With the consumption of chocolate likely to reach epic proportions over the Easter holiday, I thought now would be a good opportunity to help you make some informed decisions about what’s best for your health.
Chocolate is often looked upon as an indulgent treat that contributes to weight gain. Yet the impact that chocolate has on your health can be either positive or negative depending on the type and quantity you eat.
Cocoa that is used to make chocolate contains fibre and polyphenol compounds that have antioxidant and possibly anti-inflammatory properties, and these may boost heart health in a similar way to tea and red wine.
But to make chocolate, other ingredients are added such as sugar, cocoa butter and dairy products – and all of these can add significant amounts of kilojoules and fat.
As a general rule, the darker the chocolate, the greater the health benefits. Dark chocolate contains 70% or more cocoa, and it is the only type of chocolate that could be described as ‘healthy’.
White chocolate contains cocoa butter, but little or no actual cocoa, while milk chocolate is too high in sugar and dairy fats and too low in cocoa to have a positive influence on heart health.
The following tips may be helpful when deciding what chocolate is best for you this Easter.
Do you find it hard to limit the amount of chocolate you eat over Easter?