24 February 2010

First consumed as a fairly bitter-tasting hot drink, chocolate has developed into confectionery, an ingredient in cakes and desserts and an addiction for many of us! But we know that all types of chocolate are high in fat. Should we still eat it? Which type of chocolate is healthier and which is bad for health?

 

Nutritional content

All types of chocolate are high in fat, which is mostly saturated. There is a very small amount of starch in chocolate as well as fibre. Adding nuts to chocolate increases the fibre value.

Dark, milk and white chocolate have varying amounts of added sugar, with white chocolate the highest. Cocoa powder has no added sugar, but some drinking chocolate powders include a high sugar content. There is some iron in chocolate - it is highest in dark chocolate and cocoa and lowest in white.

Health warning

Chocolate can trigger migraine in some sufferers. It also has mildly stimulative and addictive properties.