I do not have a sweet tooth and for many years have preferred dark chocolate. My favourite is Lindt 90% cocoa, but more often I end up with a different brand and only 85% cocoa. I eat 10 g about twice a week. Out of curiosity I looked on the internet for information about dark chocolate. It seems to have a lot of potential benefits, including anti-inflammatory and gut health, although it is high in fat and sugar. Interestingly, 90% cocoa contains about half the sugar of 85%. Would it be a good idea to eat more? A friend who is diabetic gave me some 100% cocoa chocolate, which had no added sugar. I didn't like it, but found that melting it into a mug of hot milk made it palatable and a bit like cocoa.
is dark chocolate good for us?: I do not have a... - PMRGCAuk
is dark chocolate good for us?
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musicalJ
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DorsetLadyPMRGCAuk volunteer
As you say plenty on line -and this from heart Uk
How to enjoy chocolate as part of a healthy diet
Although it’s not a health food, you can still enjoy dark chocolate and other types of chocolate as part of a healthy diet. The trick is to eat chocolate in moderation, perhaps a couple of squares, rather than a whole bar.
This might not sound enough, but a recent study has found that if you eat mindfully and really concentrate on enjoying the taste and feel, you get more satisfaction from smaller portions.
If you struggle to stop at two squares, dark chocolate might be a good option – it has a richer flavour and does seem to leave you feeling more satisfied by smaller portions compared to milk and white chocolate which are sweeter.
Although there is a lot of press about dark chocolate being healthier than other types of chocolate, our advice is to choose small amounts of the chocolate you prefer as part of a healthy balanced diet.
..and this from Zoe -
youtu.be/fVAWXYdF9R4?si=9oK...
Usual advice - all things in moderation 😊
Thank you for this information, since having my HA I have cut all sweet treats from my diet.
I love dark chocolate and will now be having two squares after food🤗
I love it as well… always have. Usually have a bar in the cupboard, but can go months without touching it, and then suddenly have a fancy for it!
I had a bar for two years without touching it. Then decided to have a small amount. 4 squares. Now it’s daily 😂🤣😂🤣😂
I do my best to have a good diet, fresh fruit and vegetables so, I think a little treat does us good even better if the experts agrees.
I had a friend who used to say everything in moderation and she lived to be 96 .🤗
Thank you to you and all who have responded to my question. I found the Zoe video very interesting. My conclusion is that I will continue and possibly extend my current practice of eating 10 or (rarely) 20 g dark chocolate at the end of my main meal a couple of times a week, but will do more research to find the best chocolate to eat in the light of the Zoe video.
More research? Do you mean tasting ?😉.. that sounds like my sort of research… do let us know what you find ..
Actually a friend of mine who is a vegetarian recommended this site - does do dark chocolate as well - keep meaning to have a look - might need to check the fat content though as sugar is very low -
pureheavenly.com/?gad_sourc...
By research I mean looking at the ingredients. The Zoe video said avoid vanilla and lecithin, both of which turn out to be present in the 2 makes of 85% cocoa that I have in the cupboard. Apparently their presence indicate that the chocolate has not been processed in a way that makes it good for you. I also want to know how much sugar is present, but I think it was the Zoe video that said sweeteners are not good for you. It's quite a minefield.
Just had a look - Lindt has both in one or other of my bars, The Ritter Sport 84% only has 3 ingredients but it seems they may have stopped making the Good Stuff as it has disappeared from the shelves in the village supermarket! Not amused as it was my favourite.
Dark chocolate contains serotonin. Eating daily a little bit of dark chocolate is much better than taking anti-depressive medication. In Belgium they did research in elderly people and a little bit of dark chocolate was as effective as anti-depressants without the negatieve aspecten of the last ones.
Have a look at SnazzyD comment below though - All things in moderation
If you researched on line I assume you have seen this item, which lists the various benefits of dark chocolate, including how much to eat for various conditions. It also mentions some drawbacks, for example some dark chocolate contains high levels of lead and cadmium. Like so many things, moderation appears to be the key.
medicalnewstoday.com/articl...
Interestingly, dark chocolate appears to contain more of the beneficial substances than berries like blueberries and acai. But maybe we can safely consume more of the berries, and more frequently, than chocolate, plus they'd be unprocessed foods, whereas cocoa beans go through a lot of processing before they reach us. Maybe a bit like being able to get major health benefits from eating grapes, but some people like to get those benefits from red wine - which comes with some drawbacks because of the processing.
As you can tell, I've found this question very interesting but haven't been able to pin down how many berries and/or grapes would be equivalent to the single square of dark chocolate I sometimes enjoy! 🍫🍇
PMRproAmbassador
As I sit here with a glass of rose wine and a single square of dark chocolate with ginger ...
All things are relative - better for you than milk chocolate but not so good for you that you can eat it in unlimited quantities. Though like a good wholegrain German bread you are satisfied with a lot less!
It is supposed to count as one of your five a day!
... by whom? Chocolate manufacturers?
It was actually a program on radio talking about the ‘five a day’ and saying you should aim to eat thirty or so different items a week. They were saying that things like nuts and seeds should also count as part of the different ‘five a day’. The chocolate had to be the pure dark chocolate. I think it may have had something to do with Dr Tim Spector who keeps going on about eating over thirty different items a week.
My husband thinks a bar of fruit and nut chocolate should count as two of his 5 a day🤣
Luv it! Know a few who think the same…😊
What quantity? A square? What regular fruit or vegetable would it be equivalent to? I just looked up your UK "five a day" and an average serving of fruit or veg is 80 mg. Also this: dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech...
