nosh magazine
THE ABCs OF CHOCOLATE
Dietitian Zoya Hett takes you back to basics exploring everything you need to know about
chocolate, including the process of how it’s made, the different types, the possible health
benefits and the best eating options.
dietitian will start
prescribing chocolate
(sorry!).
The chocolate making
process
Chocolate is made from cocoa beans and
once the beans are picked, they are
fermented, then roasted, to bring out
their flavour. The beans are then cracked
and the shells are removed, leaving the
crushed beans called cocoa nibs. The
nibs are then ground into a paste called
‘cocoa liquor’ (although contains no
alcohol). The cocoa liquor can also have
added milk and sugar to make either ‘dark’
or ‘milk’ chocolate or it is further separated
to make cocoa butter and cocoa powder.
Milk chocolate: Milk
chocolate contains around ten
per cent chocolate liquor, it has
added sugar, cocoa butter and
milk solids. It often also contains
added vegetable fats such as
palm or coconut oil, and
although these are used to
prolong the shelf life, add extra
saturated fat, which makes milk
chocolate very energy dense.
Chocolate types
White chocolate: This is cocoa
butter with sugar and milk solids added.
High in saturated fat and mostly sugar,
there are debates nationally and
internationally whether it should be called
‘chocolate’ at all.
Dark chocolate: Dark chocolate can
Compound chocolate: Also known
come in different varieties from 70 to 99
per cent cocoa. Dark chocolate contains
cocoa liquor, extra cocoa butter, sugar,
emulsifier and often vanilla or other
flavourings. Dark chocolate may also often
contain milk fats and added vegetable fats
to give it a more creamy flavour and longer
shelf life. When people say ‘chocolate is
good for you’ they are usually referring to
dark chocolate. Research has shown that
flavonoids, a type of antioxidant which is
found in cocoa can have health benefits.
These studies have found that these
antioxidants can help reduce blood
pressure and protect against heart disease
and even improve insulin resistance.
However these studies are often short term
trials and done on healthy individuals, but
more research is needed before any
as ‘imitation chocolate’ this type is when
some or all of the cocoa butter is replaced
with vegetable fats, including palm oil and
coconut oil. They are more cost effective
and often used as they stop the chocolate
from melting in the warmer weather. They
are often found in chocolate bars, ice
cream and biscuits.
Note: The cheaper chocolate easter eggs are
often made with compound chocolate.
Raw: Raw chocolate is made by
cold-pressing the cocoa beans. The cocoa
beans in raw chocolate have only been
roasted to 45°C, which the manufacturers
suggest does not kill all the enzymes in the
chocolate, making it a ‘healthier’
alternative. Raw chocolate then has
added cocoa butter (and
ZOYA HETT, APD
Learn more at: website | profile
Zoya is the founder of Fit & Nourished. Based in South Sydney, she has a Master of
Dietetics, is a Provisional Accredited Practicing Dietitian and a personal trainer. Zoya aims
to empower and enable clients with knowledge and skills to help nourish the body and to
move in a way that makes you fit and healthy.
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www.n4foodandhealth.com
sometimes coconut butter),