Diet guru Prof Tim Spector reveals the surprising health benefit of chocolate, meaning he eats it every day

We’ve long been told that eating sweets every day makes you fat, can lead to tooth decay and puts you at an increased risk of heart disease.

But chocolate can also be a treat that is beneficial for gut and brain health.

So says diet guru Professor Tim Spector, who says that eating just one portion of good quality dark chocolate is not only ‘tasty’, but also ‘good for us’.

Most surprisingly, four squares – 20g – of good quality, 70 percent dark chocolate, contain as much fiber as a slice of whole wheat bread.

The NHS states that a high fiber diet is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer.

While indulging in a giant bar of milk or white chocolate won’t give you a health boost, you can reap the benefits of eating just four squares, or 20 grams, of good quality 70 percent dark chocolate.

In a video on social media, the top nutritionist and founder of the ZOE diet app explained that cocoa beans are also packed with polyphenols.

In the TikTok video, which has been viewed 22,000 times, Professor Spector explains that it is the cocoa bean itself that contains these compounds that can reduce inflammation and keep the gut healthy.

He said: ‘We are talking about good quality chocolates with more than 70 percent cocoa in them, because it all comes from a plant.’

“The bean itself is packed with polyphenols that are made larger by the fermentation process, so those polyphenols are very healthy for us and give us many of the benefits of eating chocolate,” he added.

Polyphenols – a group of naturally occurring compounds found in plants that have antioxidant properties – are believed to help manage blood pressure and are linked to better heart and circulatory health.

They can help boost blood flow in our brains, which is essential for reducing the risk of vascular dementia, as a lack of blood flow ultimately kills brain cells, the NHS says.

The Zoe website also explains that because polyphenols are antioxidants, they can help dampen the effects of free radicals and reduce inflammation, which is a risk factor for heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

In the caption for the video, Professor Spector adds that cocoa is also a rich source of flavanols – a type of polyphenols – which can also improve our gut health.

‘These act as rocket fuel for your gut microbes, improving the growth and benefit of gut bacteria,’ he said.

Professor Spector says that a portion of dark chocolate contains more fiber than a slice of wholemeal bread

Professor Spector said that too: ‘It also contains fiber and a normal portion of dark chocolate contained more than double the fiber content of a slice of whole wheat bread.

‘So chocolate is a wonderful thing to have as a little treat at the end of the day, knowing that it is not only super tasty, but also very good for you.’

Government guidelines say we should all eat 30 grams of fiber a day as part of a balanced diet.

Just one 100 gram bar of dark chocolate contains 11 grams of fiber, while 100 grams (two slices) of whole wheat bread contains about 7 grams.