Choose Dark Chocolate this Halloween

Spooky Season is here, and we all know how tempting those sugary candies can look after a night of costumes and haunted houses. While your typical Halloween options may not be the healthiest, dark chocolate offers a rich flavor with an abundance of beneficial antioxidants and minerals, making it both a healthy trick and tasty treat!

Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Compared to other forms of chocolate, dark chocolate offers extensive nutritional benefits. Made from the seed of the cacao tree, one 3.5-oz bar of dark chocolate (with 70–85% cocoa) contains 11 grams of fiber, 66% of your iron, 57% of your magnesium, and 85% of your manganese for the day.  

Dark Chocolate Contains Health Benefits

Dark chocolate also contains heart-healthy fats like oleic acid and is chock-full of healthy antioxidants like polyphenols, flavanols and catechins, among others. (Heart health is extra important for our generous donors!) Plus, dark chocolate is lower in sugar than those with a lesser cacao percentage (we recommend quality dark chocolate with 70% or higher cacao content), adding to its many benefits. 

Of course, a 3.5-oz bar is a lot of chocolate to consume in one day, especially when you consider the accompanying calories and sugar but dark chocolate – within moderation – can be a healthy alternative.

Reward Yourself

And, with all the perks of this classic sweet treat, it only makes sense to use it as a reward for your next blood donation! Reward yourself before or after, or both! You can enjoy double the satisfaction by celebrating how your one donation may help save more than one life with a little dark chocolate delight.

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash