Is Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate Healthier?

Dark chocolate is often touted as a superfood, but milk chocolate can have nutritional value, too.

Chocolate gets a majority of its health benefits from the cacao bean. Cacao is a main ingredient in both milk and dark chocolate, and contains a range of nutrients including iron, magnesium and zinc. Cacao beans are high in antioxidants, which have been shown to lower our risk for certain chronic oxidative stress-related conditions.

The amount of cacao bean in chocolate impacts its flavor and nutrition — the higher the amount of cacao bean, the more bitter the chocolate will be. Dark and milk chocolate contain varying amounts of cacao. Milk chocolate contains milk or cream along with cacao bean and other ingredients. Some milk chocolate may contain as little as 10% cacao, while others may have up to 40%. Dark chocolate typically contains at least 55% cacao, and you may have seen dark chocolate bars with higher percentages on them like 70%, 80%, 90%.

While the amount of cacao in chocolate is important, it doesn’t tell the whole nutritional story. When you compare milk and dark chocolate like the bars below, milk chocolate definitely has more sugar. However, when it comes to calories, saturated fat and minerals like iron and potassium, amounts vary and dark chocolate doesn’t necessarily contain more. Milk chocolate will also likely contain more calcium because of the milk added. Cacao contains more phenolic antioxidants than most foods, and dark chocolate has significantly higher levels of flavanols (rich in antioxidant activity) than milk chocolate.

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