Chocolate... Good for your health!

When taken in moderation, chocolate can be a good ally for your health. However, it should be of high quality, ideally with a minimum content of 70% cocoa.

Why is black chocolate better thant others?

Cocoa's glycemic index is low, so it is a good sugar slowly metabolised by your body. It's also a good source of antioxidant polyphenols which help burning sugar instead of storing it as fat and fighting cardiovascular diseases.

Moreover, black chocolate with high cocoa content is an excellent source of magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, manganese, copper and fibre, which are all essential to preserve a good health.

Howerver, one must remember that moderation is the solution. Although chocolate contains many minerals good for you, it remains a high in calories food, with close to 545 calories per 100g bar. Therefore it is more suitable to take a few little pieces of chocolate here and there during the day instead of eating a 100g bar which satisfies more than one quarter of the daily 2,000 calorie inputs.

This table presents daily recommended values, based on 2,000 calorie inputs, as opposed to the average composition of a 100g portion of various chocolates.

Daily nutrient recommended intakes and average composition of 100g of chocolates

Nutrients	Daily Recommended Intake	70% Cocoa Black Chocolate	40% Cocoa Black Chocolate	Milk Chocolate	White Chocolate
Energy (kcal)	2,000	545	498	547	545
Proteins (g)	0,8 g x body weight in kg	8.1	6.4	7.0	7.0
Lipids (g)	65	42.3	30.4	32.1	31.8
Carbohydrates (g)	300	33.0	49.6	56.5	57.7
Fibres (g)	25	10.9	7.5	2.1	0.4
Magnesium (mg)	250	206	92	58	27
Calcium (mg)	1,100	60	111	202	257
Phosphorus (mg)	1,100	248	162	182	230
Manganese (mg)	250	1.1	0.62	0.4	0
Sodium (mg)	2,400	7	17	133	67
Salt (mg)	2,400	18	43	338	170
Potassium (mg)	3,500	727	380	251	350
Iron (mg)	14	10.7	11.0	2.0	0.2
Copper (mg)	2	1.4	0.58	0.41	0
Zinc (mg)	9	2.85	1.38	1.2	0.9
Selenium (mg)	0.05	3.5	2.8	3.5	3.0
Iodine (mg)	16	10	2.3	23.5	0.8
Beta-carotene (mg)	4.8	32	54	22	75
Vit. A (retinol) (mg)	1,000	0	0	45	0
Vitamin D (mg)	0.005	Traces	2.5	Traces	Traces
Vitamin E (mg)	10	0.7	1	0.9	1.1
Vitamin C (mg)	60	0	0.25	0	0
Vitamin B1 (mg)	1.3	0.18	0.07	0	0
Vitamin B2 (mg)	1.6	0.3	0.1	0.4	0.5
Vit. B3 (niacin) (mg)	23	0.87	0.61	0.53	0.20
Vitamin B5 (mg)	7	0.26	0.26	0.45	0.59
Vitamin B6 (mg)	1.8	0.37	0.07	0.04	0.07
Vitamin B9 (mg)	0.03	35	20	11	10
Vitamin B12 (mg)	0.002	0.27	Traces	0.39	0