A Guide for Health-Conscious Chocolate Lovers
Like many of you, I love chocolate! Over many years, I’ve made the switch from classic Cadbury’s to high-cocoa-percentage dark chocolate in a bid to align my treats with my health values. Now, even the darkest chocolate tastes rich and satisfying to me. But recently, while listening to a recent Zoe podcast on identifying good and bad chocolate, it reminded me that even chocolate with over 70% cocoa solids can vary widely in terms of quality, health benefits, and environmental impact.
With so many brands, ingredients, and claims on the market, it can be tricky to figure out which options are truly the healthiest. The podcast highlighted that high-quality craft chocolate is actually quite hard to find on UK shop shelves. So the reason I am interested in this, is that those who want to, can include dark chocolate in their plan as part of my 21 Day Reset. As I’m always looking at ways to optimise every aspect of our nutrition, I decided to dive deeper into which chocolate brands that are available in the UK are our healthiest and most ethical options.
But first, let’s look at the health benefits of eating high quality chocolate.
Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate
Moderate consumption of high-quality dark chocolate can support heart health, improve brain function, and even promote better mood. The main health benefits are thought to come from chocolate containing fibre, flavanols and theobromine. Some of the main health benefits include:
- Rich in Antioxidants: Cocoa contains flavonoids, especially catechins and epicatechins, that help reduce inflammation, combat oxidative stress, and protect the heart.
- Good for Heart Health: Studies show that moderate consumption of high-percentage dark chocolate may lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels, thanks to the heart-healthy compounds within cacao.
- Mental Wellness: Dark chocolate has compounds that trigger the release of endorphins, which can help improve mood, and even contains a small amount of caffeine for a gentle energy boost.
- Better Brain Function: Flavanols in chocolate have been linked to improved oxygen levels, nerve function, and blood flow in the brain.
- Improved Gut Health: Chocolate with a higher cocoa content and some fibre can support gut health by nourishing beneficial gut bacteria. Your ‘good’ bacteria love it!
- Improved Insulin Sensitivity Dark chocolate decreases blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity in healthy people.
Why Ingredients Matter in Chocolate
With all these benefits, it’s tempting to grab any dark chocolate bar off the shelf and beleive you are doing your body good. But not all chocolate is created equal, even when over 70% of it is cocoa beans. When choosing chocolate, it’s essential to pay attention to ingredients and sourcing to get the most benefits for you and the planet. I have created a comparison table for some of the chocolate bars we can easily get hold of in the UK. Most you see in actual shops, but I’ve also included a few good options that are online only. I have given each bar a score based on the following criteria:
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Percentage of Cocoa Solids
Generally, higher cocoa content means higher flavonoid and polyphenol levels. Aim for chocolate with at least 70% (ideally more than this) cocoa solids for more antioxidants. It also tends to be the more cocoa solids that are present, the less room there is for sugar! I’ve given top scores to those bars with 75% or more cocoa solids. Here I have scored:
- 75%+ cocoa solids = 2 points green
- 50-74% cocoa solids = 1 point yellow (Please note many of these are still high percentages, but I wanted to find a way to show the ultimate chocolates for health)
- Below 50% cocoa solids = Red 0 points
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Avoiding Ultra-Processing & Unwanted Ingredients
Some chocolate brands include additives, bulking ingredients like milk powder and emulsifiers which may counter many of the natural health benefits of cocoa. They add unnecessary preservatives and processing to make mass production cheaper.
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- Green means only ingredients you might have in your kitchen are contained in the bar. = 2 points
- Yellow means generally seems OK but ambiguous ingredient 'flavouring' is probably an issue = 1 point
- Red means it contains ingredients you would not find in your kitchen = 0 points
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Transparent Sourcing and Fairtrade
Look for brands that name the origin of their cocoa beans. This transparency often indicates a commitment to quality and sometimes even better flavour. Choosing Fairtrade chocolate means supporting ethical labour practices and fair wages for farmers. It means they are earning enough to feed their families.
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- Green means the company clearly states the source of their ingredients on their website and/or are registered 'Fairtrade'. Some even go further listing their community projects and other environmental work they do = 2 points
- Yellow - Is where the labelling is ambiguous on their website = 1 point
- Red = No source is given nor do they mention fairtrade for their farmers = 0 points
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Organic
Organic labels reduce the risk of pesticide residue entering your chocolate and may also reflect higher environmental standards. This means better health for you, for the farmers and the for the animals and insects where the ingredients are grown.
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- Green means the ingredients are organic = 2 points
- Red means the ingredients are not organic = 0 points
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Fibre Content
There is a huge variation in the fibre content of dark chocolate. The fibre content depends on how the chocolate has been made. And not all bars list their fibre content on their packaging or website, so I have contacted those brands to ask for this info directly. Higher fibre means more food for your good gut bacteria and a happier belly and body. More fibre also means it will also fill you up more. Note that all the bars provide some fibre, so there are none on this that are terrible. The amount varies significantly with 6.2g/100g (Bournville) being the lowest and 20g/100g being the highest with Lindt 99%. But as you'll see, that doesn't mean it is the best.
