Chocolate — the very word tempts our senses. It conjures up visions of fragrant, smooth, melt-in-the-mouth treats, treats that chocolate manufacturers say are good for us. But are they?

Every time we bite into a sinfully delicious chocolate — often regarded as an aphrodisiac and a mood enhancer — what are we really eating? Usually, carbohydrates (starch, various sugars), fats (cocoa butter), cocoa solids, milk solids and emulsifiers, which enhance the smoothness of a chocolate (especially in milk chocolate whose added ingredients — dried milk and larger amounts of sugar — are prone to be grainy).

The ingredients do not appear to be healthy. Yet chocolate manufacturers are going all out to highlight its health benefits. Says Himanshu Manglik, spokesperson of Nestle India Ltd, “Nestlé has been leveraging its insights and global expertise in nutrition and technology to innovate and create new segments that will help consumers increase the wellness dimension even in this ‘indulgence’ category.”

Recent research has, in fact, shown that cacao beans, from which chocolate is made, have high amounts of flavonoids, which are good for cardiac health. But flavonoids give chocolate a bitter taste so they are often discarded at the manufacturing stage. “Only dark chocolate, not milk chocolate, contain flavonoids similar to those found in green tea,” says Tarun Prohoraj, cardiologist, B.M. Birla Heart Research Centre, Calcutta.

Cadbury recently launched a dark chocolate that has 44 per cent cocoa in it. That, however, does not mean that you can tuck into as much dark chocolate as you want. “Dark chocolate, like all other forms of chocolate, is high in calories. And a high calorie intake can lead to hypertension and diabetes,” warns Dr Prohoraj.

But manufacturers of chocolate have got something for diabetics too. Last year, Cadbury launched a brand of chocolate with “no added sugar”. It contains maltitol, an artificial sweetener. But here too all is not as it seems. The front of the pack proclaims that it is “suitable for people with diabetes”. But if you turn it over, you will notice an advisory, asking the consumer to refer to a physician for further guidance.

If you did go to a physician for advice, he would tell you that though the chocolate may be low on sugar, its high calorie value is detrimental to diabetics. As Dr Sadhan Goswami, a Calcutta-based physician who works in the field of diabetes, explains, “No matter what the company claims, a diabetes patient should stay away from chocolates. Sugar is not the only thing that contributes to diabetes. It is very important to keep a watch on the calorie count too.”

And chocolates — even ostensibly diabetic-friendly ones — do have a high calorie content. For instance, while a 100gm bar of plain chocolate from the same company contains 520 kilo calories, a 100gm bar of the “no added sugar” variety has 461.94 kilo calories — just 60 units less.

Of course, chocolate makers have turned their attention to the calorie conscious as well. One company recently launched a chocolate wafer that can be broken into three portions of 64 calories each to enable portion control. However, this product too might not be very healthy. Though the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act states that “chocolates shall not contain any vegetable fat other than cocoa butter”, two of the leading brands of chocolate-coated wafers available in India contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Some say that the high calcium content in milk and white chocolate is good for teeth and bones. But Durgapur-based dental surgeon Dr Tapesh Sen contests that claim. “Chocolates, or for that matter any sticky sweets, can be harmful for the teeth as they stick to them and can cause cavities. One should brush his / her teeth after eating chocolate so that there is less chance of caries or cavity formation,” he says.

A quality chocolate should ideally be made using only cocoa butter so that the antibacterial properties of cacao beans are not counteracted by the added sugar. “Dark chocolate has a high percentage of antioxidants, but milk chocolate has a higher degree of calcium. Nutrition is about balancing what you eat and thus everything, including chocolates, should be eaten in moderation,” says a spokesperson of Cadbury India Ltd.

Consumer activists point out that apart from the somewhat exaggerated claims made by manufacturers, the packaging and labelling of chocolates in India also leaves a lot to be desired. “If you compare Indian chocolates to foreign ones, you will see that they lag behind as far as packaging and labelling are concerned,” says Preeti Shah, senior director, Consumer Education and Research Centre, Ahmedabad. Labels on most Indian chocolates state “contains artificial and nature identical flavouring substances” but neither the names nor amounts of these are mentioned.

Moreover, poor packaging reduces the shelf life of chocolates, says Shah. “The packaging of foreign chocolates is so good that heat or moisture have little effect on them. The shelf life of foreign chocolates, therefore, is much more than their Indian counterparts,” she adds.

So have chocolates by all means. But have them in moderation. And remember that chocolates are really a pleasurable indulgence. If you want a healthy heart, carrots and tomatoes will probably work much better!