Today’s chocolate bars are made from cacao beans, cacao butter, sugar, and milk or milk powder. The percentage on a bar represents how much of the bar by weight is made up of cacao beans and cacao butter together, known as cacao mass.
According to John Hopkins nutritionist Diane Vizthum, antioxidants in dark chocolate can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of blood clotting while helping to reduce coronary heart disease.
Naturally, almost anything can be bad for you in too-large quantities. However, when it comes to chocolate, one of the biggest health risks is weight gain. This is especially true in milk or white chocolates containing more butter and sugar than most dark chocolates.
Unsweetened baking chocolate is typically made of 100% chocolate, without added sugars and flavors. It’s a much better option for recipes that call for “chocolate” and not “chocolate chips” specifically, as chocolate chips are specifically preserved to not melt under heat.