Dark chocolate vs milk chocolate: Which one is better?

If you like Bournville or a Milky Bar, you will also know that the dark chocolate vs milk chocolate debate has been going on for quite some time.

It's tough to find a clear winner because of their different tastes and nutritional value. Many prefer one over the other, as it depends on your tastebuds and what kind of nutrition you are expecting out of a bar of chocolate.

The ingredients used to make them are different. In the dark kind, there's a higher amount of cocoa, compared to the other one. There is milk in milk chocolates, as the name tells you, along with added sugars, and in the dark variant, there's no milk, and the sugar profile is low too.

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Dark chocolate vs milk chocolate: Dark chocolate and its taste

Dark chocolate vs milk chocolate: Dark chocolate has high amounts of cocoa beans. (Image by Etty Fidele/Unsplash)

This product is made with a higher concentration of cocoa beans, which makes it different in flavor compared to other variants, as the dark and unsweetened variants contain 55-90 percent cocoa in them, which makes them addictive and also adds to their taste.

The higher concentration of these cocoa beans makes them more expensive too. They represent the taste of cocoa beans, are more bitter compared to most chocolates, and can have different flavor notes, depending on the type of beans that have been used while making it.

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Milk chocolate and its taste

Dark chocolate vs milk chocolate: There is milk added to milk chocolate that enhances its texture. (Image by Daniel Sinoca/Unsplash)

There is milk in this product, and lower amounts of cocoa, which alters the flavor and makes it sweeter, and this product is the most consumed one in this category.

As the amount of cocoa beans that are used is less, it's less expensive than dark chocolates and not too addictive. It also contains more sugar, so it's sweeter, and the milk gives it a smooth and creamy finish and texture.

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Dark chocolate vs milk chocolate : Nutrition profile

Hundred grams of dark chocolate comes with 70-90% cocoa, 11 grams of fiber, and very little sugar. It also has other minerals like iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, potassium, phosphorus and manganese in healthy amounts.

The milky variant contains 10-50% cocoa only, comes with milk and sugar in large amounts, and has higher amounts of calcium, but all other minerals are much less compared to dark chocolate.

Although it has fewer calories and low fat, that does not make it healthier, as it contains deficient amounts of fiber and has more sweeteners.

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Is dark chocolate better than milk chocolate?

Dark chocolate vs Milk Chocolate: The dilemma (Image by KamranAydinov on Freepik)

Yes, unsweetened and bitter variants are better than others on any given day, because of their low sugar and fat content.

It also has higher amounts of flavanols, because of the rich concentration of cocoa beans. Moreover, flavonols can produce nitric oxide in the body, which can improve blood health, lower blood pressure and decrease chances of strokes and heart attacks.

The brain will also function better because of improved blood flow, which makes dark chocolate superior to milk chocolates.

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Have both dark and milk chocolate occasionally, but do not overindulge, as they both contain fat and sugar, which makes both unhealthy.

Before buying a bar of candy, check the nutritional label, and select the one with lower amounts of sugar and fats and more cocoa. You can even opt for sugar-free or fat-free versions.