They say chocolate is like duct tape—it can fix anything. And if you’ve ever retreated to a dark closet with a quart of chocolate ice cream to get yourself over a bad day, you can attest to the therapeutic power of that rich and creamy indulgence. But real talk: is it actually healthy? You may have heard that chocolate does the body good, but is that just someone trying to justify their cravings (not that we blame them)?

To help settle this once and for all, we asked a panel of professionals. Read on to learn more.

Lisa Richards

Lisa Richards

Lisa Richards is a nutritionist and author of The Candida Diet. She has been featured on Today, US News, Women’s Health magazine, Huffington Post, Healthline, the San Francisco Chronicle, Reader’s Digest, Lifehack, Insider, and Well+Good, among others.

Effective addition to any health regimen

Chocolate is one of those mysterious treats that is considered healthy one week and unhealthy the next. The determining factor is really based on the strength of cocoa in the chocolate product in particular.

Dark chocolate and milk chocolate are not the same. Milk chocolate is made with less (10-15%) of the beneficial ingredient, cocoa, and dark chocolate is made with a significant amount (50-90%).

Cacao contains a significant amount of antioxidants. Antioxidants work to prevent and treat the cellular damage caused by free radicals in the body as a result of toxins and stress.

Damaged cells that are allowed to replicate can lead to cancer and other chronic diseases. The nutrient synergy that exists among the nutrients in cacao, along with the antioxidant content, makes it an effective addition to any health regimen.

Good for the mind and heart

The health benefits of chocolate come from polyphenols. Unfortunately, cocoa polyphenols are extremely bitter, therefore cocoa manufacturers add fat, sugar, and milk to reduce the taste. This also reduces the levels of polyphenols and dramatically increases the calories. The darker the chocolate, the healther it should be. Unfortunately, cocoa is also rich in cadmium and lead and many dark chocolate products would be banned from sale in the state of California because they exceed the Prop 65 standard for heavy metals. This is a dirty little secret the chocolate industry doesn’t want the public to know.

However, clinical studies with purified cocoa extracts extremely low in cadmium and lead indicate significant improvements in cognition that seem to be related to a reduction of insulin resistance. This would make purified cocoa extract good for the mind and heart.

Dr. Barry Sears

Dr. Barry Sears

Dr. Barry Sears is a leading authority in anti-inflammatory nutrition, president of the non-profit, Inflammation Research Foundation, and author of the Zone Diet book series, which now includes his newest release, The Resolution Zone.
Dr. Lina Velikova

Dr. Lina Velikova

Dr. Lina Velikova, MD, Ph.D., Medical Advisor at Supplements101.

The darker the chocolate, the healthier

Our body can benefit from dark chocolate with a percentage of at least 70% cocoa. The darker the chocolate, the healthier it is for you. Why? Because you take the most out of cocoa, not of sugar, milk, and other additives.

Strong immunity and slow aging – Cocoa has high levels of flavanols – 100 grams of unsweetened dark chocolate has around 200 milligrams of flavanols. They are powerful antioxidants that are essential for good health, immunity, and reverse aging.

Healthy blood pressure – Flavanol-rich dark chocolate promotes healthier blood pressure. It supports the production of nitric oxide which relaxes blood vessels and subsequently lowers blood pressure. That way it helps prevent stroke, heart disease, and heart attacks.

Eases migraine symptoms – Dark chocolate can provide an anti-inflammatory effect, which can help with headaches and migraines. Cocoa contains polyphenols that increase the number of good gut bacteria in the intestine, which triggers this anti-inflammatory response.

Choose chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids

The health benefits of chocolate are vast. First, cocoa is rich in flavanols which may protect the heart, reduce the risk of diabetes, and lower blood pressure. Chocolate is high in calories, but it also provides minerals including zinc, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron. Dark chocolate is also fairly high in fiber which contributes to the feeling of fullness.

Which chocolate should you choose? The answer is simple: the darker the better. The part of chocolate that provides most of the great health benefits is the cocoa solids that turn the chocolate dark. Choose chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids for the most health benefits.

Emily Danckers

Emily Danckers

Emily Danckers, Founder of Emily RD Nutrition Coaching, is a registered dietitian and nutrition coach with a background in sports nutrition.
Alex Reed

Alex Reed

Alex Reed is the founder of Bodyketosis, an author, low-carb enthusiast, and a recovering chubby guy who reclaimed his health using the ketogenic lifestyle.

Helps to limit your sugar and carbs intake

The biggest health benefit dark chocolate provides is emotional. High-cacao dark (over 80%) chocolate is the secret weapon if you feel low or are one step away from the next cheat weekend. It’s satiating enough so it kills cravings and provides you enough mental strength to fight temptations.

The second health benefit of dark chocolate is that it helps to limit your sugar and carbs intake, while still keeping you sane. When the cravings come the sanity goes.

This in turn will be directly connected to your caloric intake and body weight. If you have been fighting with sugar for years without results, then instead of picking the next popular diet, swap your sweets with dark chocolate.

This is a crowdsourced article. Contributors are not necessarily affiliated with this website and their statements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this website, other people, businesses, or other contributors.