How Do Different Chocolate Products Stack Up?

By Ian Lee

Chocolate is a staple of Valentine's Day, and for good reason. It's a sinfully sweet treat, of course, but it also contains flavonoids, a type of antioxidant that has been shown to have health benefits for the very target of Cupid's arrow—the heart.

However, not all chocolate products are created equal: They can vary wildly in flavonoid content, fat and calories, and quality of ingredients. So how can you be sure you're expressing your love with the healthiest chocolate option?

According to dietitian Gloria Tsang, author of the new book Go UnDiet: 50 Small Actions for Lasting Weight Loss and founder of nutrition network HealthCastle, many products you might find in the chocolates section of your grocery store or gift shop have much more sugar and fat than real chocolate.

"It's always a good idea to stick to real chocolate rather than candies and bars with chocolate flavoring," Tsang said in a press release. "But even when you're buying real chocolate, there are major nutritional differences between types that you may not be aware of."

Here's how some common chocolate product stack up:

• Cocoa powder: Cocoa powder ranks highest in flavonoids and is also lower in calories than dark or milk chocolate. Try creating a custom cocoa drink or look for chocolates dusted with real cocoa powder.
• Dark chocolate: Dark chocolate is a great source of flavonoids, though it contains about twice the fat and calories of cocoa powder. Look for the highest cocoa content you can find.
• Milk chocolate: Milk chocolate has about the same calories as dark chocolate, but it often contains no flavonoids at all. Flavonoids are only present if you find cocoa solids or cocoa liquor on the ingredient list, so if you're looking for heart benefits, check to make sure you know what you're getting.
• Chocolate candies: Chocolate candies (like M&Ms) have similar fat and calories as straight-up chocolate, but they tend to have candy shells that add artificial colors and flavors to the mix. Again, check for cocoa solids or cocoa liquor if your'e looking for flavonoids—it's likely you won't find them. 
• White chocolate: White chocolate does contain cocoa butter, but it does not contain any cocoa solids or cocoa liquor, so it does not offer any heart health benefits.

No matter which chocolate product you choose to give this Valentine's Day, focus on quality not quantity. A rich square of quality chocolate is a much more luxurious eating experience than gorging on cheaper chocolate candies, and it's much healthier too.

More simple, small achievable actions to reclaim health are available in Go UnDiet, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kindle and iBooks.