We celebrate World Chocolate Day this month. But can it ever be healthy?
Cocoa beans, the main ingredient in chocolate, contain natural polyphenols, micronutrients that can help lower blood pressure, and have antioxidant properties.
But there is often a lot of fat and sugar mixed in.
Jane Atkinson tastes some of the latest chocolate products that claim to be better for your health.
Oatmeal Cookies
PRODIGY has a new range of plant-based biscuits with half the sugar of regular equivalent alternatives.
I tried Phenomenoms Chocolate Oaties which are not TOO different from a chocolate rub elbows with – albeit much smaller and less crumbly.
But when you get a vegan cookie that is wheatFree and high in prebiotic fiber to support gut health, they really aren’t a bad alternative.
In addition, they feel denser, fuller and more satisfying.
The “real” one has 92 calories and 6.2g of sugar with 23% fat, while these little cookies have only 36 calories and 1.2g of sugar plus 22.6% fat.
That’s not bad. I like these and would buy again. From 71p for a pack of four biscuits. Watch prodigysnacks.com.
chocolate corn
You heard me right. Chocolate candy corn. Sounds very strange doesn’t it, but then I wonder who thought chocolate raisins.
Chocolate Crunchy Corn by Love, Corn is a strange combination of dry crunchy corn, with a little salt and milk chocolate.
Surprisingly it works. They are more delicious than popcorn with a soft exterior. I tried them while watching a movie and they disappeared!
These have 176 calories per 35g serving and 26 percent fat because they are cooked in sunflower oil.
A 90g share bag, RRP £2.50. Watch lovecorn.es.
low calorie donut
The SNACK Fiber One 90 Calorie brand has launched a chocolate-flavored donut with a strawberry and cream flavor.
These do what they say on the package: With 22 percent fiber, they’ll fill you up but won’t make you fat.
They are tiny little donuts covered with a chocolate flavored coating and crunchy multicolored sprinkles.
For comparison, an average 25g chocolate donut has around 250kcal and 1g of fiber, so the comparison is brilliant.
They come individually wrapped in a box of four.
These make a decent snack, but I found them dense and the dark chocolate stuck to my teeth.
If you’re a chocolate donut and need an alternative to the sugary treat, then this might be worth a try. But not for me.
£2.89 for a box of four. Watch tesco.com.
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