Choose a plain 70–74% bar if you want a familiar dark-chocolate treat; consider 85–100% cocoa if you prefer a more intense flavour and want to compare bars with less sugar. Check sugars and fat per 100g rather than relying on cocoa percentage alone. For exercise fuel or recovery, do not rely on a chocolate bar by itself: University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the British Dietetic Association describe different food needs around training.
A bar makes sense as something to enjoy during the day, but the choice changes if you need food for a particular training session or must avoid an allergen.
If you want chocolate between work, travel and training, choose the flavour and portion you will enjoy. If the snack is meant to fuel exercise or help you eat after it, consider the timing and the rest of your food instead of treating the bar as a complete solution.
Moving from 70% towards 85–100% cocoa changes the flavour as well as the nutrition figures. Compare sugars and fat on the same per-100g basis, then decide whether you would enjoy the more intense bar.
A vegan recipe does not settle whether a bar is suitable for someone with a milk or nut allergy. Read the ingredients and allergen warning on the exact pack, including any may-contain statement.
Decide whether the bar is a treat or food for training first. Then compare the flavour, label and pack details of the bars you are considering.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Training purpose | Check when you plan to eat and whether you need a treat or food around exercise. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes pre-exercise snacks containing carbohydrate and protein with minimal fat; the British Dietetic Association advises a low-fat, high-carbohydrate choice before exercise and carbohydrate-rich food afterwards. | If I am packing chocolate for enjoyment, I can choose by taste and portion. If I need food for a training session, I should plan that separately rather than rely on the bar alone. |
| Cocoa and sugars | Compare cocoa percentage alongside sugars and fat per 100g. Divine Chocolate lists 28.9g sugars for its plain 70% bar; Marks & Spencer lists 15.9g for its 85% bar; Montezuma's lists 0.6g for Absolute Black 100%. These are figures for those specific bars, not a rule for every cocoa percentage. | I may prefer a familiar 70% flavour, or accept a more intense cocoa taste when choosing a bar with less sugar. I still want to check fat rather than assume the higher-cocoa bar is lower in everything. |
| Allergens | Read the exact ingredients, allergen declaration and may-contain wording. Lindt says its EXCELLENCE 70% bar is made to a vegan recipe but is not suitable for people with a milk allergy. | If I avoid milk, nuts or another allergen, vegan wording alone is not enough for me to choose the bar. |
| Pack and storage | Check the bar weight, any stated portion and the pack's storage directions. A 90g or 100g retail bar is not automatically a single portion; Joybuy's Divine mint-bar information specifies cool, dry storage away from direct sunlight. | I want to decide how much to take before packing my bag and keep the chocolate away from heat while travelling. |
Lower sugars do not make a bar low in fat or suitable on its own for every exercise situation. The British Dietetic Association's guidance distinguishes lower-fat, carbohydrate-led food before exercise from carbohydrate-rich food after it.
Choose chocolate as a treat if that is what you want. If you are eating for a particular session, use the session's timing and your other food and fluids to guide the choice.
A bar can have a vegan recipe and still carry a milk or nut warning. Lindt explicitly says its EXCELLENCE 70% bar is not suitable for people with a milk allergy.
Check the current pack for the exact bar and do not choose one whose allergen warning conflicts with what you need to avoid.
The 90g and 100g bars discussed here are full retail bars. Eating a few squares and eating the entire bar are different amounts of the nutrition figures shown per 100g.
Choose the amount you want before leaving and pack the remainder separately where practical.
These examples show how plain, very dark and flavoured bars differ. Check the exact variant rather than applying one bar's label to everything a brand makes.
Ocado lists its organic, Fairtrade 70% dark chocolate as a 90g bar.
Divine Chocolate's plain 70% dark chocolate is a 90g bar.
Lindt EXCELLENCE 70% is a plain dark chocolate bar in a 100g format.
Its 90g FitzRoy Organic 74% and Absolute Black 100% bars offer distinct cocoa intensities.
Its Better Way Bar combines 70% dark chocolate with praline, crispy biscuit and cherry.
The M&S Collection 85% dark chocolate is a 100g bar.
These single bars cover very dark 85% cocoa, a plain 72% option and a 70% bar with raspberries. Choose by the flavour you want, then check the current pack for allergens and storage directions.
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An 85% cocoa bar to consider if you want a very dark chocolate treat rather than food to rely on for training. The listing says it may contain gluten, milk, nuts and peanuts; check the current pack if these matter to you, and keep it cool, dry and away from direct sunlight.
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Another 85% cocoa option for a very dark chocolate treat, not a stand-alone pre-exercise or recovery snack. The listing names nuts, milk, soya and sesame without clearly distinguishing ingredients from cross-contact warnings; check the current pack if relevant. Store it in a cool, dry place.
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This 90g bar offers an 85% cocoa choice for a gym-bag treat; its cocoa percentage does not make it complete workout food. The listing says it may contain almonds, hazelnuts and milk, so check the current pack if those allergens matter. Protect it from heat.
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Consider this plain 72% cocoa bar if you want a conventional dark chocolate treat rather than an 85% option. The listing says it contains soya and may contain gluten, milk, nuts and peanuts; check the current pack if relevant. Keep it cool, dry and away from direct sunlight.
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Choose this 70% cocoa bar if raspberry pieces appeal more than a plain dark bar; it is a treat, not complete training food. The listing gives conflicting wording about milk, so check the current pack before buying, particularly if you avoid milk. Store it in a cool, dry place.
Treat it as a chocolate snack rather than a default pre-workout choice. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes snacks 60–90 minutes before exercise as containing carbohydrate and protein with minimal fat; the British Dietetic Association advises a low-fat, high-carbohydrate snack or light meal two to three hours beforehand. Check what you need for your session rather than relying on a whole bar.
Do not assume a bar alone meets your needs after exercise. The British Dietetic Association advises carbohydrate-rich food when prompt refuelling matters, while University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes snacks containing carbohydrate and protein. Consider the chocolate alongside the food and fluids you have planned after training.
Choose by flavour preference and the exact nutrition label, not cocoa percentage alone. Divine Chocolate lists 28.9g sugars per 100g for its plain 70% bar, Marks & Spencer lists 15.9g for its 85% bar, and Montezuma's lists 0.6g for Absolute Black 100%. Their fat figures also differ, and none of those sugar figures establishes that a bar is suitable as workout fuel.
Not necessarily. Lindt says its EXCELLENCE 70% bar has a vegan recipe but is not suitable for people with a milk allergy; other bars discussed here carry may-contain warnings. Check the current ingredients and allergen declaration for the exact bar before choosing it.
Follow the pack's storage directions and keep the bar away from heat. Joybuy's Divine mint-bar information specifies a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Decide how much of a full bar you want to take, and pack the remainder separately if needed.