Chocolate - Helpful or Harmful?

Since I just did a coffee post, I decided to keep going with another popular topic - the health benefits and negatives of chocolate, using online articles as resources for my research.

Here’s the table of contents for you: 

1. A brief overview of chocolate 

2. Health benefits of chocolate 

3. Negatives of chocolate

4. Percentages and data 

5. Chocolate: healthy or harmful? 

A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF CHOCOLATE: 

The end product we call chocolate tastes more of sugar than of cocoa, and is not representative of the delicate flavor potential which craft chocolate makers are working on promoting. Chocolate still has a long way to go. Commercial chocolate doesn’t give cocoa producers a taste of what they could contribute to; it only tells them what has already been established.

But this is not to say that the chocolate making process around the world is wrong. Far from it. Over the last several centuries, the world has been experimenting with various chocolate recipes, many with great success. We even invented new words for the chocolate fruit: cocoa and cacao. The difference between cocoa and cacao is a mere triviality, cocoa being the English & French word for the original Spanish of cacao.

https://damecacao.com/how-is-chocolate-made/

Chocolate is made using cacao beans which come from the Theobroma cacao tree. This tree is grown by cacao farmers in tropical climates throughout the world.

Flowers can develop throughout the year, and the tree has the unusual trait of having both flowers and fruit on the tree at the same time. The fruit of the tree is known as the cacao pod.

https://readcacao.com/how-is-chocolate-made/

The pulp and the cocoa beans are removed and placed in buckets for fermentation. Depending on the type of cacao tree and the manufacturer, the process can take a week or longer. 

Fermentation gives the beans some semblance of the chocolate taste we like. Once the fermentation process is complete, the cocoa beans are spread out so that they can dry naturally in the sun. 

It is the dried beans that are shipped to chocolate manufacturers all over the world. Once there, the beans are roasted, much like coffee beans. Roasting intensifies the final taste of the chocolate. When the beans are ready, the shells are then removed. What you are left with is the essence of the bean - cocoa butter and other chocolate solidshttps://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/how-is-chocolate-made.html

HEALTH BENEFITS OF CHOCOLATE: 

 When researching this blog post, I wondered if there are any differences between the types of chocolate and the health benefits they offer. Here’s what I found. 

One fact is clear for chocolate: the purer and darker the chocolate, the greater your health benefits. Raw chocolate or 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. White chocolate is pure cocoa butter and doesn't offer you any health benefits.

https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-chocolate#:~:text=Chocolate%20is%20especially%20rich%20in,Cardiovascular%20support.

Isn’t that interesting? After reading that article, I decided to narrow down my research and search only for dark chocolate health benefits. 

Dark chocolate is loaded with nutrients that can positively affect your health.

Made from the seed of the cacao tree, it’s one of the best sources of antioxidants you can find.

Studies show that dark chocolate can improve your health and lower the risk of heart disease.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-dark-chocolate

It does seem like chocolate, especially dark chocolate, has health benefits. But what are the side effects to eating chocolate? Let’s find out. 

SIDE EFFECTS TO CHOCOLATE:

When we talk about healthy chocolate consumption, we usually mean dark chocolate. Milk chocolate contains higher amounts of sugar and saturated fat than dark varieties so it should be eaten in moderation.

And white chocolate, which doesn’t even contain cocoa particles, is considered to be the unhealthiest form of chocolate, with even more sugar and calories than milk chocolate.

Furthermore, in 2023 Consumer Reports found dangerous heavy metals in chocolate from Hershey’s, Theo, Trader Joe’s, and other popular brands. 

According to the study: “For 23 of the bars, eating just an ounce a day would put an adult over a level that public health authorities and CR’s experts say may be harmful for at least one of those heavy metals. 

This is an excerpt from this article: https://www.elizabethrider.com/health-related-pros-cons-of-chocolate/

PERCENTAGES AND DATA: 

According to research, 81% of the US population likes to eat chocolate and 50% cannot live without it every day. The average American consumes around 9.5 pounds of chocolate every year. The rest of the 19% don't like chocolate for various reasons.Nov 14, 2022

This article can be found at the following link: https://www.coachsweettooth.com/post/what-percent-of-the-population-doesn-t-like-chocolate#:~:text=According%20to%20research%2C%2081%25%20of,like%20chocolate%20for%20various%20reasons. 

CHOCOLATE: HEALTHY OR HARMFUL? 

Well, after lots of research, I have decided that some chocolate is worse than others. Milk chocolate and white chocolate are dangerous and can have negative effects on the body. Dark chocolate, in moderation, can actually have positive effects.