Nutritional scientist Tim Spector has delivered a sweet revelation for chocolate enthusiasts: it’s beneficial for your health, but only if you opt for the right kind. The King’s College London professor and founder of the Zoe health app advises sticking to dark chocolate with over 70 per cent cacao for significant health benefits.
The magic lies in polyphenols – a beneficial compound that can help reduce inflammation in the body, potentially warding off conditions like dementia, arthritis, and diabetes.
In a recent Instagram post, Prof Spector, who has just penned a new book titled ‘Food for Life Cookbook’, shared: “Everyone loves chocolate. I know I do, and I didn’t need my book to tell me that. But my book writing has told me much more about what’s in chocolate that is not only tasty but is actually good for our health.”
He continued: “And we’re talking about chocolates that are good quality, with over 70% cacao in it, because that’s all from a plant. And the bean itself is packed with polyphenols that are made greater by the fermenting process. So those polyphenols are really healthy for us and give us a lot of the advantages of eating chocolate.”
Besides polyphenols, Prof Spector highlighted that high-quality chocolate also boosts fibre intake – a crucial point given that 90 per cent of us fail to meet the minimum recommended 30g fibre a day. Consuming an extra 5g of fibre daily can lower blood pressure twice as effectively as reducing salt, according to Prof Spector, reports Gloucestershire Live.
He further elaborated: “There’s also fibre in it, and a normal portion of dark chocolate has over double the equivalent slice of whole grain bread in terms of fibre. So chocolate is a great thing to have as a little treat at the end of the day, knowing that as well as being super tasty, it’s also really good for you, and I certainly enjoy it.”
Detailing the benefits he said: “Cocoa is a rich source of polyphenols such as flavanols which act as rocket fuel for your gut microbes, enhancing the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and reducing the number of pathogenic or bad bacteria. One study found the total polyphenol content of cocoa powder exceeds that of so called “superfoods” acai, blueberries and pomegranate.”
“One thing that always surprises people is how much fibre is in chocolate too, around 712g in 100g of 70% cocoa dark chocolate which increases with the cocoa percentage.
“The 85% Lindt bar in this video contains 15g of fibre per 100g bar or 6g per 40g serving. These are significant levels when you remember that the average European eats a total of 15g or less a day although I’m not suggesting you replace vegetables with dark chocolate.”
“Some chocolate bars will contain emulsifiers so it’s best to check the label and choose the highest percentage you can enjoy to minimise the sugar content and maximise the polyphenol and fibre content.”