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- Green = Extra High Fibre 12g/100g or more
- Yellow = High Fibre 9g/100g - 11.9g/100g Fibre
- Red = Lower Fibre 8.9g/100g or lower
The colour scheme in the table below represents a grading system only. i.e. Red does not mean avoid, it just means 'Low' in this instance.
Brand | Percentage Cocoa Solids Below 50% = Low, 50-75% = Good, 75%+ = Brilliant | Contains Ingredients we want to avoid? Listed in bold | Known source of beans/ Fairtrade? | Organic | High Fibre? (Extra High = 12+, High = 9.-11.9, Medium = <9) | Score |
Alter Eco | 85% Peru | No - Organic cocoa mass, organic cocoa butter, organic cane sugar | Yes - Very earth conscious & Ethical | Yes | 12g/100g | 10/10 |
Green & Blacks | 85% | No - Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Fat-Reduced Cocoa Powder, Cane Sugar, Vanilla Extract | Yes | Yes | 13g/100g | 10/10 |
Raw Halo | 85% | No - Raw Cacao Butter, Raw Cacao Powder, Coconut Sugar | Yes | Yes | 12g/100g | 10/10 |
Montezuma | Giant Dark Chocolate Buttons 74% | No - Organic cocoa mass, Organic cane sugar, Organic cocoa butter & Organic natural vanilla powder | Yes I think so | Yes | 13g/100g | 9/10 |
Ombar | 90% Vegan | No - Unroasted Cacao, Coconut Sugar, Cocoa Butter. | Yes | Yes | 10g/100g | 9/10 |
Raw Halo | 76% | No - Raw Cacao Butter*, Raw Cacao Powder*, Coconut Sugar | Yes | Yes | 11g/100g | 9/10 |
Bennetto | 82% Super Dark | No - Madagascar Cocoa Beans, Raw Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Madagascar Vanilla | Yes - Fairtrade and give additional premiums to fund co-operative communities to invest in education and development | Yes - And net carbon positive also. | 9.36g/100g | 9/10 |
Bennetto | 70% Dark Chocolate | No - Ground Ecuador cocoa beans, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, Madagascar vanilla beans | Yes - Fairtrade and give additional premiums to fund -co-operative communities to invest in education and development | Yes - And net carbon positive also. | 8.32g/100g | 8/10 |
Alter Eco | 70% Ecuador | No - Organic cocoa mass, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter | Yes - Very earth conscious & Ethical | Yes | 10.4g/100g | 8/10 |
Green & Blacks | 70% | No - Cocoa Mass, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla Extract | Yes | Yes | 10g/100g | 8/10 |
Ombar | 72% Cacao | No - even seems to have some probiotics added too | Yes | Yes | Not listed - I've messaged them but thye've not replied, so assumed in medium range | 8/10 |
Waitrose | No. 1 Dark Chocolate 90% | No - Cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cane sugar | Yes | No | 12.1g/100g | 8/10 |
Waitrose | No. 1 Dark Chocolate Fairtrade 75% | No - Cocoa mass, cane sugar, cocoa butter | Yes | No | 12g/100g | 8/10 |
Willies | 100% Gold | No - And actually only 2 ingredients: Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter | Yes | No | 14.7g/100g | 8/10 |
Montezuma | Absolutely Black 100% | No - Cocoa Solids 100% | Yes | No | 17g/100g | 8/10 |
Seed & Bean | 72% Dark Cacao | No - Cocoa Mass, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla Extract | Yes | Yes | 11g/100g | 8/10 |
Hu | 70% Hazelnut Butter Filled Dark Chocolate | No - Organic cocoa mass, organic unrefined coconut sugar, organic hazelnut (19%), organic cocoa butter. | Yes | Yes | 9.3g/100g | 8/10 |
Hu | 70% Dark Chocolate | No - Organic cocoa mass, organic unrefined coconut sugar, organic cocoa butter | Yes | Yes | 10g/100g | 8/10 |
Montezuma | Fitzroy 74% | No - Organic Cocoa Mass, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Vanilla Extract | Yes I think so | Yes | 10g/100g | 7/10 |
Sainsburys | Taste the Difference Ugandan 90% | No - Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Sugar | Yes I think so | No | 10.7g/100g | 7/10 |
Booja-Booja | 55% Vegan Chocolate Truffles. Lower because they are truffles, but they taste amazing for a treat!!! | No - Salted Caramel Mocha (Cocoa Mass, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla Powder) Coconut Oil, Cane Sugar, Ground Coffee, 1% Water Sea Salt Vanilla Extract | Yes | Yes | 6.5g/100g | 7/10 |
Bennetto | 70% | No - Ground Ecuador cocoa beans, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, Madagascar vanilla beans | Yes - Fairtrade and give additional premiums to fund -co-operative communities to invest in education and development | Yes - And net carbon positive also. | 8.32g/100g | 7/10 |
Willies | 72% Rio Caribe Gold | No - Cocoa mass, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter | Yes | No | 11.1/100g | 6/10 |
