Nutritionist reveals the truth about different types of chocolate and health

Nutritionist reveals the truth about the chocolate you love – so which option is the best for you?

  •  Dietitian Rebecca Gawthorne has revealed the truth behind each chocolate type
  •  She says milk chocolate’s lower in calories and saturated fat than dark chocolate
  • She also showed that vegan chocolate was highest in calories and saturated fats 

An Australian nutritionist has revealed the truth about different types of chocolate and how it impacts your health.

Sydney-based mum and dietitian Rebecca Gawthorne posted the helpful advice on Instagram while asking fans if they had been choosing dark chocolate of vegan chocolate over regular milk chocolate ‘thinking it is healthier’.

‘When comparing dairy milk to dark and vegan chocolate, dairy milk chocolate is actually lower in both calories and saturated fat than dark and vegan chocolate,’ she said.

Sydney-based mum and dietitian Rebecca Gawthorne posted the helpful advice while asking fans if they had been choosing dark chocolate of vegan chocolate over regular milk chocolate ‘thinking it is healthier’ 

She has revealed the truth about different types of chocolate and how they really effect your health

She has revealed the truth about different types of chocolate and how they really effect your health

The vegan chocolate she used in the comparison had almost double the amount of saturated fat than the dairy milk chocolate.

Rebecca said Easter can be a difficult time for people wanting to watch their health because consumers are ‘bombarded’ with messages about which chocolate is best.

But she thinks the approach needs to be different.

‘It is a soul food,’ she said.

Poll

Which chocolate do you like best?

  • Dark 80 votes
  • Milk 63 votes
  • Vegan 1 votes
  • White 11 votes

‘If you love the dark or vegan chocolate, then by all means definitely still keep eating them. But if you’re only having them because you think they are healthier, then this is a sign to just eat the chocolate you truly enjoy,’ she explained.

And her simple explanation blew the minds of her followers. 

‘This is something I needed to know, thank you,’ one woman said.

‘Yeah definitely. Will stick to normal Cadbury Easter bunnies this year,’ agreed another. 

‘I was really surprised by this. I love dark chocolate and eat it most nights but I must admit I was under the illusion it was healthier. That’s why I love and appreciate these types of posts,’ one mum said.

But some argued their are benefits to darker chocolate, or not going for the type you enjoy most.

‘Cadbury dairy all day long. But I do feel less inclined to eat loads if I have a piece of really dark chocolate. So it has benefits,’ one woman said.

The vegan chocolate she used in the comparison had almost double the amount of saturated fat than the dairy milk chocolate

The vegan chocolate she used in the comparison had almost double the amount of saturated fat than the dairy milk chocolate

'If you love the dark or vegan chocolate, then by all means definitely still keep eating them. But if you’re only having them because you think they are healthier, then this is a sign to just eat the chocolate you truly enjoy,' she explained

‘If you love the dark or vegan chocolate, then by all means definitely still keep eating them. But if you’re only having them because you think they are healthier, then this is a sign to just eat the chocolate you truly enjoy,’ she explained

Others disagreed with the advice and said for them the ingredients in each product were important.

They added that they prefer to choose dark chocolate because it is more nourishing.

Another fitness coach agreed and said she looks for chocolate without vegetable oil or refined sugar. 

Rebecca said if you enjoy vegan or dark chocolate then you should continue to, her advice is purely to help those who were under the impression they had to eat it to remain lean

Rebecca said if you enjoy vegan or dark chocolate then you should continue to, her advice is purely to help those who were under the impression they had to eat it to remain lean

The dietitian compared three blocks of chocolate for her post, Cadbury Dairy Milk milk chocolate, Lindt Excellence with 70 per cent cocoa and the creamy block from Loving Earth.

She found the Cadbury block had 535 calories and 19grams of saturated fat per 100grams.

The same amount of the Lindt chocolate had 559 calories and 24grams of saturated fat while the most calorie dense was the vegan chocolate.

It had  618 calories and 37grams of saturated fat.