On 20th January 2017, the British Heart Foundation tweeted an attack on cocoa.
I didn’t see it until someone brought it to my attention yesterday. I tweeted back the nutritional information for cocoa powder, because it is one of the richest sources of minerals on the planet.
Then I reflected on the irony – or is it ignorance or conflict to be more accurate – of an organisation that promotes Flora margarine while attacking cocoa. So, for the convenience of others, here is cocoa powder vs a standard margarine product. Flora specific nutritional information is here, but that’s just confirming that vitamins A and D have been added (see ingredients) because ‘gunge’ doesn’t come with its own nutrition.
The comparison per 100g is bad enough – a comparison per 100 calories would be even worse.
Why is The British Heart Foundation attacking a natural source of macro and micro nutrients – minerals especially – in favour of industrialised “Water, vegetable oils in varying proportions (45%) (sunflower, linseed, palm and rapeseed), BUTTERMILK, salt (1.4%), emulsifiers (mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, sunflower lecithin), natural flavouring (contains MILK), preservative (potassium sorbate), citric acid, vitamins A and D, colour (carotene)“?!
| (All per 100g of product) | Cocoa | Margarine |
| Calories | 228 | 717 |
| Nutrition score | 56 | 4 |
| Protein Quality | 90 | 0 |
| Fat | 14 | 81 |
| Carb | 58 | 1 |
| Protein | 20 | 0 |
| Water/minerals | 8 | 18 |
| Vitamins | ||
| A (IU) | 0 | 0 |
| B1 (Thiamin) (mg) | 0.1 | 0 |
| B2 (Riboflavin) (mg) | 0.2 | 0 |
| B3 (Niacin) (mg) | 2.2 | 0 |
| B5 (Pantothenic Acid) (mg) | 0.3 | 0 |
| B6 (mg) | 0.1 | 0 |
| Folic Acid (Folate) (mcg) | 32 | 1 |
| B12 (μg/mcg) | 0 | 0 |
| C (mg) | 0 | 0 |
| D (IU) | 0 | 0 |
| E (mg) | 0.1 | 5.2 |
| K (μg/mcg) | 2.5 | 75 |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium (mg) | 128 | 3 |
| Copper (mg) | 3.8 | 0 |
| Iron (mg) | 13.9 | 0.1 |
| Magnesium (mg) | 499 | 1 |
| Manganese (mg) | 3.8 | 0 |
| Phosphorus (mg) | 734 | 5 |
| Potassium (mg) | 1,524 | 18 |
| Selenium (mcg) | 14.3 | 0 |
| Sodium (mg) | 21 | 654 |
| Zinc (mg) | 6.8 | 0.1 |