Asda | Extra Special Madagascan Dark Chocolate 73% | No - Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla Extract | Yes | No | 9.5/100g | 6/10 |
Co-Op | Chocolate for Change 85% | Yes - Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Fat-Reduced Cocoa Powder, Cane Sugar, Flavouring, Cocoa Solids | Yes | No | 10g/100g | 6/10 |
Lidl | J.D. Gross Dark Chocolate 85% | Yes - cocoa mass, fat reduced cocoa powder, cocoa butter, sugar, emulsifier: soya lecithins, vanilla extract | Yes | No | 14.5g/100g | 6/10 |
Aldi | Moser Roth 85% | Yes - Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Sugar, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Emulsifier: Lecithins (𝐒𝐨𝐲𝐚); Vanilla Extract. | Yes | No | 15g/100g | 6/10 |
Lindt | 85% | No - Cocoa Mass, Fat-Reduced Cocoa, Cocoa Butter, Demerara Sugar, Vanilla | No | No | 16.2g/100g | 6/10 |
Lindt | 90% | No - Cocoa mass, Cocoa Butter, Low Fat Cocoa Powder, Sugar | No | No | 14g/100g | 6/10 |
Lindt | 99% | No - Cocoa Mass, Low Fat Cocoa Powder, Cocoa Butter, Demerara Sugar | No | No | 20g/100g | 6/10 |
Divine | 85% | Yes - Fairtrade Cocoa Mass, Fairtrade Cocoa Butter, Fairtrade Sugar, Fairtrade Cocoa Powder, Emulsifier: Sunflower Lecithin, Fairtrade Vanilla Extract | Yes | No | 12.7g/100g | 6/10 |
Sainsburys | Venezuelan 70%, Taste the Difference | Yes - Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin; Vanilla Extract. | Yes I think so | No | 8.8g/100g | 5/10 |
Waitrose | No. 1 Dark Chocolate 80% | Yes - Cocoa mass, cane sugar, cocoa butter, emulsifier (soya lecithin) | Yes | No | 10.7g/100g | 5/10 |
Green & Blacks | 50% Smooth Dark | Yes - Cane Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithins), Vanilla Extract | Yes | Yes | 6.7g/100g | 5/10 |
Lindt | 70% | No - Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla | No | No | 12.2g/100g | 5/10 |
Tony's | 70% Extra Dark Chocolate | Yes - cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, fat reduced cocoa powder, emulsifier (lecithins (soya)) | Yes | No | 12.4g/100g | 5/10 |
Waitrose | No. 1 Dark Chocolate 65% | Yes - Cane Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithins), Vanilla Extract | Yes | No | 10.7g/100g | 4/10 |
Lidl | J.D. Gross Fairtrade Chocolate 70% | Yes - Cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, fat reduced cocoa powder, emulsifier (soya lecithins), vanilla extract | Yes | No | 11.3g/100g | 4/10 |
Co-Op | Chocolate for Change 70% | Yes - Cocoa Mass, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier (Lecithins (Soya)), Flavouring | Yes | No | 9.9g/100g | 4/10 |
Montezuma | Lordy Lord 70% | Yes - Dark Chocolate 93% (Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin & Vanilla Extract), Cocoa Nibs 7% | Yes I think so | No | 10g/100g | 3/10 |
Hotel Chocolat | Dark Chocolate Slab Selector 70% | Yes - Cocoa solids (cocoa butter, cocoa mass), sugar, emulsifier (SOYA lecithin), natural flavour (vanilla) | Not sure on this. They say they grow their own beans in St Lucia and all over the world, but no comment on wages/conditions for the farmers. | No | 11.1/100g | 3/10 |
Aldi | Moser Roth 70% | Yes - Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier: Lecithins (𝐒𝐨𝐲𝐚); Vanilla Extract | Yes | No | 8.5g/100g | 3/10 |
Sainsburys | No Added Sugar - Smooth Dark 70% | Yes - Cocoa Mass, Sweetener (Polyols):Maltitol, Lactitol (Cow´s Milk): Cocoa Butter, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Emulsifier:Lecithins: Flavouring. | No | No | 9.5g/100g | 2/10 |
Cadbury Bournville | 36% | Yes - Sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, palm oil, emulsifiers (SOYA lecithins, E476), skimmed MILK powder | No | No | 6.2g/100g | 0/10 |
My Observations
- You can’t just assume all chocolate from a certain brand is made equal.
- Just because it has very high cocoa solids does not mean other less favourable ingredients have not been added.
- All organic chocolate did seem to always be also Fairtrade or traceable. But not all Fairtrade chocolate is organic.
- Generally speaking the higher the cocoa solids percentage the higher the fibre, but this was not true in all circumstances so cannot just be assumed.
Conclusion
Chocolate can be a delicious part of a balanced diet when chosen carefully. By considering factors like cocoa content, ingredient quality, sourcing, and ethics, you can enjoy chocolate’s rich flavour and health benefits with peace of mind and without guilt.
So next time you reach for a bar, use this guide to make a mindful choice and savour the indulgence without compromising on your health.
Obvious next steps for me....to set up a tasting of the top bars on this list and add a taste score too....Food for thought 😉
