1, B2, B3, B5, B9, vitamins E & C, and maltodextrin. These B vitamins help to increase the energy we get from food and B9 helps with fertility and cancer prevention (DNA repair), vitamin E helps improve skin and hair, vitamin C is an anti-inflammatory antioxidant and maltodextrin is a carbohydrate which provides us with energy. It is 85% energy boosting cocoa and B vitamins. A brain boosting kick in a chocolate bar.
6. Gut microbiota boosting ohso dark chocolate
This no added sugar is a total win. Each bar has only the 2% naturally occurring sugars found in the cocoa bean with stevia glycoside sweetener and sugar alcohol manitol (which if consumed in excess has potentially laxative effects like all sugar alcohols). Each bar contains prebiotic fibre and microencapsulated lactobacillus helveticus (vegetable fatty acids, lactobacillus helveticus maltodextrin), Bifidobacterium longum probiotic live cultures too which help support the gut microbiota, helping boost immunity and decrease inflammation. They come in indulgent flavours such as raspberry and orange too.
Best chocolate for sleep:
- White chocolate
White chocolate contains cocoa butter without cocoa solids and so is caffeine free. Try to get one with no blood sugar spiking high sugar or high fructose corn syrup glucose syrup (avoid Milky bar white chocolate and so on) as these will cause your blood sugar to spike and dive, making you sleep less deep and you more anxious before bed, inhibiting a calm bed and peaceful REM memory forming, emotion processing sleep. The best one I have tried is Montezuma (ethical too) white chocolate or Holland & Barrett own brand (BIG FAN OF THIS) no added sugar white chocolate. It is creamy, vanilla ice-cream flavoured, low-sugar BLISS. ME LOOVEEE!
2. Not Sleepy Chocolate
Ignore the claims made by the Functional chocolate company sleepy chocolate as despite the fact that they add lots of amazing sleep agents such as chamomile extract, lavender extract oil, valerian extract, lemon balm extract, magnesium glycinate, pharma GABA, passion flower extract, L-Tryptophan, vanilla bean extract, blueberry crystals, and, of course, melatonin*, the dark chocolate cocoa contains caffeine and theobromine so you are giving yourself stimulants and tranquilisers which cancel each other out and overall have very little effect on sleep. They should make this a white chocolate not dark chocolate. This being said I find Functional chocolate company incredibly interesting, as their products are industry leading, innovative and ingenious, however I am unsure about the evidence behind some of the claims behind their products.
Worst chocolate for health
- Hotel Chocolat chocolate box.
Despite being very expensive and seen as luxurious, this is ultraprocessed and full of sugar and junk. Just because something costs more does not make it healthy. This is especially the case with chocolates. Companies like the Hotel Chocolat or FORTNUM AND MASON HOSPITALITY LIMITED or Harrods, Fenwick, Selfridges sell chocolates which are marketed as these fancy high quality cocoa chocolates and yet they contain cheap addictive, gut microbiota disrupting ultraprocessed emulsifiers, stabilisers (sorbitol), refined sugar high fructose corn syrups (try and avoid this in foods if you can) like glucose and caramel syrup (which are stored as fat and don’t turn off our appetite full signal Leptin like other sugars do) and carrageenan stabiliser (which is linked in multiple high standard clinical trials to gut and digestive problems) and other such ingredients. As I preach every day- always check the ingredients! Go for the chocolate products which tastes the best, with the fewest ingredients such as SUGAR (sugar is not bad) and BUTTER not processed sugars and fat. Good quality does not have to cost more. Chocolate is super tasty and does not have to be unhealthy. It can be part of a happy, fun, dietary-restriction free, healthy and satisfying (if you deny yourself treats you are likely to crave and binge on them) sustainable diet. However, don’t waste your money on chocolates that pretend to be high quality and worth a premium when they are not! You’re getting cheap ingredients and paying for the fancy name and label. Lindt & Sprüngli costs half the price and is luxurious and delicious but is half the price. Ultra-Processed food is ultra- processed food no matter the source and will cost your health in the long term. If they taste the same go for the healthier option (see Lindt & Sprüngli, Godiva Chocolatier, NOMOSU, RAW Chocolate , NIBBLE SNACKS LIMITED-Erin Moroney, Booja-Booja etc).
