Dark chocolate is best for you because it's the least processed chocolate, which means it contains the highest percentage of flavonoid-filled cocoa bean (cocoa).
Dark chocolate is by far the healthiest form of the treat, containing the least sugar and, because of its cocoa content, higher levels of substances that protect the body's cells. If sugar is your number one concern, Allers recommends looking for higher percentages.
Studies show a bar with 70 percent cacao offers optimal health benefits, and 85 percent dark chocolate has mood-boosting qualities, according to a 2022 study. Go for the highest percentage you'll actually enjoy, though — eating chocolate should be fun.
1. Lindt. Taking the gold in our ranking of 20 chocolate brands is Lindt Chocolate. The brand has been perfecting chocolate for over 170 years.
It is also worth noticing that 100% dark chocolate is the healthiest option among all the sugar-free chocolates on the market. To make their products palatable without sugar, many big chocolate manufacturers use alternatives with lower calories but higher sweetening power.
Truth is, even for most chocolate sommeliers/connoisseurs, most of us don't consume 100% dark chocolate regularly or often. And these are people who usually understand well the health benefits and the idea of flavour and quality in fine chocolate.
It's high in iron, magnesium, copper, and manganese. It also contains calcium, potassium, and zinc, as well as traces of vitamins A, B, E, and K. An average 100-gram bar of dark chocolate has around 10 grams (or 3.5 ounces) of fiber, which is beneficial for your gut health.
Cadbury is Australia's favourite chocolate brand, Roy Morgan Research.
Cadbury is the nation's best-selling chocolate brand and its oldest Australian factory is located in Tasmania.
Australian chocolate is a high quality product produced with carefully controlled safe practises. This results in chocolate with optimal flavour that is among the best in the world. It takes about 5 million tonnes of cocoa to make the chocolate the world consumes each year.
White chocolate is the worst – it has more calories than milk chocolate and more sugar than dark. Read more: Why does chocolate make us happy?
Choose dark chocolate instead
Dark chocolate is typically lower in sugar than milk chocolate. Balance Belgian Dark Chocolate is a sugar free chocolate which is smooth, dark and delicious.
Health benefits of 100% dark chocolate include the following: Combats the presence of free radicals, which cause chronic illness and disease. Improves the function of the vascular endothelium (the cells that line the insides of your blood vessels) Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Friis-Holm Chokolade (Denmark) was the most awarded with 16 prizes, including 7 silvers and 9 bronzes. Other multi-award-winners this year included: Fu Wan Chocolate (Taiwan) with 11 prizes, Kasama Chocolate (Canada) 10 prizes, Fjåk Chocolate (Norway) 10 prizes. One of the highest scores went to Mary Chocolate Co.
Nut butters like peanut, almond, cashew, walnut and hazelnut are full of taste, very high in protein and low in carbs. These chocolate craving substitutes contain a good amount of fibers - almond butter is the highest on the list - which can also help improve digestion.
The Cherry Ripe Bar is Australia's oldest chocolate bar, first devised way back in 1924 Australian company MacRobertson's Steam Confectionery Works.
In Australia, there's understandably a huge demand for chocolate to melt at a higher temperature than it would over here in the UK. To solve this, Cadbury adds Shea Butter and Palm Oil, giving Australian chocolate a higher melting point, but also a slightly waxy aftertaste.
Hershey's Milk Chocolate
For many, this bar is the American standard. The first bar was sold in 1900 by Milton S. Hershey.
About cocoa
Australian distribution: cocoa is grown near Darwin in the NT, in North Queensland and in north-west Western Australia.
Pavlova, is the national dessert of Australia.
Could Exceed Safe Heavy Metal Consumption. While dark chocolate can have positive effects on your health, a 2022 study by Consumer Reports found that eating dark chocolate everyday could be harmful for adults, children and pregnant people.
Dark chocolate is packed full of important minerals, including iron, magnesium, zinc, copper and phosphorus. In your body, these minerals are used to support factors such as immunity (zinc), can help keep your bones and teeth healthy (phosphorus), and contribute to better sleep quality (magnesium).