Dark chocolate, also known as “bittersweet” or “semisweet” chocolate, contains at least 70% cocoa solids. Need to say more?! It’s a high-quality chocolate, that can be found in candies and some of the chocolate morsel (chips) used in baking. It also contains little or no added sugar, perfect for Diabetic and aged people. It also contains a number of minerals, including calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Nutrition Information for 1 oz (28.35g) Dark Chocolate | |||||||
| Calories | Protein | Total | Calcium | Magnesium | Phosphorus | Potassium | Caffeine |
| 136 | 1.19g | 8.51g | 9mg | 33mg | 37mg | 103mg | 18mg |
Here’s a smart tip for chocoholics – Choose DARK chocolate! Want to know why?! It’s the healthiest chocolate and we do love ourselves right?! Just don’t mix it with milk because it prevents you from getting the benefits of the antioxidants (flavonoids) found in the chocolate, which is similar to tea, red wine, and various fruits and vegetables. Also, Dark Chocolates are good for the heart. It increases the blood flow in arteries, reduces the risk of blood clot and may lower high blood pressure. But not only does the cardiovascular and nervous system gets all the credit. It may also improve your mood and pleasure by boosting serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain.
Although it doesn’t increase cholesterol level due to the stearic and oleic acid found in cocoa, we should all watch our chocolate intake. EAT MODERATELY! Up to 7 ounces per week, an average of 1 ounce per day is recommended. Regardless of the benefits found in dark chocolates, we should watch out for its caffeine content, oxalates (which can lead to an increase in urinary oxalate excretion), and tyramine (that triggers the migraine).
