In all it’s forms, milk, white and dark chocolate, is one of the most desired foods in the world.   In recent years, there has been a lot more research into whether there are health benefits to eating dark chocolate.  But with so many varieties and amounts of cocoa used, how do you know which dark chocolate is the healthiest.

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans that are blended into the cocoa solids, cocoa liquor and cocoa butter. This chocolate is then split into varying categories, based on the amount of cocoa solids used, including the amount of sugar and other ingredients.  Below we have broken down the chocolate categories and their associated health benefits.

Unsweetened Dark Chocolate – 85-100%

This is chocolate at its purest and contains anywhere between 85 and 100% of cocoa beans.  This is considered the best dark chocolate to eat even though it is a desired taste and quite bitter.  This type of chocolate is mainly used for baking, like brownies and cookies giving the food an intense chocolate taste.

Bittersweet Dark Chocolate – 65-80%

The The Food and Drug Administration would usually class chocolate up to 35% as bitter sweet, it actually has a dark chocolate cocoa level of between 65 and 85%.  Like the unsweetened, this is often used for cooking but can also be eaten on its own.  The ideal level of cocoa beans to be considered healthy for eating is 70%.

Semisweet Dark Chocolate– 35-60%

To qualify for semisweet, this category only has to have a minimum percentage level of 35% cocoa beans.  The difference between semi-sweet and bittersweet dark chocolate is the extra amount of sugar used in semi-sweet.  It is easier to eat but less healthy.

Milk Chocolate – 10-20%

This is by far the most popular type of chocolate to eat and the market leader.   It is unfortunate that it is also the least healthiest to eat.  The FDA requires that to qualify, it must have a minimum of 10% cocoa solids and 12% condensed milk, cream, dried milk or milk powder.    The other ingredients are made up of sugar and fillings to produce a pleasant sweet taste.  This is why chocolate bars taste so amazing.

White Chocolate – 0%

Although listed as chocolate, white chocolate is not really chocolate.  It is called chocolate as it contains cocoa butter but no other elements of chocolate.  It will usually have a minimum percentage of 20% cocoa butter and 14% milk solids to be considered white chocolate.  There are no health benefits to consuming this type of chocolate.