Its original dark chocolate bar keeps it simple with just three ingredients: cocoa beans, sugar, and vanilla beans. Since 2006, Theo Chocolate has been producing sustainable, fair trade, organic chocolate. Endorfin Foods Turkish Coffee 60 Percent Cacao Chocolate Bar If you’re new to dark chocolate, you might want to start with 60 percent cacao and work your way up to higher amounts as your taste buds adjust.

Chan School of Public Health, for instance, suggests choosing a bar with at least 70 percent cacao. That said, this recommendation differs among experts. This will not only help guarantee that you are getting a rich source of antioxidants, but also ensure you get fewer additives, such as cream and sugar, which can have the opposite desired effect on your health and waistline. Kennedy suggests looking for chocolate “with at least 60 percent cacao,” she says. In addition to disease-fighting flavonoids, dark chocolate offers minerals like iron, magnesium, copper, and manganese, according to the USDA.Īn important thing to keep in mind is that not all dark chocolate is created equal. RELATED: Eating Dark Chocolate May Improve Your Vision, Research Suggests Some research looks promising: People who report consuming dark chocolate have lower odds of having “clinically relevant” symptoms of depression (those that psychologists would consider “moderate depression”), per an October 2019 study in Depression and Anxiety. A randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of the American Heart Association in December 2017 suggests that eating the classic pairing of dark chocolate and almonds may play a role in lowering unhealthy lipid levels in people who are overweight or obese.Īnd while you know you get a shot of happiness while eating it, researchers are hard at work investigating whether dark chocolate is linked to better mental health. There may be benefits for the heart beyond blood pressure. (Dark chocolate-covered strawberries exist for a reason!)ĭark chocolate’s cacao packs disease-fighting antioxidants, while its flavonoids ( a compound found in fruit and veggies, too) may help boost heart health by lowering blood pressure, Kennedy explains.

More research is needed, but a review published in December 2019 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health notes that dark chocolate is linked to cardiovascular health, glucose control, and even improved sexual function with its role as an aphrodisiac.

In the case of dark chocolate, the treat offers a wealth of health benefits, says Kelly Kennedy, RD, the staff nutritionist at Everyday Health. If you’re not already a dark chocolate consumer, it may take a bit of time for your taste buds to adjust.

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