It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like chocolate. Rich, sweet, and decadent, humans have used chocolate for thousands of years in all sorts of ways.

And we’ve all heard somewhere that chocolate can have health benefits. But you might still wonder, is chocolate actually good to eat? And more specifically, is dark chocolate healthy for us like many people claim?

Below we’ll look at some facts about chocolate, especially dark chocolate, how it can be great for our health, and how to avoid falling into the unhealthy chocolate trap.

How Chocolate is Made and What’s Good About It

To understand the benefits of chocolate, you need to know what exactly it is.

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans. These “beans” are actually seeds that come from the fruit of the cacao tree. Cacao trees are mostly found in tropical areas of the world close to the Equator.

According to the National Confectioners Association, here’s how chocolate is made:

• The cacao tree fruits are cracked open so the seeds (cocoa beans) can be scooped out.
• The beans are then fermented and dried before being shipped to manufacturers.
• In the factories, the cocoa beans are roasted, grinded into liquid (also known as chocolate liquor), mixed with other ingredients—such as milk solids, sugars, and flavorings—and pressed, heated, and cooled to form chocolate!

There’s also a difference between milk chocolate and dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate is the bare minimum of chocolate production. It’s basically chocolate liquor with extra cocoa butter, a little sugar (most of the time), and flavors like vanilla.

The higher the percent cacao in the chocolate, the “darker” it is and more bitter its flavor. Higher cacao content typically means lower sugar, as well.

Milk chocolate, which is most common, contains milk solids (basically powdered milk) that gives it a creamier texture. Milk chocolate is also usually much higher in sugar and more palatable to the general public.

Top 6 Dark Chocolate Health Benefits

When you read about the health benefits of chocolate, they typically refer to dark chocolate benefits because it has more of the cocoa beans. Those benefits include:

1. Rich in nutrients: high in fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, zinc, and manganese.
2. High in antioxidants like polyphenols, catechins, and flavanols. Raw, unprocessed cocoa beans have one of the highest ORAC scores, which is used to measure the antioxidant content of foods. Antioxidants can help protect the body from oxidative damage [1,2].
3. Good fatty acid profile, containing mostly monounsaturated and saturated fats with small amounts of polyunsaturated fats.
4. May help blood pressure and blood flow: Research shows dark chocolate and cocoa may mildly help lower blood pressure and improve blood flow [3,4].
5. Could support healthy cholesterol: Some evidence shows cocoa powder could help increase HDL “good” cholesterol and lower LDL “bad” cholesterol in men with high cholesterol [5].
6. Contains some caffeine, which can be helpful for alertness during the day.

So yes, dark chocolate is healthy in many ways. However, the catch is that you need to choose the right type of dark chocolate to truly make the benefits count.

How to Choose Healthy Chocolate

So yes, chocolate—especially dark chocolate—can be very healthy. But you need to know how to choose it, as not all chocolate is created equally. Here are some guidelines to follow and why they matter:

High Cocoa Content: The Darker, the Better

Dark chocolate contains way more of the good stuff mentioned above and less of the unhealthy aspects of traditional chocolate (like sugar—more on that below).

When choosing dark chocolate for your health, the best options are 70% cocoa content or higher. Thankfully, this isn’t too hard since many natural chocolate brands offer bars with at least that much and even 80% cocoa content or higher!

For one of the highest amounts, you can even use unsweetened cocoa powder and use it in your own recipes with healthy sugar substitutes.

Low Sugar Content

Look at the first ingredient of the chocolate. In most commercial chocolate bars, that ingredient is some form of sugar.

This might be tempting, especially if you struggle with intense sugar cravings, but healthy dark chocolate should have a low amount of sugar. And thankfully, choosing a high cocoa content will mean cocoa liquor and cocoa butter make up the majority of the chocolate and sugar is low on the list.

Choose High Quality Dark Chocolate

If you’re going to eat chocolate, think of it as a special treat that deserves good quality. Chocolate is still rich in fat and calories, so a little goes a long way. Plan to splurge a little and savor it.

Organic chocolate is included in this. The higher the quality of the ingredients, the more antioxidants. Plus, organic means you avoid many of the pesticides often used in cocoa bean farming.

Choosing fair trade chocolate is another good call for quality. Purchasing a chocolate bar with the “Fair Traded” label means the company made sure cocoa bean farmers received an appropriate price for the product they sold and that they prohibit child labor, which is unfortunately common.

So, is Dark Chocolate Healthy?

Next time you wonder “is dark chocolate healthy for me?” keep these guidelines in mind: choose a dark chocolate bar with 70% cocoa or higher, low sugar (preferably less than … grams), and take time to savor it so you get the full benefit without going overboard. It’s also best to look for fair trade and organic brands.

Following these “rules” means dark chocolate can be very healthy and a great addition to your daily diet! For many chocolates that fit these criteria, and even healthier options among milk chocolate bars, check out the many healthy, natural chocolate options we offer in our Chocolate section!

Disclaimer: Statements made have not been evaluated by the FDA. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.