Chocolate and calories

Which Type of Chocolate Has the Most Calories and Fat?

By far the lowest-calorie, lowest-fat form of chocolate is cocoa (the unsweetened type). A serving of 3 tablespoons has about:

·         60 calories

·         1.5 grams fat

·         0 grams saturated fat

·         3 grams fiber

The equivalent in unsweetened baking chocolate is 1 square (1 ounce), which contributes:

·         140 calories

·         14 grams fat

·         9 grams saturated fat

·         4 grams fiber

By comparison, a typical 2-ounce serving of semisweet or milk chocolate (with sweetener and other ingredients added) contains:

·         270 calories

·         17 grams of fat

·         10 grams of saturated fat

Semisweet chocolate adds around 3 grams of fiber per 2 ounces, while milk chocolate typically contributes zero. The mostly insoluble fiber in cocoa comes from the seed coat on the unprocessed cocoa bean.

For a better flavonoid-to-calorie ratio, choose cocoa powder whenever possible for baking and making hot chocolate.

Don't Forget the Calories

One thing most chocolate bars have in common is calories. An ounce of sweetened chocolate will cost you about 150 calories -- that's about six to seven chocolate kisses. Here's my take on it as a chocolate lover: Those six kisses are worth every calorie.

But here's a word of caution: The health benefits of chocolate may disappear if you are adding the calories above and beyond your regular intake. This could mean you're adding pounds along with the flavonoids.

Researchers from the University of California at Davis said it best in a scientific review on cocoa and chocolate flavonoids published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. They concluded that people may benefit from including a variety of flavonoid-rich foods as part of a healthful diet -- and dark chocolate, in moderate amounts, can be part of this plan.

New and Improved Chocolate Products

Now that the word is out that chocolate may have health benefits, special chocolate products are hitting the shelves. Two examples are CocoaVia and Hershey's Cacao Reserve.

1. CocoaVia (by Mars Inc.)

This product contains cocoa powder with a higher amount of flavanol than your average chocolate bar. The company has also added cholesterol-lowering soy sterol esters (similar to the type in Benecol and Take Control margarines). They have also added B-vitamins and calcium and two antioxidant vitamins, C and E.

Whether all this leads to much health benefits remains to be seen. I can tell you that the products I've tried taste worthy of your attention. If you are interested in trying CocoaVia, try to find them on sale because as the amount of nutrients and flavanols went up, so did the price.

There are several types of CocoaVia bars. The Original Chocolate Bars contain (per 22-gram serving):

·         100 calories

·         6 grams fat

·         3.5 grams saturated fat

·         9 grams sugars

2. Hershey's Cacao Reserve

Want some of the benefits of dark chocolate but with the flavor of milk chocolate? Try the milk chocolate bars in the Cacao Reserve line by Hershey's. I found them in my drugstore. I tried the Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts with 35% Cacao. It was delicious, and a cross between a milk chocolate bar and a dark chocolate bar, I think.

Per 1 ounce (that's a little more than 28 grams):

·         162 calories

·         11 grams fat

·         5 grams saturated fat

·         11.8 grams sugars

Chocolate Recipes

If you're ready to cash in on the possible health benefits of chocolate (or at least the taste benefits), here are a couple of lighter dessert recipes to fulfill your chocolate cravings.

Chocolate Raspberry Pound Cake

Dust this cake with powdered sugar and serve with fresh raspberries and a dollop of Light Cool Whip or whipping cream, if desired. If you don't want to use Splenda, increase the sugar to 1 1/2 cups.

3/4 cup less-sugar raspberry preserves
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Splenda
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup less-fat margarine (with 8 grams of fat per tablespoon), preferably with plant sterols added
3 tablespoons raspberry-flavored liqueur (fat-free half-and-half can be substituted)
16 ounces fat-free sour cream
2 large eggs (use higher omega-3 type, if available)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (for dusting)

·         Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an angel food pan (tube pan) with canola cooking spray and dust lightly with flour. Place the raspberry preserves in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat on HIGH for 15 seconds or until softened.

·         Add whole-wheat and white flours, sugar, Splenda, cocoa, baking soda, and salt to large mixing bowl and beat on low to blend well. Stop mixer and add margarine, liqueur, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and softened preserves all at once. Beat on medium speed for two minutes, scraping sides of mixing bowl after a minute.

·         Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove cake from pan and place on serving plate to cool completely. When ready to serve, dust powdered sugar over the top. Serve with fresh raspberries and a dollop of whipped topping or whipping cream. if desired.

Yield: 16 servings

Per serving: 195 calories, 5 g protein, 36 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 3 g fiber, 311 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 18%.

Chocolate Truffle Bars

2/3 cup less-fat margarine (with 8 grams of fat per tablespoon) like Take Control
1/3 cup fat-free half-and-half
7 ounces (7 squares) unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup Splenda
2 large eggs (use higher omega-3 type, if available)
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup walnut pieces

·         Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch pan (or two 9-inch square baking pans) with canola spray. Set aside.

·         Add the margarine and fat-free half-and-half to a medium nonstick saucepan and melt the butter, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat. Once the margarine is melted, remove the pan from the heat.

·         Add the chopped baking chocolate to the melted butter, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until chocolate is completely melted. Add the sugar and Splenda and stir to blend well.

·         Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each. Add egg substitute and stir to combine. Add the whole-wheat and white flours and stir to combine. Stir in the vanilla extract and walnuts.

·         Pour batter into prepared baking pan(s) and bake for 23-25 minutes (20 minutes if using two pans). The brownies will still look somewhat soft and shiny. Remove from the oven and place on cooling rack.

Yield: 24 bars

Per serving: 130 calories, 3 g protein, 15 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 2.5 g monounsaturated fat, 2.5 g polyunsaturated fat, 13 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 31 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 50%.

Recipes provided by Elaine Magee; Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, is the "Recipe Doctor" for the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic and the author of numerous books on nutrition and health. Her opinions and conclusions are her own.

Text source: www.webmd.com