Being vegan is definitely more of a lifestyle and philosophy choice than eating. We think that all of us could agree. A vegan diet means that you do not eat anything of animal origin (including dairy products and eggs), but there is a lot of choices that you have to make daily, regarding your vegan diet.

Vegans will also not use animal-based products for clothing or any other purpose – for some, this is the hardest part of veganism.

But, like in everything in life, even a vegan diet, you can satisfy your sweet tooth – and even, in this case, your choice should be a bar of dark chocolate.

This type of chocolate is known to be an ideal treat for anyone on a diet, even a vegan diet (look for the ingredients always, so that your chocolate does not have milk), but it is also less well known that this type of chocolate is also rich in various nutrients. Made from cocoa seed, it is a rich source of antioxidants and has so many other health benefits.

Also, studies show that dark chocolate can improve health and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Now, having said all of this only makes sense, if you buy high-quality dark chocolate with high cocoa content, and there are just a few that fulfill this condition.

Lindt is one of the most famous producers of chocolate in the world, and the products are extremely tasty and high quality. There are so many of them, and because chocolate is usually made out of milk, or with some amount of milk, vegans cannot enjoy this treat.

But, they make a line of chocolate called Excellence, and they may be more vegans oriented. But we must take a look at the ingredients list before we make a judgment.

Deliciously bitter, and healthy

Daniel Peter, a man from Switzerland, sampled with milk as an element in chocolate bars and in that way he was the one who made first milk chocolate.

As top masters in chocolate making, the Swiss completed its creation, and in the year 1879 Rudolf Lindt (Lindt is one of the most popular chocolate companies) created mouth-watering chocolate, ‘Chocolate fondant’, which we all enjoy today.

There are so many kinds of this chocolate, and the Swiss company is still one of the greatest on the planet, and their chocolate is truly the best.

Now, those who follow a vegan diet and adore chocolate must wonder, can they eat it – or is it vegan, since Switzerland is known for their perfect milk, and it is usually a part of chocolate bars.

Ingredients 

As far as their ingredients go, the simplest version is the one that is labeled as Excellence kind, they are dark, and they are made out of cocoa powder, cocoa butter, sugar and vanilla beans.

Others that are made with some other ingredients are made with, for example, anhydrous milk fat, and lime zest along with the soy lecithin.

In this case, this chocolate cannot be vegan, because it has milk inside.

But, if you take a look at their other kinds, that are more simplified and with the greater amount of cocoa beans (“darker”), they rarely have milk in them, so they are safer to eat, like vegans.

Is Lindt Dark Chocolate Vegan?

Some of their chocolate is made out of cocoa butter, cocoa powder, sugar and vanilla beans so vegans can eat them. Others are made with milk, so they are not included. All of these are vegan or plant-based. Those who have a problem with sugar will say that sugar or the manufacturing of sugar is the problem, so if you can check some more about the production of the sugar. Otherwise, they are vegan.

But, there is one other issue when it comes to Lindt chocolate – the people who make it because the company has been associated with numerous claims that their cocoa products are made by children. In recent years, the company is trying to move toward some more sustainable sources.

The white sugar that is used for manufacturing is made out of or with bone char, and it is not vegan. But Lindt 85 Excellence chocolate is made out of demerara sugar. This is another kind of sugar that is implied to be a darkened shade and is not associated with regular bone-char sugar. So, this kind is vegan. Those who want percentages can eat others made with sugar, but there is a 99 per cent certainty that they are vegan.

Is Lindt Dark Chocolate healthy?

When you think of eating antioxidant-rich foods, you probably have some fresh salad with seeds and olive oil in your plate, or maybe a broccoli mix with chicken and integral rice. But, black chocolate is also an amazing alternative with some additional benefits.

First of all, you must know that dark chocolate is not Milk-type milk chocolate, it does not have milk, and it has a lot of cocoa beans.

Of all types of chocolate, dark, dark chocolate is considered the healthiest and highest quality for a reason.

Dark chocolate contains a minimum of 50% cocoa parts (milk chocolate just to compare has 30%), which is the highest percentage of grain, with sugar, vanilla, soy lecithin.

It may be sweet or bitter, but what matters most in the whole health story is the basic ingredient – cocoa.

The principal thing in building dark chocolate as wholesome food is the great content of flavonoids. They are potent antioxidants that are important for the protection of organisms and muscles from the harmful effects of free radicals, unstable molecules that destroy our body.

Black chocolate contains significant amounts of two important minerals: magnesium and copper.

It is also very relevant to say that just about 40 grams of dark chocolate provides 15% of all daily needs for magnesium, which is important in energy production, strong bones, muscle recovery and nerve impulse transmission (numerous athletes eat a lot of organic dark chocolate).

The same amount provides 34% of the daily need for copper that helps the body produce neurotransmitters, effectively promoting cardiovascular health.

In addition to these two minerals, dark chocolate also contains phosphorus, potassium, and iron.

Do you want more? There is more – this black treat also provides the following health benefits: it is known that it protects the arteries and improves blood circulation.

Consuming dark chocolate has been shown to broaden the diameter of the coronary arteries, which means that the heart more easily receives the necessary oxygen for its work. It also can prevent arteriosclerosis that is common among older people, so they should it as much as they can.

Bad cholesterol becomes dangerous to blood vessels when exposed to free radicals, then oxidizes and sticks to the inside of our arteries. The more this, the greater the chance of obstruction of the arteries. Dark chocolate flavonoids, on the other hand, neutralize free radicals and dilute blood and in some perspective, they can help you fight cancer.

In the end, another health benefit of dark chocolate, and in this case, Lindt dark chocolate that is extremely quality is that it raises the level of good HDL cholesterol. Any upward shift in HDL cholesterol content also means less chance of cardiovascular disease – snack it whenever you have the chance.

Dark chocolate also works for making our mood better – some say that it is highly recommended to eat when you are in a bad mood or feeling depressed for some reason. A saying that you should eat a lot of chocolate when you are in a bad mood is no stupidity, it is true, but you should choose – the dark kind. The scientist has proven that dark pleasure improves mood and raises brain functions.

There is no reason not to eat one, and if you want to stick with your vegan diet, you can choose Lindt Excellence – look for the ingredients.

Summary

Black chocolate is the only treat allowed during the diet, and if you choose the Dark kind from Lindt, you can stick to your vegan diet. For its benefit, it is also recommended to consume it daily.

The ancient Mayans considered it the food of the gods and they were not wrong: chocolate is really good for health! Of course, this applies to dark chocolate. In fact, the darker the chocolate, the better your health is.

Chocolate lovers already know how good this candy is for the mood, as it stimulates the production of serotonin, better known as the happiness hormone. Black chocolate also elevates the heartbeat rate, and it can help you avoid stress and be calm.

It helps with mild anemia because of the iron content of it. Of course, you should not look for a reason to eat black chocolate instead of other, better sources of iron, because it is very high in calories.

So, to sum up, the entire story – the bars of dark chocolate that you can eat are their 85 and 99 per cent Excellence bars because they have demerara sugar in them. They are vegan, at least this kind, so you can eat it.

Others have regular sugar that maybe not vegan -they are Excellence Madagascar or Ecuador, etc.

If you are thinking about it, and you are not sure that it is vegan for sure, and then you can make your own dark chocolate – there are so many recipes online, and you can make it so easily. It does not need to bake it – in this case also buy high quality, if possible, organic ingredients.