Stupid chocolate question?

[pusskins]

Right-o. Why is dark chocolate still so high in fat? WHY? :mad: What makes it so?

[Ruby Rose]

Because God is unkind?

[ellaminnowpea]

Isn't all chocolate high in fat? They add cocoa butter to it to make it tastier. If you want lower fat chocolate, you can buy baking chocolate, but it tastes like shite, its v bitter!

[pusskins]

So is cocoa butter like butter butter? Just fat? I need details and figures, etc.! I know I could find the info online, but I need it in plain English, please. Just some explanation. It's all a bit confuddling!

[JC]

Isn't cocoa butter just the fat extracted from the cocoa bean? it's nothing to do with dairy butter.

[pusskins]

Yeah, but what I mean is, does the fact it is called cocoa butter mean that it is a fatty product? So is cocoa fatty, plus extra fat?

[Maisiepaisie]

If you want lower fat chocolate, you can buy baking chocolate, but it tastes like shite, its v bitter!
Tesco Luxury Plain chocolate for baking isn't bitter. I don't normally like dark chocolate but that one's lovely. Not sure if its lower fat. Per 100g is 30g fat and 505 calories

[puffin]

Just found this


Fat
Cocoa beans contain approximately 50% fat. It is primarily comprised of two saturated fatty acids, palmitic and stearic acids, and the mono unsaturated oleic acid. Cocoa butter and chocolate do not raise blood cholesterol. However, when consuming milk chocolate or lower grade chocolate where a part of the total fat content comes from milk fat or various other types of fat, the cholesterol level might be adversely affected.

Sugar
The cacao bean contains quite a lot of carbohydrates, but most of it is starch, soluble dietary fibers and insoluble dietary fibers. A very small proportion is simple sugars. Sugar is added during the manufacture of chocolate.

Antioxidants
Cocoa beans contain polyphenols (similar to those found in wine) with antioxidant properties which are health beneficial. These compounds are called flavonoids and include catechins, epicatechins, and procyandins. The antioxidant flavinoids are found in the nonfat portions of the cocoa bean. The flavinoids also reduce the blood's ability to clot and thus reduces the risk of stroke and heart attacks.

Theobromine
Theobromine is a very mild stimulant with a mild diuretic action (increases the production of urine). Please note that theobromine can be toxic to animals like dogs, cats, parrots and horses.

Caffeine
Cocoa beans contains a very low amount of caffeine, much less than found in coffee, tea and cola.

Phenylethylamine
Phenylethylamine is a slight antidepressant and stimulant similar to the body's own dopamine and adrenaline.

Serotonine
Cocoa and chocolate can increase the level of serotonine in the brain. Serotonine levels are often decreased in people with depression and in those experiencing PMS symptoms.

Essential minerals
Cocoa beans are rich in a number of essential minerals, including magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese.

Vitamins
A, B1, B2, B3, C, E and pantothenic acid.

Is chocolate fattening?
Yes, chocolate is fattening. Even dark chocolate contains a lot of calories because of the large content of fat and sugar. The sugar content in chocolate is worse than the fat content regarding negative effects on health.

[pusskins]

Thank you very much, puffin! Perfect! Gave me the information I needed. So, basically, the majority is fat at the source. Nothing added to it gives it a significant increase. OK, I can work with that.

Maisepaisie, I shall give that Tesco choc a go. Any reason, really! :D

[Shrapnel]

Tesco Luxury Plain chocolate for baking isn't bitter. I don't normally like dark chocolate but that one's lovely. Not sure if its lower fat. Per 100g is 30g fat and 505 calories
I actually bought some cocoa powder (it wasn't in the baking goods section, but I think it's the same thing), and while it wasn't exactly sweet, it wasn't too bitter. I use it as a little additive to stuff like soy milk, for flavoring.