Health benefits of chocolate

It’s chocolate season! With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, the deep, dark, delicious confection is splashing its way across the shelves and corners of almost every food market and gift shop. The benefits of chocolate are touted across packaging and headlines in countless articles (including this one) – but is chocolate really a superfood that ranks alongside blueberries, green tea and chia seeds?

Here’s what we know: Studies have found dark chocolate being highly nutritious and rich in antioxidants with the potential to improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, improve skin quality, reduce inflammation and even improve blood flow to the brain. It was actually chocolate historically speaking eaten for its purported healing properties.

Americans spend billions (more than $21 billion by 2024to be exact) of dollars on chocolate annually. So does it add up to billions of touted health benefits?

Before we dig into the health benefits – let’s start with the basic processing of chocolate.

All chocolate (dark, milk, nibs, bars, chips, cocoa powder, cocoa and yes, even white) begins its journey as a fruit on the cocoa tree. The seeds that grow inside these fruits are called cocoa (also cocoa) beans. After harvest are beans fermented, roasted and shelled; the inner pieces (“nibs”) are ground into cocoa (chocolate) liquor, a paste containing fat-free cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

On labels, “percent cocoa” refers to the proportion of cocoa spirit in the product; squeezing some cocoa butter out of this liquor yields cocoa powder. Chocolate is made by combining cocoa spirit with cocoa butter and sugar; adding condensed or powdered milk makes milk chocolate. In the United States, milk chocolate is the most commonly consumed type and typically contains ~10-12% cocoa spirit. “Dark” chocolate (often labeled semisweet/bittersweet) must contain ≥35% cocoa spirit by weight, whereas white chocolate only contains cocoa butter (≥20%) with sweeteners and dairy ingredients. (1)

So is there a way to work chocolate into a balanced, healthy diet? Absolutely – but pay attention to the cocoa content and portion sizes.

1. ANTIOXIDANT POWER

Flavonoids is a type of polyphenol found naturally in plants that helps protect them from environmental stresses. They are extra potent antioxidants and found highly concentrated in cocoa beans (a fruit!). In high doses, these powerful connections carry antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties that can prevent cellular damage. More than 10% by weight of cocoa powder are flavonoids – it’s rich!

2. HEART HELPERS

Cocoa beans are rich in flavonoids, especially flavanols.1) Flavanol is responsible for the bitterness we often taste in raw chocolate. (1) Cocoa flavanols may support heart health by helping blood vessels relax to maintain healthy blood flow and by modestly lowering blood pressure. (2)

3. GOOD INTESTINAL BUILDERS

Two of the most potent flavonols in chocolate are epicatechin and catechin, which increase blood antioxidant activity, reduce oxidative stress and may even promote better gut health. (3) The presence of both epicatechin and catechin can improve the quality of the bacteria in our gut microbiota, increasing our “good bugs” and reduce the number of disease-causing bacteria. The darker the chocolate, the better, as these effects were reduced when combined with milk.

4. IMMUNITY BOOSTERS

The antioxidants in cocoa beans help reduce oxidative stress by inhibiting and lowering the amount of free radicals in the bloodstream. (3) Free radicals have the ability to send our immune system into overdrive! (4)

5. BRAIN BOOSTERS

Theobromine and caffeine are the energy boosting components found in chocolate. Both of these substances block adenosine receptorswhich helps you feel more alert. When adenosine binds to its receptors, it slows down neural activity and you begin to feel sleepy. (5) But the reality is that most of these compounds are found in very small amounts in the chocolate we eat. It’s more likely that the experience we have while eating chocolate – the moment we instantly satisfy a food craving – is responsible for the “euphoria” we often feel after taking a few bites.

So can we have our chocolate cake and eat it too? Yes, but the darker and less sweet the chocolate, the better. Here are the benefits of consuming chocolate in its various forms.

Cocoa nibs, in pure form, have a beneficial nutritional profile. They are not only that rich in flavonoids and antioxidantsbut cocoa nibs are also high in protein and fiber – with 5 grams of fiber and 2.5 grams of protein in just 2 tablespoons of nibs. But they are not cute. Cocoa nibs are just crushed and dried cocoa beans, so they contain all the fibre, fat and nutrients that a cocoa bean does. In its raw, rare form, chocolate contains no sugar. All sugar is added during processing. The tips are earthy and slightly bitter, with a crunch much like coffee beans.

• Stir in nibs chia pudding.
• Throw them in granola, granola bars and energy bite.
• Fold them in waffle and pancake dough.

Cocoa powder (and cocoa; more on the difference below) is made by removing cocoa butter from the liquor that comes from crushed nibs. Unlike most other types of chocolate, cocoa powder is low in calories (about 12 per tablespoon). It is too rich in minerals such as magnesium, copper and iron.

Cocoa powder is very similar but closer to its raw state than cocoa powder, as cocoa goes through an extra layer of high-heat roasting and processing. This “Dutch processing” removes some of the bitterness, but also some antioxidants.

• Blend in smoothies.
• Baked for muffins etc zucchini bread.
• Mix it with other healthy fruits like avocados or bananas for a nice refreshing sweet treat.

Here’s where chocolate starts to get complicated. Every bar is different. Most have a lot of sugar, milk solids, fats and even additives mixed in with the raw, healthy chocolates mentioned above, softening and diluting most of the benefits. Bars that have more than 70% cocoa are added has more antioxidants than milk chocolate. A high-quality bar that’s concentrated can often satisfy a sweet craving in a bite or two, so find a dark bar you love and nibble wisely.

If you’re aiming to increase your antioxidant intake, this category of candy probably isn’t the best place to find them! While MyFitnessPal has quite the library of better-for-you baked goods that contain chocolate, you’re better off steering clear of foods that contain a lot of added sugar, calories and refined flour.

It is cocoa beanin whole form, not the chocolate bar that has health benefits. The more processed the chocolate, the fewer benefits. If you really want to increase your antioxidant intake, work powders and nibs into healthy dishes to boost both flavor and benefits.

Originally published February 2022, updated January 2026

The post The Health Benefits of Chocolate appeared first on MyFitnessPal Blog.