2. M&M’s
This American chocolate is loaded with high fructose corn syrup which does not turn off our appetite fullness signal Leptin so they leave you with a bottomless hunger, despite containing healthy peanuts. M&M should stand for muchos muchos refined SUGAR as these contain sugar, peanuts, cocoa mass, full cream milk powder, cocoa butter, starch, palm fat, glucose syrup, skimmed milk powder, emulsifier (soya lecithin), lactose, stabiliser (gum arabic), shea fat, milk fat, dextrin, colours (e100, carmine, e133, e160a, e160e, e170), glazing agent (carnauba wax), palm kernel oil, salt, flavouring, milk chocolate contains milk solids 14% minimum, milk chocolate contains vegetable fats in addition to cocoa butter. They are ultra-processed and full of artifical ingredients, flavourings and vegetable fats. They are not really chocolates, more sweets or fat injections which will destroy your sleep, memory and focus. They don’t even taste nice and come in huge bags which make portion control hard. Total waste of time.
3. Skinny chocolate
I am not a fan of any of the Skinny products or sugar-free artifically sweetened bars. They are a total sham as they contain metabolism disrupting high fructose corn syrup or gut microbiota destroying artifical sweeteners aspartame and ace-k or sucralose. They will not make you skinny. Stick to sugar or sugar free natural chocolates.
Best dairy free or vegan chocolate
Vegan chocolate contains no eggs, honey or milk. It uses plant-based milk instead of dairy milk for milk and white chocolate such as cashew or other nut milks, oat milk, cashew nut butters etc. As oat milk is higher than milk in carbohydrates, these bars are not suitable for diabetics and those counting their carbohydrates. Cashew nuts are also high in carbohydrates, but have added fibre and the health benefits from the nuts monounsaturated anti-inflammatory fats to vitamin E for skin and hair and selenium antioxidant, satiating protein and provide more short-acting, long-lasting energy than other milk chocolate bars due to the added protein, fat and fibre. Almond nut milk vegan chocolate is the best for health.
- Oat milk chocolate: H!P Creamy Original Bar
This is made using oat milk and 41% single origin Colombian cocoa, It is tasty and indulgent as milk chocolate from big name brands. The oats lend a nutty, biscuity flavour which is wonderfully moreish. And remarkeably H!p bars require 220 litres less water to make than dairy. However there is a lot of carbohydrates in oat milk and added sugar in this bar, so they are less healthy than other chocolates.
2. Deliciously Ella Creamy Vegan Chocolate
This is made with just four plant-based ingredients; coconut sugar, cacao nibs, cashews and cocoa butter. It is indulgent and high fibre and really creamy and melt-in-the-mouth. However coconut sugar is no healthier than table sugar, so don’t be confused by health claims around coconut sugar. The cashews are high in protein, adding vitamin E and plant sterols to the mix. However cashews (like oats) are very high in carbohydrates, making vegan chocolate less suitable for those watching their weight.
3. Booja-Booja
These indulgent (no dairy, no honey and no eggs), as well as gluten-free and soya-free chocolates are delish. However they are a bit pricey and seem a bit of a fad. They seem no more special than other cheaper alternatives.
4. Raw Halo Mylk & salted caramel chocolate
This contains cacao butter and creamed coconut with salted caramel. It is creamy and soft and delish, however it is also very high carbohydrate and sugar and comes in large thick chunks, making portion control hard and it is very expensive compared to other bars.
5. HU chocolate. So many flavours- totally worth the calories!
I am a big fan of HU. Not only is vegan the chocolate REALLY YUMMY, it has no artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers or sugar alcohols. It is high in sugar though (just coconut sugar not cane sugar but coconut sugar is no healthier and has the same blood sugar spiking and teeth rotting effect that makes everyone so afraid of sugar).
Most ethical and sustainable chocolate:
The Worldwide fund WWF claims cocoa farming is a major cause of global deforestation with 70% of illegal deforestation on the Ivory Coast, one of the world’s largest producers due to cocoa plantations. Many cocoa farmers in West Africa also rely on slave and/or child labour. I am a big fan of Tony’s chocolate. This dutch company works hard to ensure that they support ethical chocolate production (which is why it is sold in Oxfam shops). It is also low sugar and easily portioned. However I find it too thick for my liking and a bit plain. Divine Chocolate is another great sustainable and healthy chocolate and is in thin, easily portioned squares. Doisy and Dam is also very ethical, heathy and delish!
Overall
Chocolate is a high carbohydrate treat, to be enjoyed in moderation as a treat. It is an essential part of a balanced diet. Enjoy!
COPYRIGHT LAURA CAMPBELL
Did you enjoy reading my article? I am happy to send you the research behind any of the claims I make in this article. I am a scientist FOREMOST. Do you want me to write for you or to help you with new product development or nutritional advice? I go ONLY ON SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE and will not endorse products I do not believe in. I am vitriolic in my passion for preventing scientific misinformation based on unsubstantiated claims. Feel free to email me at laurentia.campbell@live.co.uk if you want to work with me or to connect with me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauracampbell007/
