- Pros:
- Ghiradelli is America's longest continuosuly operating chocolate manufacturer
- Controls the entire process of chocolate-making from the cocoa bean to the chocolate
- Does not contain unsafe levels of cadmium, lead or other toxins
- Has 296mg of healthy flavanols per 4 sections
- Use top-quality beans from around the world and do rigorous testing
- Creamy,velvety texture caused by refinement process
- This dark chocolate is non-GMO (some Ghiradelli chocolates are)
Ingredients Concern: Sugar, 35mg of caffeine and 435mg of theobromine per four sections
Cons: Contains 3g of added sugar for total of 4g of total sugar
180 calories per 3 squares of chocolate
In 1849, Italian born Domingo Ghirardelli sails to America and opens a general store in Stockton, California, offering supplies and chocolate confections to miners. He then opens another store in San Francisco with a focus on high quality delicious chocolates with a sustainable supply chain. Since then, Ghiradelli chocolates have become one of the largest chocolate sellers in the world and control every aspect of the chocolate making process.
The flavanols in dark chocolate may benefit heart disease, memory (in those with mild cognition issues only), and mood and stress. It has very mild positive affects on lessening wrinkles. Those that eat chocolate with high levels of flavanols tend to have lower risk of heart disease. Cocoa flavanols may lower cholesterol in some and help with vascular function. Note that this chocolate bar is from the USA and it though it has a much higher content of flavanols than most chocolate bars sold in the USA - there are European bars that have more flavanols. ln 2012, the European Food Safety Authority said that cocoa flavanols help contribute to normal blood flow. The suggested amount of flavanols needed to potentially produce these results are below. Note that Ghiradelli's 86% Cacao chocolate bar has about 296 mg per 4 sections. Cardiovascular health: About 200 to 900 mg per day;
Blood sugar improvement: About 200 mg to 600 mg per day;
Memory function: About 500 to 900 mg per day;
Skin elasticity/wrinkles: 320 mg per day
Chocolate with high levels of flavanols can help modestly with heart disease [1], cholesterol levels [2], exercise, memory/cognition [5], skin wrinkles [4], and blood sugar control[5].
Chocolate bars are meant to be eaten in sections as to not consume to much sugar at once.
Keep your chocolate tightly wrapped and store in a cool, dry place at 60-75 degrees.
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
[1] Hooper L, Kay C, Abdelhamid A, Kroon PA, Cohn JS, Rimm EB, Cassidy A. Effects of chocolate, cocoa, and flavanols on cardiovascular health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. Am J Clin Nutr 2012;95:740–51.[2] Tokede OA, Gaziano JM, Djousse L. Effects of cocoa products/dark chocolate on serum lipids: a meta-analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr 2011;65:879–86.[3] Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to cocoa flavanols and maintenance of normal endothelium‐dependent vasodilation pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) First published: 17 July 2012 https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2012.2809[4] Hyun-Sun Yoon, Jong Rhan Kim, Gyeong Yul Park, Jong-Eun Kim, Dong Hun Lee, Ki Won Lee, Jin Ho Chung, Cocoa Flavanol Supplementation Influences Skin Conditions of Photo-Aged Women: A 24-Week Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 146, Issue 1, January 2016, Pages 46–50, https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.115.217711[5] Desideri G, Kwik-Uribe C, Grassi D, Necozione S, Ghiadoni L, Mastroiacovo D, Raffaele A, Ferri L, Bocale R, Lechiara MC, et al. Benefits in cognitive function, blood pressure, and insulin resistance through cocoa flavanol consumption in elderly subjects with mild cognitive impairment: the Cocoa, Cognition, and Aging (CoCoA) Study. Hypertension 2012;60:794–801.