Sugar Content in Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is a lower sugar option in a number of instances e.g. better than a sugary low fat yogurt, better than a Special K bar and better than a 100 calorie milk chocolate bar. However, as with many things, not all dark chocolate is created equal.
I use dark chocolate when I really need a post meal sweet fix. There are a world of brands and varieties out there. Nevertheless, here are some reviews on many of those that I compared and a few that have made it into my home!
[Read: Dark Chocolate Can Restrain Stress Hormones]
Reviews of Dark Chocolate:
Willie’s Cacao Venezuelan Gold 72%
This Venezuelan Gold 72% is about as sweet as I can tolerate – I prefer much bitter. This bar has quite a distinct unusual nutty flavor. It comes wrapped as two big thick squares, so it’s not great for breaking off and eating (I like thin and snappy) but it is superb for grating though. Try it grated over full fat natural yogurt and frozen berries for a tasty, sugar sensible dessert.
Green & Blacks organic 85% (&75%)
This is a classic and the 70% is usually pretty widely available here in the UK at a reasonable price in most supermarkets and shops. A smooth texture and lovely taste of real good quality dark chocolate. I thought I’d give the 85% as it’s a bit lower in sugar. This is great for those that struggle to stop at one or two squares and need a bit of forced portion control.
Lovechock
- 12% sugar (coconut nectar – so one of the healthiest forms of sugar)
- 80% cocoa solids
- Dairy & gluten free
- 100% raw
I found the Lovechock bar absolutely moreish – so much so that I found I got ‘I could easily eat the whole bar’. I don’t usually get this so I wonder if this has something to do with the different ingredients or if it’s just way up there in terms of taste. I tried the orange and goji berry flavour, which was totally delicious, but a little higher in sugar than the plain one – so for sugar control I would suggest going for the plain one!
Lindt Excellence 90%
This is dark. It’s for the hardcore dark chocolatiers. It’s the lowest in sugar content, so it’s much more bitter than sweet. However, I personally love this chocolate now, but I expect if I gave it to one of my Dairy Milk sugar-loving friend, they would probably screw up their face like they’d eaten a sour grape and say ‘That’s not chocolate.’ Try it and let me know how you get on!
It’s definitely one to work towards and if you can grow to like it as much as I do, then you can satisfy your chocolate fix with practically no sugar…result!
Nero & Bianco
I’m not sure how I got a hold of one of these bars – but that aside I did not enjoy it at all, and I most defiantly won’t buy it again. I found it to be sickly sweet and the chocolate feels like it’s a lesser quality than the other that I tried. I still have half a bar of it sitting in my handbag, enough said !
Lindt Excellence Chilli
This is so unusual and I love the chilli-choc combination. It’s a nice smooth texture with a great velvety kick afterwards.
However, despite being ‘dark’, it’s contains nearly 50% sugar, so don’t be fooled. Don’t go eating this thinking you’re being dark chocolate virtuous, because I’d count it more towards the regular chocolate camp.
What other dark chocolate brands have you found and would like to share? I will continue to try some new ones over the next few months.
