Thoughts On Daily Chocolate As A Major Source Of Nutrition

[Francisco]

I’ve been consuming chocolate pretty much every day for the past 4 months. Usually dark chocolate, but I generally prefer the taste of milk chocolate, although it’s hard to find good milk chocolate. The only place I can find good milk chocolate is Whole Foods, and that’s a bit of drive from where I live, so I don’t go there often. I often eat chocolate by the bar (3oz or so in each bar). I like chocolate because it tastes great, has a lot of important nutrients, and is calorically-dense, which is important to someone on a budget such as myself. I also recognize there might be some downsides to consuming chocolate every day as a primary source of calories. Oxalates are the first thing that I can think of. I don’t know too much about oxalates except that they bind certain minerals. Chocolate is also very high in iron and has a poor phorsphorus/calcium ratio. I think the oxalates bind to a lot of the iron making it safer though, but I’m not sure. Do oxalates bind to all minerals? If so, then that would make the magnesium, copper, zinc in chocolate basically worthless right? Am I missing anything here?

 

[redsun]

I’ve been consuming chocolate pretty much every day for the past 4 months. Usually dark chocolate, but I generally prefer the taste of milk chocolate, although it’s hard to find good milk chocolate. The only place I can find good milk chocolate is Whole Foods, and that’s a bit of drive from where I live, so I don’t go there often. I often eat chocolate by the bar (3oz or so in each bar). I like chocolate because it tastes great, has a lot of important nutrients, and is calorically-dense, which is important to someone on a budget such as myself. I also recognize there might be some downsides to consuming chocolate every day as a primary source of calories. Oxalates are the first thing that I can think of. I don’t know too much about oxalates except that they bind certain minerals. Chocolate is also very high in iron and has a poor phorsphorus/calcium ratio. I think the oxalates bind to a lot of the iron making it safer though, but I’m not sure. Do oxalates bind to all minerals? If so, then that would make the magnesium, copper, zinc in chocolate basically worthless right? Am I missing anything here?

Chocolate has almost no vitamins, just some minerals. I am not familiar with their bioavailability but no chocolate cannot be a major source of nutrition. You can eat it like it was of course, you can eat whatever want but its low in nutrients and will not work as a source of nutrition except the minerals. Its an acceptable side food to eat in small quantities daily in my opinion if you are going to eat it.

 

[Taotatoes]

Chocolate is not a form of heme iron, so it's not a worry imo unless you're eating insane amounts. You could try making your own chocolate if its a regular craving and you're worried about the cost? I make homemade truffles quite often using dates, honey and cocoa powder as a base with toasted coconut as a coating. I don't see it being detrimental to one's overall health unless its a poor quality product.

 

[Tristan Loscha]

Chocolate is not a form of heme iron, so it's not a worry imo unless you're eating insane amounts. You could try making your own chocolate if its a regular craving and you're worried about the cost? I make homemade truffles quite often using dates, honey and cocoa powder as a base with toasted coconut as a coating. I don't see it being detrimental to one's overall health unless its a poor quality product.

Did you read what the OP stated?
How it can be not detrimental to ones overall Health,care to elaborate,?
Its his primary source of Calories after all.

 

[Taotatoes]

Did you read what the OP stated?
How it can be not detrimental to ones overall Health,care to elaborate,?
Its his primary source of Calories after all.

Oops, missed that part, mobile browsing on bus distracted I guess. My apologies. Curious now as to why its making up the bulk of his calories when there's actually cheaper better sources.... still not entirely sure its a major detriment (if consumed in moderation) on a daily basis. There were many months I got most of my calories from commercial ice creams and I'm okay... I think.

 

[foodandtheworld]

I had to look up the nutritional information on dark chocolate as it was something I never considered before as a nutrient dense food. The amount of minerals is interesting, though I don't know about the absorption and any long term issues of eating a bar everyday: Candies, chocolate, dark, 70-85% cacao solids Nutrition Facts & Calories

 

[Literally]

Having just visited oxalate toxicity, chocolate is quite high.

 

[Francisco]

I’m mostly concerned about oxalates. I saw a thread discussing them here but I haven’t checked it out yet.
Also, I didn’t mean to say it was my MAIN source of calories, but that it is a MAJOR source of my calories. Maybe close to 25% or more.
I know chocolate isn’t the cheapest thing by price alone, but when you take into account the calories then I think it’s worth the price. I’m making an effort to eat more calories because I’ve been chronically undereating for over a year and that’s probably had the most detrimental effect on my health, and chocolate is an easy way to get a lot of calories.

 

[Taotatoes]

I’m mostly concerned about oxalates. I saw a thread discussing them here but I haven’t checked it out yet.
Also, I didn’t mean to say it was my MAIN source of calories, but that it is a MAJOR source of my calories. Maybe close to 25% or more.
I know chocolate isn’t the cheapest thing by price alone, but when you take into account the calories then I think it’s worth the price. I’m making an effort to eat more calories because I’ve been chronically undereating for over a year and that’s probably had the most detrimental effect on my health, and chocolate is an easy way to get a lot of calories.

