PeteHski

How big is a bar of Cadbury in the US? I'm guessing they are much larger than UK ones, although they come in various sizes. But what is the actual cocoa content of that junk? Maybe 10-15%? I know it is different to UK. I thought that "healthy" chocolate had to be at least 75% cocoa to offset the downside of added sugar.

Anyway my daily dose of dark chocolate is around half a small bar, maybe 40g.

VegasTriker

I admit to loving chocolate more than I probably should. Nobody will ever convince me that it could be considered a "health food" though. I especially like the high % cocoa chocolate. One look at the nutritional information on the back of the package tells me otherwise. I have two packages of chocolate in front of me, Lindt 85% cocoa extra dark chocolate and Falize 74% dark chocolate. It is the high saturated fat content that keeps me from thinking it could ever be a wonder food for long life. These are 100g bars (3.5 oz). A serving size is 4 squares weighing 40 grams. That's not much and I could easily eat more than a single serving at a time. Nutritional information is on back of packages: Both show the same profile for both bars.

Total fat 18g which is more than 1/4 of the fat a normal adult should eat in an entire day Saturated fat 11 grams which is more than half the saturated fat one should eat in an entire day. 250 calories and of that 160 calories are from fat. The rest of the calories are from the sugar used to sweeten the chocolate.

Unfortunately it is hard for the Food and Drug Administration to challenge claims like the one above unless they can prove that a food or nutritional supplement causes illness or death. A former senator from Utah managed to get a bill passed that prohibits the FDA from challenging dubious claims for nutritional supplements. I would rather get my nutrition from real foods than from some overpriced supplement with dubious claims. In the meantime I will continue to eat dark chocolate on occasion in small quantity and not worry about heavy metals that may be in it. If you want to have something to really avoid it is the chocolate coated or chocolate flavored products in which the cocoa butter fat is replaced by palm or palm kernel oil. That's the most saturated fat on the planet. If it does not melt in your hand it probably coats the insides of your arteries as well.

wolfchild

The ones I buy are 100 grams per bar and consist of 24 squares.

Alan K

I do have a problem with good chocolates - if it wasn’t for the help of my wife (without my asking), I would slowly finish the entire box in a day!

PeteHski

Saturated fat doesn't automatically = unhealthy. It appears to be more nuanced than that. But I agree that you have to be very careful on portion sizes. One of my favourite bars suggests a 15g portion, but I often eat 30g. I find it much easier to moderate portion sizes of dark chocolate vs milk. So I tend to avoid the latter and the sugar content is much higher anyway. The "healthy" choc I prefer is 80% cacao rather than cocoa, which I believe is less processed. I don't eat it as a health food, but cacao appears to have some health benefits in moderation.

MinnMan

Interesting. I was not aware of the distinction. Have you got a link or a source?

PeteHski

I didn’t have a specific source in mind, but a quick Google comes up with a few links

eg

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cacao-vs-cocoa

https://www.webmd.com/diet/differenc...ghtly%20bitter.


It’s a bit confusing, but I think the basic distinction is that cacao is less processed at lower temperatures. My wife sometimes buys cacao powder or nibs and it is a lot more intense and bitter than cocoa powder from the same brand.

The cacao chocolate I mentioned was actually 70% cacao, not 80% like I stated earlier.

MinnMan

thx. Marginal differences, I'd say. Also, terminology is inconsistent.

PeteHski

Yes for sure. The more important thing is to look for a minimum number of high quality organic ingredients. Even some dark chocolates are full of added sugar and other junk.

This guide to chocolate from Zoe is pretty good. They don’t mention cacao vs cocoa.

https://zoe.com/learn/dark-chocolate...h-benefits.amp

One health benefit I personally find is that eating a small amount of high quality dark chocolate prevents me from eating much larger quantities of junk chocolate!

rowerek

Which one is your favorite chocolate?

Out of so many choices I prefer Lindt 75% and Ritter dark chocolate with whole hazelnuts.

Trakhak

Aldi's Winternacht Erdnussberge (earth nut mountain?) dark chocolate clusters are a bit déclassé in comparison, but they're irresistible. They sold out almost immediately after they showed up in late November in the three Aldi locations that are within easy riding distance. (No Winternacht spiced Speculatius cookies this year for some reason.)

Garthr

I'm not a huge chocolate lover but when I want some I take some cocoa powder, a little water and some very ripe banana(as in nice and sweet smelling). Throw it in a saucepan, mash the banana with a fork, slowly heat it up. I let it slow boil for some 5 minutes. You can vary the consistency as you like, but for me it's all about the intense flavor, and I only want a few spoonfuls. If I wasn't using banana, I'd use honey, or date syrup. Anything but a fake sweetener, heck I'd use white sugar before a fake sweetener anymore. And yes, I used to eat all sorts of things with such fakes, but not for decades now. Sugar doesn't kill anyone. These dummies always leave off the part about "excessive" consumption. Hey, excessive water will kill you too.

PeteHski

The difference is that excessive sugar consumption is of epidemic proportions in many countries.

rsbob 

Anyone else enjoy a tall glass of chocolate milk after a ride?

Yeah I know it is sugar and crappy chocolate… but do ya?

davester

That's an usual spelling of "beer".

Garthr

Gee, if I was lawyer I'd say your statement is vague, argumentative, and irrelevant to the statement it replied to.

PeteHski

I was just responding to your flippant statement that “sugar doesn’t kill anyone” and that the “dummies” fail to mention excess consumption. Neither of which are actually true.

PeteHski

I do. Guilty as charged!

Trakhak

Chocolate milk was being touted by a lot of people on Bike Forums as a miracle cure-all post-ride topper-upper in past years. Same for pickle juice. Maybe mix them for the ultimate benefit?

staehpj1

Not usually at home, but often when on a long tour where I'll sometimes have it at mid ride breaks or end of ride breaks.

jadmt

pdlamb

I have a limited appreciation of chocolate milk. During a ride (say at a control or rest stop), if I get back on the bike relatively quickly, it gives me stomach trouble. At the end of a day's ride, there's maybe half an hour between "I'm cool enough to enjoy chocolate milk" and "Yuck, I've outgrown that cloying muck." But during that brief period, it's delightful!

PeteHski

For me it’s strictly an after ride “recovery” drink. There is no way I would be chugging down chocolate milk mid ride!

wolfchild

I drink chocolate milk during my rides, instead of after a ride...and no milk doesn't instantly go bad without refrigeration and will keep fresh for a few hours if you know how to store it properly. On warm or hot days I carry it inside an insulated stainless steel bottle and drink it when I take a break in the middle of my ride. Been doing it this way for many years.

wolfchild

You feel guilty for drinking chocolate milk ?. I don't.