Could the percentage of cocoa be the only indicator that differentiates a chocolate that is good for your health from one that is not so good? According to some experts, this may be an indicator, but it is not enough. It is necessary to take into account other indicators that you can read on the label, such as those shown below.
Indicators to choose a healthy chocolate
1. The percentage of cocoa
It is true that one of its main indicators is the percentage of cocoa it contains. It is important that you learn to differentiate cocoa from chocolate. Cocoa is the raw material of chocolate, it is a very healthy vegetable seed, in its pure flavor it is quite bitter and quite dark. It has a high polyphenol content, acting as an excellent antioxidant. While, chocolate is a combination of cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar. Therefore, the percentage of cocoa contained in chocolate can be a good indicator. Dark chocolate is the healthiest, although it is also the most bitter. This contains at least 50% cocoa to be classified as dark chocolate. The more cocoa the better!
2. The percentage of cocoa mass
It must be taken into account that chocolate that says it has 70% cocoa is not necessarily healthier than one that says 50% cocoa. Why is this? It is also necessary to verify the percentage of cocoa paste it contains and the percentage of cocoa butter. When you read on the label of your favorite chocolate that it contains 70% cocoa, it is only telling you that 30% is sugar and 70% is a mixture of cocoa paste and cocoa butter. The more cocoa paste it has, the healthier it is.
YOU MAY BE INTERESTED: "4 CHOCOLATE MYTHS TO DISMANTLE"
At this point it is necessary to note that cocoa butter is not harmful and is compared to olive oil. However, the great benefits of cocoa are concentrated in its paste.
3. The purity of cocoa butter
While it is true that cocoa butter can be as healthy as olive oil, it is also true that some brands mix cocoa oil with other vegetable oils that may not be as healthy as the first. And in many cases it is not specified what type of vegetable oil it contains. The recommendation is that you distrust any chocolate of this type.
READ ALSO: WHAT IS COCOA BUTTER?
So now you know, when choosing healthy chocolate, don't get carried away by labels that say pure, organic, artisan chocolate, etc. Read their labels and directly verify the percentage of cocoa, the percentage of cocoa paste and the purity of the cocoa butter.
