Flavonoid Rich Chocolate
Not all dark chocolate is the same.
Many companies use processes that destroy or remove the heart-healthy flavonoids from dark chocolate. Dutch or alkali processed cocoa has most of the flavonoids stripped away, so try to avoid chocolate made with it.
Conversely, the Mars Corporation has developed a process called Cocoapro that retains a high level of the flavonoids in the cocoa. In fact, Dove makes a dark chocolate bar that is so high in flavonoids that it is used in research studies.
Generally, the darker the chocolate is, the better. Information on flavonoid levels in different brands of dark chocolate is hard to find. Dove is the only one that I’ve seen concrete information about, but other high-quality brands likely have decent levels of flavonoids as well.
So, to sum up, avoid Dutch or alkali processed cocoa, go as dark as possible, and look for the Cocoapro label on Mars products.
