Approximately 10 to 15% of all children in Germany are appreciably overweight by the time they go to school. Body mass index (BMI) serves as the basis of calculation for this. This compares a person’s weight to their height. Their weight, measured in kilograms, is divided by their height, measured in squared metres. A BMI of 25 or more indicates excessive weight. A BMI of 30 or more means obesity.

These BMI figures are, however, only valid for adults. It is not possible to specify such values for children. This is because children are constantly growing and developing. Children are classified on a purely statistical basis. Children with a BMI higher than about 90% of all children are classified as overweight. If their BMI is higher than 97% of all children, they are classified as obese.

Apart from rare metabolic disorders (and an unbalanced diet), widespread overeating is, more than anything else, the main cause of excessive weight and obesity in industrialised countries. More calories than the body needs or uses are consumed over a long period.

Scientific studies show that children today do not consume more calories than 20 years ago. They do, however, clearly exercise less. According to a study by Munich University’s clinical centre, excessive weight occurs 1.7 times more frequently in school children who watch television or play computer games for more than 2 hours a day than in children who exercise enough.

Still commonly accepted is the idea that eating sweets is the main reason for becoming fat. However, according to a study by the Research Institute for Child Nutrition (FKE) in Dortmund, approximately only 18% of fats present in the diets of 10 to 14 year-olds derive from the consumption of sweets and pastries. It is likewise scientifically documented that chocolate, crisps, and sugary beverages, for example, appear just as frequently in the diets of underweight, normal, and overweight children. Their relevance in the development of obesity is clearly exaggerated. Therefore, chocolate or sweets cannot be held solely responsible for the development of excessive weight.

Social factors also play a role, alongside adequate exercise, balanced diet, and genetic disposition. The roles of parental example, education, and even gender are much more significant than has been accepted so far.

A balanced diet can only be ensured by eating a selection of food that is as varied as possible. There is no single food that contains all the nutrients needed by us, in the necessary quantities and correct proportions. The only exception to this is breast milk. A diet that only consists of steaks, muesli or salad is just as unbalanced as one that only consists of chocolate. All these foods should be considered when planning a balanced diet. In principle, chocolate is no different to other foods. Like all other foods, it offers important nutrients in different quantities and can also contribute to a balanced and varied diet.

However, not only the kind of the food, but also its quality, is decisive in a healthy, balanced diet. Producing chocolate of particularly high quality is very important to RITTER SPORT. We live up to this claim by using high-quality cocoa masses as well as the best, carefully selected ingredients.

The only remaining question is, how much? Anyone who moves a lot also uses a lot of energy. They must then replenish their body again with more energy. A person such as this can consume more calories without fear of harm, in comparison to someone who, for example, sits in an office all day.
Sugar is one of the most important ingredients for chocolate’s taste. Therefore, a good portion of it is present in most chocolate. For this reason, we don’t consider chocolate to be a food but a luxury. This sums it up: Chocolate should not be eaten for nutrition but for pleasure – and pleasure is allowed in measures.

Finally, we would like to dispel another misconception: a widespread belief that dark chocolate contains fewer calories than milk chocolate. This is incorrect: Dark chocolate does contain less sugar but it contains more fats. These are present in the form of cocoa butter. Therefore, the calorie contents of milk chocolate and dark chocolate are fairly similar. You can enjoy your favourite variety in peace – no matter how large its cocoa portion.

If you would like to know exactly how many calories are in each variety of RITTER SPORT, then take a look in the section: PRODUCTS.