There are plenty of calories in dark chocolate, just as there are in other forms of chocolate. No chocolate can really be considered low calorie, but it is possible to find lower calorie formulations (such as lower sugar) and lower calorie packaging (smaller sizes). We all must recognize that dark chocolate is high calorie, so we must eat it in moderation.
Just How Many Calories?
So how do the calories in dark chocolate actually compare with the calories in milk chocolate or white chocolate? Since there are so many manufacturers, producing so many different chocolate products, it's just not possible to assign a calorie value to dark, milk, and white chocolate.
In general, we would expect fewer calories in dark chocolate, milk chocolate to have more, and white chocolate to have the most calories. Why? Because the darker the chocolate, the higher the percentage of raw cocoa and the fewer other ingredients, like sugar.
If we compare food labels, this general rule does appear to basically hold true, especially when comparing chocolates of the same manufacturer. For example, food labels show that Hershey's dark kisses have 4.39 calories per gram, while Hershey's milk kisses are 5.61 calories per gram.
A quick look at the products of a few other manufacturers shows a good amount of variation, but in general there are a little bit fewer calories in dark chocolate than in milk chocolate. But it is possible to find a dark chocolate with more calories than a milk chocolate. Just look at the Hershey's milk chocolate and the Lindt Excellence.
For example:
You may be wondering if the generally lower calories in dark chocolate compared to other chocolate is significant. Is 4.39 calories per gram of Hershey's dark kisses significantly better than 5.61 calories per gram of Hershey's milk chocolate kisses? Sorry, but the answer is "no". When compared to fruits and vegetables, which come in at less than 1 calorie per gram, all chocolate is high calorie, and the difference betwen 4.39 and 5.61 calories per gram doesn't make much difference.
Fruits and Vegatables:
Now What?
All of us who love dark chocolate must simply agree that we eat dark chocolate for pleasure, as a dessert, as a treat. To be healthy about it, we must eat our dark chocolate in small portions. And, while we can achieve some health benefits from modest amounts of dark chocolate in a well balanced diet, dark chocolate is not snack food, and it is not low calorie.
Still, there are ways to make our dark chocolate calories come out a little lower: either by restricting portion size, or with special formulations, such as low sugar or no sugar.
Restricted Calorie Portion Size
If you are very disciplined, you may already be fairly good at restricting the size of your dark chocolate dessert. Let's say you wanted your dark chocolate calories to come out to around 100. Do you know that this is five Hershey's Kisses (dark)? Or that two Dove dark chocolate pieces is 84 calories? Or that two Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares is 110 calories?
But, sometimes it's difficult to figure out how small a portion you should have, or it's difficult to be disciplined when the whole bar is already there, and already unwrapped, right?
So some manufacturers, such as Hershey's, Trader Joe's, Cadburry's, and others, have produced lower calorie packaging.
Lower Calorie Dark Chocolates
Just as there are sugar free colas, there are also sugar free dark chocolates...plenty of them. Tread carefully at first, and make sure that your body can handle the sugar substitutes (often maltitol). Some people have trouble (from mild to severe intestinal problems) with Maltitol, for example. And others report that manufacturer's claims of Splenda use often really contain Maltitol. It's good advice anyway, but you'll want to stick with small portion sizes with sugar free dark chocolates just as you would with regular dark chocolates.
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