Chocolate is the decadent ingredient that’s both delicious and versatile. It can stand alone or add a touch of sweetness to anything it comes in contact with. While chocolate may always feel indulgent, there are many options available. Healthy chocolate offerings continue to grow in popularity. No matter your choice in chocolate, you should feel free to indulge and enjoy what suits your palate.
Benefits of Eating Chocolate
Chocolate, more specifically dark chocolate does have proven health benefits.
“Dark chocolate has lower added sugar and fat than milk or white chocolate,” registered dietitian Devon Peart, MHSc, BASc, RD, told Cleveland Clinic. Basically, the darker the dark chocolate, the less added sugar in each serving.
Milk and dark chocolate have flavanols which help to lower blood pressure. Flavanols also improve blood flow through the cardiovascular system, and fight cell damage, per a Harvard Heath Publishing post. Another bonus, chocolate (especially the dark variety) is full of minerals. Those include iron, magnesium, zinc, copper and phosphorus. These minerals aid the body in its bone, immune, and sleep health.
Possibly the best benefit of all is one that you probably have experienced. Chocolate is a mood booster! Antioxidants in chocolate lower stress hormones. That explains the mood-enhancing bonus you get from eating dark chocolate.
Remember, there can be too much of a good thing in regards to any food. So, try eating chocolate in moderation when your sweet tooth is calling. We’ve found seven healthy chocolate snacks that will have you feeling as good as each bite tastes.
If you crave the darkest chocolate of them all, then try the 100% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar from Lindt Excellence. This option is especially made for those bitter over sweet lovers. Whether you choose to take a bite out of the bar or shave some over your favorite dessert, how you incorporate this bar is 100 percent up to you.
Bouchard’s individually wrapped Probiotic Dark Chocolates are 72 percent cacao and are not packed with sugar. Along with being sugar-free the Belgian chocolates are OU-D Kosher.
Highkey’s Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Pearls resemble another candy coated chocolate snack. But these all-blue treats are keto friendly and gluten free. Plus, each 30-gram serving contains nine grams of fiber.
If you’ve ever found yourself wishing you could eat a Hershey’s chocolate bar just without the sugar, you’re in luck. The zero sugar of Hershey’s mini chocolate bars are also free of aspartame.
A bar of chocolate cake that’s good for you?! Say less. Honey Mama’s did not come to play with the Chocolate Cake Truffle Bar. It’s made with dark cocoa, raw honey, toasted pecans, and coconut. This bar is packed with flavor and not stuffed with refined sugar, gluten, dairy, soy, or preservatives.
Barkthins Dark Chocolate Coconut and Almond bark is for those that want to chomp on an earthy yet subtly sweet snack. Made of fair trade certified ingredients (per the package details) this is one bag of bark you’ll want to bite.
The Dark Chocolate Yogurt Raisins from Sun-Maid are perfect for nibbling during movie night. While you’re chewing away on these Sun-Maid snacks, you’re getting the aforementioned benefits of dark chocolate and raisins. Raisins are rich in fiber and benefit colon health, according to the National Library of Medicine.