SparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more

FORUM:

Diet and Nutrition

TOPIC:

Thoughts on chocolate covered coffee beans?

Click here to read our frequently asked Diet and Nutrition questions.

SparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more

KTRIBE808

Posts: 1,564
2/8/12 9:39 P

Although I HATE drinking coffee, I LOVE dark chocolate covered espresso beans. I lovingly refer to them as chocolate covered speed. So flavorful, a few do the trick. The first time I ate a full serving (like 14 beans) around 8 pm and wondered why I was still up at 4 am the next morning! To a non-coffee drinker, these really pack a punch!

DIETITIANBECKY

Posts: 24,598
2/8/12 5:55 P

For the benefits of chocolate, you are looking for dark chocolate at least 70% cocoa. And still this should be kept to a 1 ounce portion only 3-4 times a week.
For the caffeine...the recommendation for a healthy adult, is less than 400 milligrams daily.

Dietitian Becky

BITTERQUILL

Posts: 1,175
2/8/12 4:11 P

These are very good. On the plus side, if you buy a good brand with real chocolate and nice beans, they are so flavorful that it only takes three or four to satisfy a craving.

COWGIRLENUF

SparkPoints: (3,788)
Fitness Minutes: (2,476)
Posts: 50
2/8/12 4:08 P

You might be surprised at how caloric they are. I just recently checked out the nutrition panel on some Moonstruck Chocolates Dark Chocolate coffee beans and was surprised. They're good chocolate, and I'm sure quite tasty, but I'd rather have something else than spend 21 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per bean. I found the nutrition label online here:
www.fatsecret.com/Diary.aspx?pa=fjrd&rid=1
836025
Moonstruck is a premium chocolate company, but I imagine other brands probably have similar stats.

LULU8278

Posts: 313
2/8/12 2:21 P

I love roasted espresso beans covered in real, dark chocolate. I'm satisfied with just having 2 or 3 of these. I rarely eat them though, but when I do I savor them!

NOTBLUSHING

Posts: 19,141
2/8/12 2:13 P

Both coffee and cocoa are rich in antoxidants. If they are natural roasted and covered in very dark chocolate, I'd give them a thumbs up.
The trick with these (and a lot of healthy treats) is limiting yourself to a very small handful. I love raisins, dates, figs, and nuts, but they are all high in calories; so exercise prudence.

WOLFSPIRITMOM

SparkPoints: (63,157)
Fitness Minutes: (58,309)
Posts: 6,377
2/8/12 12:40 P

Not for me, just want plain coffee.

ANARIE

Posts: 11,037
2/8/12 12:38 P

The drawback is that often the coating isn't actual chocolate, so it doesn't have the health benefits of dark chocolate. Find the ingredients and make sure you're not eating cocoa-flavored vegetable oil. Another drawback is that they have quite a bit of caffeine, though it's hard to know exactly how much. On the other hand, the advantage is that because they have a strong taste, you'll probably eat fewer total calories.

LAETU5

Posts: 1,404
2/8/12 12:29 P

Since dark chocolate has nutritional benefit in small amounts it would depend on what the coffee beans are covered in. It also would depend on how much you would eat of the chocolate coffee beans verses plain chocolate. Also, if you drink coffee then eating coffee beans may give you too much.

Ultimately, it's a treat so either way it needs to be eaten moderately so any nutrition in it is going to be minimal compared to other things you eat throughout the day.

LADYBUGLEX

SparkPoints: (11,832)
Fitness Minutes: (4,478)
Posts: 544
2/8/12 12:25 P

I tried chocolate covered coffee beans for the first time today... they have a nice mix of chocolate & espresso flavor. Anyone else have these before? Do you think its a good alternative to just plain chocolate (nutritional value, if any)?

Page: 1 of (1)

Thoughts on chocolate covered coffee beans?

Other Diet and Nutrition Topics: