The scientific name for chocolate, Theobroma Cacao, translates to "food of the gods." Considering that Americans consume over 3 billion pounds of chocolate each year, it's safe to say that many people agree with this sentiment. But can chocolate, specifically dark chocolate, have a place in the Paleo diet? The answer is yes, in moderation.
Understanding the Paleo Diet
The paleo diet is designed to resemble what human hunter-gatherer ancestors ate thousands of years ago. By following a diet of whole foods and leading physically active lives, hunter-gatherers presumably had much lower rates of lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Anthropologists also speculate that the paleo diet influenced anatomic and physiologic changes in humans, including increased brain size and reduced gastrointestinal tract size.
The paleo diet includes whole, unprocessed foods like vegetables, nuts, seeds, and meat. It excludes or limits processed foods, added sugar, soft drinks, artificial sweeteners, grains, most dairy products, and legumes.
Paleolithic humans thrived on various diets, depending on what was available at the time and where in the world they lived. Some ate a low carb diet high in animal foods, while others followed a high carb diet with lots of plants. Some even ate insects, but fortunately, this delicacy is not included in today’s modern interpretation of the paleo diet.
Chocolate and the Paleo Diet: A Delicate Balance
Since chocolate is made from chocolate or cacao beans, you might guess that chocolate poses the same issues. Delving deeper however, cacao beans are simple case of mis-naming. Although chocolate is not Paleo in the sense that ancient man was definitely not eating it by the bar, dark chocolate is allowed in moderation on the Paleo diet.
Read also: Paleo Granola Recipes
Many conventional chocolate bars are filled with vegetable oils and corn syrup, which are in no way part of a Paleo protocol or any healthy diet for that matter. Even high-quality and pricey dark chocolates can have a variety of unsavory ingredients.
Choosing the Right Dark Chocolate
When choosing your chocolate, it is incredibly important to pay attention to the ingredients. For most dark chocolate, a percentage (e.g., 60%, 72%, 85%, etc.) will probably be printed on the package. That percentage technically refers to the amount of cacao in the bar. Other than small amounts of other ingredients, the remaining percentage in this bar would be comprised of sugar. If you have been following your Paleo lifestyle for a while, you are most likely well aware of how you deal (or don’t deal) with eating sugar, and where your tolerance is for small amounts of processed sugar in your diet.
Milk chocolate is not a good choice as it contains dairy and large quantities of refined sugar, neither of which are part of the Paleo diet.
Cacao Content and Bitterness
When choosing your chocolate, you can optimize its nutritional punch by looking for higher cacao and lower sugar content. In general, the darker the chocolate, the higher the cacao. However, cacao is fairly bitter, and the higher the percentage cacao, the more bitter it is. To counteract this bitterness, most commercial chocolate is sweetened.
Types of Dark Chocolate
- Bittersweet: Contains a minimum of 35% cacao solids. The most bitter chocolate contains at least 50% cacao solids but can contain varying amounts of sugar so be cautious. Read labels and see how much sugar is added.
- Semi-sweet: Also usually contains a minimum of 35% cacao solids. You probably think of semi-sweet being sweeter than bittersweet but that might not be the case. As with bittersweet, there are varying amounts of sugar in semi-sweet chocolate.
- Unsweetened: Unsweetened or baker’s chocolate contains almost no sugar and has a taste that is extremely bitter.
Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate
Studies show that cacao and dark chocolate can improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. This is in part due to flavanols in dark chocolate which can stimulate the endothelium, the lining of arteries, to produce Nitric Oxide. Oxidized LDL means that the LDL particle has reacted with free radicals making it highly reactive and capable of damaging other tissues including the lining of the arteries in your heart.
Read also: Paleo Diet Delivered: What You Need to Know
Dark chocolate has been shown to have a positive effect on blood sugar markers and reduce insulin resistance. The plant compounds and flavonols in dark chocolate have also been shown to improved blood flow to the brain. In the short term, the caffeine and theobromine, found in cocoa can improve brain function due to their stimulating properties.
Cocoa butter has been widely used to reduce or prevent stretch marks. Anandamide, a polyphenol which binds with cannabinoid receptors, is also present in chocolate. The endocannabinoid system stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, encouraging relaxation (your rest and digest system).
Antioxidant Powerhouse
The antioxidant capacity of dark chocolate, or more specifically the cacao bean, is un-matched. So all this talk about super foods like acai, pomegranate, and the latest thing found in some jungle can go to heck. An important thing to remember though is that processing the cacao bean through mixing, cutting, and adding ingredients lowers the antioxidant capacity.
Key Compounds in Dark Chocolate
- Theobromine: A mild stimulant with a slight diuretic effect that helps to push out toxins.
- Phenlethylamine: Mood enhancer and a low potency antidepressant. Works similarly to dopamine and adrenaline in the body. It can also increase levels of serotonin in the brain that can help if you are feeling down, depressed, or dealing with PMS.
- Polyphenols: Dark chocolate is loaded with polyphenols, especially flavonoids. Polyphenols are often cited as being extremely anti-inflammatory and contributing to lower rates of cardiovascular disease and even cancer.
Tips for Incorporating Dark Chocolate into Your Paleo Diet
Prioritize High Cacao Content
Always opt for 70% or darker and, for 85% and higher. Read labels and look for dark chocolate that has as little sugar as possible (under ten grams).
Avoid Vegetable Fats
Keep skimming and look for vegetable fat as an ingredient.
Read also: Paleo Mayonnaise Recipe
Look for Minimally Processed Chocolate
Store-bought dark chocolate is often processed and removes polyphenols and flavonoids. This process is called dutching and is done in order to remove the bitterness from polyphenols and flavonoids. Look for brands that mention that the chocolate was at a temperate of less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Practice Moderation
Moderation is always a safe bet, even when it comes to the things that are best for us. Exercise is great for us but too much can be detrimental. A square or two a day is a great way to kill a sweet tooth or to get in a quick snack if you need to stabilize your blood sugar levels.
Making Your Own Paleo-Friendly Chocolate Treats
If you'd rather make your own chocolate-y treat.
Raw Chocolate Bark Recipe
Add crushed nuts and/or seeds to the mixture. For more seasonal, delicious recipes, check out Chef Pete’s book - Paleo By Season.
Ethical Sourcing and Quality
Ethics is a key ingredient to the world’s best chocolate. Bean to bar chocolate is chocolate that is made from scratch by the same producer, starting from the raw cacao beans and ending with the finished chocolate bars and treats. This process allows the chocolate maker to control every aspect of the chocolate making, such as roasting, grinding, conching, tempering, and molding. Bean to bar chocolate is often more flavorful, nuanced, and ethical than mass-produced chocolate.