A bar of 100% dark chocolate is made with zero sweetener, and often no ingredient other than cacao beans. Some companies use additional cocoa butter or a small amount of plant lecithin to smooth out the chocolate in the refiner, but must maintain that chocolate at a minimum of 99.75% cacao by volume.
100% cocoa content, without any added sugar. This bitter, dark chocolate bar is created from a select blend of fine cocoa grown in the south of Vietnam. As with all 100% pure cocoa chocolate bars, this is not for the faint hearted.
The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that 100 percent cacao is absolutely packed with antioxidants. Antioxidants bind to what are known as 'free radicals,' destructive molecules that are implicated in heart disease and other ailments, and decommission them.
It is also worth noticing that 100% dark chocolate is the healthiest option among all the sugar-free chocolates on the market. To make their products palatable without sugar, many big chocolate manufacturers use alternatives with lower calories but higher sweetening power.
The key difference between the two lies in how the cacao bean is processed after harvesting and how the health benefits are altered as a result of this processing. Simply put, cacao refers to the minimally processed form of the cacao bean, while cocoa refers to the highly processed form of the bean.
Dark chocolate contains 50-90% cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and sugar, whereas milk chocolate contains anywhere from 10-50% cocoa solids, cocoa butter, milk in some form, and sugar.
Cacao powder is packed with flavonoids. These nutrients have been shown to help lower blood pressure, improve blood flow to the brain and heart, and aid in preventing blood clots.
How Much Dark Chocolate Per Day Should You Consume? According to health experts, consuming around 30-60 grams of dark chocolate per day is a healthy amount for most people. That's about two to four small squares of your favourite chocolate bar.
Could Exceed Safe Heavy Metal Consumption. While dark chocolate can have positive effects on your health, a 2022 study by Consumer Reports found that eating dark chocolate everyday could be harmful for adults, children and pregnant people.
Manage High Blood Pressure
Eating dark chocolate is a great way to incorporate more cacao into your diet, which can help to lower your high blood pressure! The flavonoids in dark chocolate have been found to produce nitric oxide, which causes blood vessels to relax and lower high blood pressure.
White chocolate is the worst – it has more calories than milk chocolate and more sugar than dark. Read more: Why does chocolate make us happy?
Dark chocolate is by far the healthiest form of the treat, containing the least sugar and, because of its cocoa content, higher levels of substances that protect the body's cells.
100% chocolate carries a depth of flavour like no other, making it a sensationally satisfying option for when you need to curb that cacao craving. The complex, multi-layered notes of our cacao beans, the velvety smoothness of cacao butter, the intense flavours of our darkest chocolate yet…
A bar of 100% dark chocolate is made with zero sweetener, and often no ingredient other than cacao beans. Some companies use additional cocoa butter or a small amount of plant lecithin to smooth out the chocolate in the refiner, but must maintain that chocolate at a minimum of 99.75% cacao by volume.
Truth is, even for most chocolate sommeliers/connoisseurs, most of us don't consume 100% dark chocolate regularly or often. And these are people who usually understand well the health benefits and the idea of flavour and quality in fine chocolate.
Ingredients: EXCELLENCE 100% CACAO INGREDIENTS: COCOA MASS, COCOA BUTTER, COCOA POWDER. MAY CONTAIN PEANUTS, TREE NUTS, SOY AND MILK.
A bite of dark chocolate a day could not only be good for your heart, but may also improve brain function, alleviate stress, and lower the risk of diabetes.
Dark chocolate's flavanols might help protect your skin from UV (ultraviolet) rays. Those flavanols can also help improve blood flow, lower blood pressure and may help prevent some cancers. We break down all of the science so that you can justify eating your guilty pleasure even more.
Dark chocolate is rich in disease-fighting antioxidants. Studies show it can help reduce blood pressure and lower the risk of heart disease. Studies show that dark chocolate — when it is not loaded with sugar and saturated fat — is indeed a heart-healthy chocolate treat and more.
Eating dark chocolate and cocoa alone didn't appear to have a major effect on heart health, she said. “Chocolate doesn't increase cholesterol levels, but it doesn't decrease cholesterol levels either.”
Raw cacao is rich in a phytonutrient known as a flavonol. Flavonols have been shown in numerous studies to improve blood flow to the brain. When you improve blood flow, and therefore oxygen to the brain, researchers have seen significant improvements in mental focus and attention span.
Cocoa, and therefore dark chocolate, contains fibre, which has a positive effect on intestinal transit. Fibre contributes to correct bowel function and helps both prevent and reduce constipation. To sum up, does chocolate cause constipation? No, if consumed in reasonable quantities.
It contains a wide range of phytochemicals, including polyphenols, which have been shown to exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions, and also to have a positive effect on pain.