Dark chocolate as an energy food? Salazon says 'yes!'

I’ve long been a fan a dark chocolate as a healthy mid-afternoon pick-me-up, perfect for that seemingly interminably long drag between 3 and 5. Just a couple of small bites give me a nice little burst of caffeine along with a small amount of sugar and I’m ready to get back at it and finish the day.

Healthy, you ask? Dark chocolate?

Sure. As opposed to its’ sugar-laden milk chocolate cousin, dark chocolate packs a lot of of good anti-oxidants into each tasty bite. Antioxidants gobble up free radicals, destructive molecules that are implicated in heart disease and other ailments. Studies have even indicated that dark chocolate can even be beneficial in fighting high blood pressure.

Still, it never occurred to me to take some dark chocolate with me on a bike ride. Along comes the makers of Salazon Chocolate, who on a hike in Utah decided that dark chocolate would make a perfect energy food.

They immersed themselves in the world of chocolate, visited organic cacao farms in the Dominican Republic and perfected their recipe (every bar is hand sprinkled with sea salt and other organic toppings) before putting their 100% organic, single-origin, small batch chocolate bars on the market.

So, it happens that I got a chance to try out their Sea Salt & Coffee chocolate bars.

First off, I gave it a try for my usual afternoon energy burst.

If definitely fit the bill, giving me the little lift I needed with an extra burst of flavor from the sea salt and coffee. Yes, dear readers, I could have downed the whole bar right then and there, but I held strong and saved some for the next day.

I had a bike ride scheduled the next day, so I made sure to have a few little squares of chocolate before I headed out. Sure enough, I felt a good little boost from the carbs and caffeine and was certainly peppier than I usually feel on my after work rides.

Now, it’s kind of hard to compare the effects of any energy bars on your body on a day over day basis. The benefits that you might receive from a given product would vary based on what you ate that day, how much sleep you’ve had and how much you’ve been training.

Compared to some other energy products that I had on hand, the Salazon chocolate doesn’t really measure up. Here’s a comparison to Sharkies Turbo Energy Chews:

	Salazon	Sharkies
Total Fat	14g	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0mg
Sodium	190mg	45mg
Potassium	—	20mg
Carbohydrates	23g	24g
Protein	2g	0g

While the carb boost is similar between the chocolate and the energy chews, most people don’t want to fill up with a 14g of fat before heading out on a ride. With me fighting high blood pressure and having to watch my salt intake, 190mg of sodium is a little concerning as well.

That said… the nutritional numbers were based on half a bar of chocolate and half a bag of the chews. While I would easily consume half a bag of the chews before or after a ride, I really doubt that I or anyone else would eat half a bar of chocolate (as tempting as that would be). Cut those numbers in half for the bar, and things start to look a little more attractive.

To conclude, while it may be a stretch to call a chocolate bar an energy food, it’s certainly a delicious occasional alternative to choking down something like a PowerBar before you ride.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Salazon Chocolate Bars for free from Salazon Chocolate as coordinated by Deep Creek Public Relations, an Outdoor Industry Public Relations Company, in consideration for review publication.