I wasn't worried about oxalate until today, but now I'm thinking of doing a few more tweaks. Lol. What's the rest of your diet like these days? How are you doing? Undereating really is so detrimental to one's health, it's hard to find balance that's for sure.

 

[Tarmander]

Some heavy metal concerns depending on sourcing

 

[ExCarniv]

make homemade truffles quite often using dates, honey and cocoa powder a

Care to share the recipe? Seems yummy.

 

[Tristan Loscha]

I’m mostly concerned about oxalates. I saw a thread discussing them here but I haven’t checked it out yet.
Also, I didn’t mean to say it was my MAIN source of calories, but that it is a MAJOR source of my calories. Maybe close to 25% or more.
I know chocolate isn’t the cheapest thing by price alone, but when you take into account the calories then I think it’s worth the price. I’m making an effort to eat more calories because I’ve been chronically undereating for over a year and that’s probably had the most detrimental effect on my health, and chocolate is an easy way to get a lot of calories.

People have problems because they were going the easy way.
I would advise against junk Food in general and would recommend Butterfat and Bananas as Hi-Calorie-Foods.

 

[Homo Consumericus]

I’ve been consuming chocolate pretty much every day for the past 4 months. Usually dark chocolate, but I generally prefer the taste of milk chocolate, although it’s hard to find good milk chocolate. The only place I can find good milk chocolate is Whole Foods, and that’s a bit of drive from where I live, so I don’t go there often. I often eat chocolate by the bar (3oz or so in each bar). I like chocolate because it tastes great, has a lot of important nutrients, and is calorically-dense, which is important to someone on a budget such as myself. I also recognize there might be some downsides to consuming chocolate every day as a primary source of calories. Oxalates are the first thing that I can think of. I don’t know too much about oxalates except that they bind certain minerals. Chocolate is also very high in iron and has a poor phorsphorus/calcium ratio. I think the oxalates bind to a lot of the iron making it safer though, but I’m not sure. Do oxalates bind to all minerals? If so, then that would make the magnesium, copper, zinc in chocolate basically worthless right? Am I missing anything here?

Phytic acid

 

[Tristan Loscha]

Phytic acid

+1

 

[Homo Consumericus]

+1

I was surprised you hadn't mentioned it. You've made some great posts about this in the recent thread where commenters were ranking problematic foods. Considering how much phytic acid is in dark chocolate, I wonder if any of the magnesium, iron, manganese and copper is absorbed.

 

[Tristan Loscha]

I was surprised you hadn't mentioned it. You've made some great posts about this in the recent thread where commenters were ranking problematic foods. Considering how much phytic acid is in dark chocolate, I wonder if any of the magnesium, iron, manganese and copper is absorbed.

Thank you!

haha,but i actually quoted a member here,who made the nice ranking of of the quality of grain,beans etc.
Phytic acid is higly capable of absorbing all important micros,zinc of course also,
only copper im not so sure of.In most grain-type foodstuff,phytic acid comprises about 60 to 95 percent
of the Plant phosphorous,so it is enormous amount of very stable chelation.I recommend on these grounds against grain-
consumption even as a side-dish.

 

[Homo Consumericus]

Thank you!

haha,but i actually quoted a member here,who made the nice ranking of of the quality of grain,beans etc.
Phytic acid is higly capable of absorbing all important micros,zinc of course also,
only copper im not so sure of.In most grain-type foodstuff,phytic acid comprises about 60 to 95 percent
of the Plant phosphorous,so it is enormous amount of very stable chelation.I recommend on these grounds against grain-
consumption even as a side-dish.

You would recommend even against refined grains such as white rice varieties?

 

[Literally]

Phytic acid (look up IP6) also seems to be a prominent anti-carcinogen. Traditional diets took step to reduce it but did not eliminate it. Nor does it block "all important micros" in the quantitative sense (although I think Tristan just mean qualitatively, it interferes with all the important ones).

It is also commonly advised here to eat veggies with liver to block iron. What do you think is doing that, smile?

 

[Dave Clark]

I have read that in some cultures the ones that eat refined grains have higher cancer and heart disease rates, as opposed to the adjacent countries that eat whole grains. The much maligned phytic acid is also lowering iron levels, and we know iron is a free radical catalyst and is behind many diseases. The refined grains, which not only lack the phytic acid to remove iron, are often fortified with reduced iron, making it a double edge sword. The phytic acid has a greater affinity to iron than other minerals, which they are made up in the diet via other sources if one is eating correctly. No particular mineral deficiencies were detected in cultures eating whole grains.

 

[Literally]

Trying to think of the fellow's name, who wrote about relationship between meat consumption and phytic acid in traditional diets. 'Paleo' guy who also writes science fiction or something?