Chocolate: The Best Vegetable

Every parent has said it, every kid has heard it: “You don’t need more candy; if you’re hungry, you can have a fruit or a vegetable.” And believe me, I have heard that quite a lot, but what if you actually are having a vegetable when you eat chocolate?

Let’s start with some stats. Every year, 373 million Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars are sold. Every day, the Hershey Company produces 80 million Hershey Kisses. In the US, 2.5 billion pounds of chocolate are sold each year. And, of course, chocolate is sweetest each year when over 58 million pounds of chocolate are sold for Valentine’s Day. It is regarded as one of the tastiest treats, but few stop to think about the nutritional value.  

To understand the nutritional value, we need to understand how chocolate is made. The production of chocolate starts with a cacao tree. The pods are harvested, and then the seeds, which are known as beans, from inside the pods are fermented. The fermentation process starts as soon as the pod is cracked open and the seeds are exposed to the air. On average, fermentation takes about a week. After the beans have been fermented, the drying process starts. 

Drying the beans removes the moisture; if the moisture is not removed, then fermentation continues, affecting the flavor and potentially leading to problems during the next step, roasting. The beans are roasted in ovens, both to help the flavor and to kill off any bacteria. Then the beans are ground, releasing a paste that is the key ingredient in the production of chocolate. Typically, this is when sugar, cream, or any other ingredients in the chocolate are added. Finally, the chocolate is tempered and then shaped. 

Now that you understand how chocolate is made, let's talk about nutrition. Chocolate is rich in iron, magnesium, potassium, and copper. All of these are important for blood and heart health. Also present in smaller amounts are many of the vitamins you usually intake from vegetables. 

In conclusion, unfortunately, chocolate is not a vegetable, and with all the sugar, it certainly isn’t a supplement. In good news, though, if someone tells you that you need more nutrition than a chocolate bar, you can just tell them about the important nutrients that ARE in chocolate.

• “How Is Chocolate Made Step-By-Step?” Whitakers Chocolates UK, 2026, www.whitakerschocolates.com/blogs/blog/how-is-chocolate-made-step-by-step?srsltid=AfmBOoq9a5dLjlWfGhcMOmG8gE0OA2_qigerr2-QLNPH22DFiknTqmLT. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.

• Ledbetter, Nicholas Molinari, Rachel. “Valentine’s Day Spending Boosts Business, Economy.” Www.uschamber.com, 13 Feb. 2024, www.uschamber.com/economy/how-valentines-day-is-brought-to-you-by-american-business.

• “Our Brands.” Thehersheycompany.com, 2026, www.thehersheycompany.com/content/hersheyland/en-us/home/our-brands/hersheys.html. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.