Chocolate for Mesoamericans was an ingredient mixed with chilies and other flavourful items to make "bitter drink"enjoyed by the upper echelon of society. Plebes apparently not entitled to have a drink fit for the gods (although I bet most of us modern folk would think it tasted vile!).
Lindt does a very palatable chilli flavoured dark chocolate 
Chili and chocolate goes incredibly well together I think. That would be two of your five a day.
They did not mention the amount. I suppose you could have it in something you have cooked. When I was in Mexico I had a lovely dish with chicken in chocolate.
Venison and chocolate go well together ...
I also like cheese and chocolate.
So do I. Cheese and mincepies too ...
We tried making that dish once but perhaps the recipe was poor or we did a bad job but we hated it. It may have been with turkey, not chicken. Half a century ago....
Honey and nuts are so good for one......esp if covered in a certain Swiss confection.
I have a sweet tooth but as sugar is off the menu (almost!) I still like a small daily treat. So.....I have a piece of 100% cocoa solid chocolate from that well known high street store - 'Magic & Sparkle'!
One piece is enough....as Pro said.... if savoured slowly, an adequate amount of satisfaction and enjoyment is experienced.
Please may I ask the name of the chocolate (if allowed) from ‘Magic and Sparkle’ 🤗
I've private messaged you
I like the No added sugar dark chocolate form Sainsbury's. Contains sweeteners though (maltitol and lactitol). 70% cocoa minimum.
While on Pred I ate 85%+ chocolate daily as my only sweet treat. Only a couple of squares. One night my pulse rate was too high, I was sweating and I couldn’t sleep. As I contemplated whether to call an ambulance I realised that for a few months I had had milder episodes like this at the same relative to my event meal. I don’t know why but I looked up theobromine in chocolate. The penny dropped that it was the chocolate and perhaps it was being potentiated by the Pred. After years of eating dark choc I can no longer have more than a nibble if I want to go to sleep and avoid feeling unwell. I seem to have become over sensitive. So I wouldn’t say more is necessarily better.
I eat a square a day of J D Gross 85% Dark Chocolate. I have only ever seen this in Lidl. It is very reasonably priced. If you have a Lidl app it is often on their 15% off weekly offers. That's when I stock up! Lovely with my morning coffee...decaff of course. Best wishes.
My dentist recommended very dark chocolate as it’s second to fluoride for protecting teeth. Had to google it to believe her. Love the very dark chocolate (85-90%) so it’s a big bonus as I have had to cut out so many other things in my diet. I have a square after my meals.
There is a delicious drink sometimes called Parisian Hot Chocolate, using a bitter dark chocolate, like the one you mention. It is chopped up and added to hot (not boiling) full cream milk and then you add brown sugar - a little at a time until you get the level of sweetness you prefer. Use it as a treat, so you are not overdoing the use of dark choc. Delicious.
I'd rather a bit more dark chocolate rather than add the sugar - whether it is brown or not, it is still sugar.
Point taken.
I'm a real chocaholic musicalJ, all things milk chocolate easily my downfall. However, in an attempt to eat more healthily I too have taken up dark chocolate and have found that I have got used to it, and that 2 squares (of Lindt 85%) is enough. 90% a step too far for me! As others have said, all things in moderation. I keep a block in the fridge but sometimes it's there for weeks.
Room temperature, PLEASE! Unless you're in the tropics.
Noooo!
But why? It tastes much better at room temperature, all the flavour! I actually break my squares in 4 pieces, take a mouthful of hot coffee, pop a quarter square in and let it melt on my tongue. Heaven!
With you on that one -
For me, it's 2 squares (20 gr) with my after lunch coffee and 2 more in the evening, so maybe a lot, but I take no sugar in my coffee, never eat desserts and have drastically cut carbs since starting on Pred. I think the benefits outweigh the negatives. My go to brand is Ethiquable Madagascar 85%, not sure that's available in UK. You need to keep some pleasures in life! 🍫
Hallo
I’m new to this forum and really appreciate it. I was diagnosed with PMR two days ago and am on prednisolone, so early days….I’ve eaten Lindt 90% for 5-6 years now. I find it a useful way of of having something that feels quite filling mid morning or afternoon. Probably just one square, but sometimes two. I went on a diet 6 years ago, the blood sugar diet with Michael Mosley. It’s online and in book form. It suited me because it was Mediterranean, so high protein, high fat, low sugar. I lost three stone and have maintained the weight loss. The Lindt chocolate is now an essential part of my daily food intake. I try not to eat it after about 4pm, because of the caffeine.
I’ve no idea about other health benefits, for me it’s the very low sugar/carb content that appeals, as it’s that that puts weight on for me. Maybe just eat what feels right for you and your sort of diet?
I occasionally have it with Montezuma 100% chocolate that has orange bits in it, but have gone off that recently. Still, if you can take the 100% chocolate, montezuma with orange bits tastes nicer than their pure black and has no more sugar.
I have tesco 85% dark chocolate every morning although I prefer 90% if I can get it. I usually eat less than a square which is usually enough to satisfy any chocolate cravings. Since reading Tim Spector's book I've now added a very small handful of mixed nuts to make up the number of plant based foods I eat in a day.
The librarian in me has got the better of me so here you go, everyone:
Loving the chatter on this topic👏i love dark chocolate and 90% Lindt is a fav. We have 95% in Australia too and do have it now and again. Im one of those who can stop at one or two squares and not have any for a week or more. I may start to have it maybe once a week to collect on the benefits🤷♀️
I have two squares 85% each night 😀
Look up Theobromine. Never give chocolate to dogs.
I buy the Lidl 85% dark chocolate and have two large squares every evening after my meal. It seems to settle me down before I go to bed.
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