We have all heard about the “benefits” of dark chocolate (65% cocoa or higher) lately and how the anti oxidants in it are good for our bodies.  Are they telling you everything?

The antioxidants in dark chocolate contain polyphenols and studies have shown that this chemical can be useful in fighting free radicals in the body.  The recommendation is to eat no more than 100 grams per day.

The downside of eating 100 grams of dark chocolate is 517 calories, 28 grams of fat along with 62 grams of carbohydrates. 

Even looking at organic chocolates as a “healthier option” thinking they should have less fat or sugar can be a misconception as the fat and carbohydrate content is actually higher!

Now, these carbohydrates consist mainly of sugar.  This means that the fat that you are consuming with this sweet treat will be stored due to the increase in insulin from the high sugar content.

Also, given that to lose weight, most people consume roughly 200 – 300 calories per meal, 517 calories is close to double what you should be consuming.

To give you an idea of what’s involved in burning off 517 calories of chocolate, here are some large numbers you can look at and see if you can/will make the time to do it.

60 minutes of jogging.

90 minutes of brisk walking.

100 minutes of leisurely bike riding will equal around 520 cals

150 minutes of brushing your teeth would burn roughly 500 cals. (although you may not have any enamel left!)

In the course of a year if you ate 100 grams of chocolate, 3 times per week, this equates to over 81,000 calories or 10.5 kilograms of fat that you would put on.

With Easter just around the corner and the super markets tempting us at the end of every aisle with chocolate eggs and promotional goodies we need to be very mindful of what we eat and also how much of it we put in our mouths.   As with all great marketing campaigns, the focus is on the positives and never the negatives.  Stick to your eating plan and don’t be strayed by the hype.

Remember: if you want to lose weight, you cannot out train poor eating habits.  You might be kidding yourself by justifying to yourself that chocolate contain antioxidants.  That part is true.  But the other statistics about fat, calories and carbohydrates far outweigh any health benefits.

On a positive note….as we are great believers in everything in moderation, for those of you who love a good piece of chocolate every now and then, don’t despair.  A small piece of good quality chocolate can help you to enjoy the good things in life and satisfy your sweet tooth.   Just be prepared to work off what you have put in.