You’d struggle to find anyone who doesn’t like chocolate.

While it's mostly known for its taste, it’s also a great source of nutrients when in its pure form and eaten in moderation.

This well-loved food, once called the "drink of the gods" by the Maya people, has a rich history as well.

Chocolate comes from the seeds of the cacao pod, which grows on the cacao tree. 

Theobroma cacao is native to the tropical rainforests of Central America, where it has grown for thousands of years.

It was likely cultivated by the Olmecs and Maya peoples about 2,500 years ago.

By about 2,000 years ago, the Maya were experienced cacao bean farmers, and were grinding them up for a beverage. Aztecs later continued this love of chocolate, and the Spanish then discovered the drink in the 1500s and spread it around the world.

There are three main varieties of cacao bean: Criollo from Latin America, Forastero from Africa, and Trinitario from the Caribbean. Forastero accounts for about 90 % of all cacao beans, with Criollo and Trinitario making up the rest.

 

Health Benefits of Chocolate

One fact is clear for chocolate: the purer and darker the chocolate, the greater your health benefits.

Minimally processed dark chocolate high in cocoa solids is healthier than milk chocolate and white chocolate.

Dark chocolate has anywhere from 50 to 90 percent cocoa solids, while milk chocolate is typically 10 to 30 percent.

There's a lot going on in chocolate.  Cocao nibs are crushed pieces of dried cocao beans, and when you grind them up you get cocoa paste, also called cocoa liquor. Cocoa solids are what you have once you remove the cocoa fat, or cocoa butter, from cocoa paste.

When you press and dry cocoa solids, you get cocoa powder.

To get noticeable health benefits from chocolate, we need to eat more of the cocoa solids found in dark chocolate. Cocoa solids contain minerals and antioxidants;

Dark chocolate has a good variety of minerals and polyphenolic compounds like antioxidants and flavonoids. Chocolate is especially rich in flavanols like epicatechin and catechin, as well as anthocyanins and phenolic acids.

All of these compounds help protect our cells from inflamation, improve your brain function, and boost your immune and cardiovascular health.

Dark chocolate can also give us:

Cardiovascular support. 

The antioxidants in dark chocolate help to lower bad cholesterol levels and prevent plaque on artery walls, while the flavanols in chocolate are good for lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow.

Eating dark chocolate in moderation can lower your chances of heart disease. It can also ease lower inflammation in the body.

More energy. 

Theobromine, a compound in dark chocolate, has similar effects to caffeine for boosting energy and overall morale. It helps to enhance mood and make you more alert.

Potential Risks of Chocolate

Chocolate often contains sugar which is high in calories, so we need to enjoy it in moderation.

You can have about 25gm of dark chocolate no more than three times a week.

Bars of chocolate are difficult to measure because the sizing is so variable, but to help with portions, look at the packaging to see how many ounces are in that bar.

If the bar measures 100g, eat no more than one-third of it in one sitting and then wait a couple of days before enjoying more.

Beware of extra ingredients added to the chocolate that can take way some of the health benefits, too, like caramel and nuts.

Nutrition Information

Eating dark chocolate offers us a good mix of minerals, including:

Magnesium
Zinc
Iron
Phosphorus
Copper

2 squares of dark, contain:

142 calories
2 grams of protein
10 grams of fat
15 grams of carbohydrates
3 grams of fibre
11 grams of sugar
0 milligrams of cholesterol
0 milligrams of sodium