Chapter 12: Nutrition and Health¹ Check Access

Food is required to give us energy, and chocolate is relatively energy dense, meaning it is high in calories for a small portion size. Because of this, it has often been included in the food supplies for polar explorers and lifeboat rations etc. It also contains the three essential components of food, i.e. protein, carbohydrate and fat (although not in ideal proportions), together with some vitamins and several minerals. This chapter investigates the nutritional and health effects of chocolate. Eating a limited amount (up to a standard bar per day) of chocolate has been shown not to have a significant effect on acne or tooth decay. On the other hand, cocoa has been found to contain compounds that have positive effects in the prevention of heart disease and possibly some cancers, whilst experiments showing psychological effects have had a lot of media attention.