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Chocolate has long been a favorite cure for the sweet tooth. Our love affair with chocolate has led to the creation of innumerable snacks containing it. Unfortunately, these scrumptious snacks are usually laden with fat and sugar.

Although there has been a lot of negativity toward chocolate for many years, it’s not all bad. You might be surprised to hear that dark chocolate is actually good for you. But much to the chocolate lover’s delight, it’s true. Study after study has extolled the health benefits of chocolate.

What Chocolate Does for Us

The power of chocolate lies in one ingredient: cocoa. Cocoa is derived from cocoa beans, which are positively loaded with a certain type of antioxidants called flavonoids. Flavonoids are found in tea, red wine and many fruits and vegetables, but cocoa contains more flavonoids than any of them.

Flavonoids have numerous health benefits. They are especially good for the heart. Flavonoids have been proven to lower blood pressure, one of the most frequent factors in developing heart disease. It’s also believed that they help maintain flexibility in the arteries and prevent blood clots. These effects can significantly reduce one’s risk of heart attack or stroke.

Another benefit of flavonoids is that they stimulate the immune system. This increases our chances of fighting off allergens and viruses. It can also help prevent the development or growth of cancer.

There is another benefit of chocolate that may not come as much of a surprise: it’s good for our mental health. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a chemical that acts on the brain to produce feelings similar to those we experience when falling in love. Chocolate also causes the body to release endorphins, which are present naturally in our bodies and promote feelings of happiness.

Getting Maximum Benefits from Chocolate

The benefits of chocolate are great, but there are some important things to remember when eating chocolate for health. First of all, the milk chocolate that is present in most candy bars and other chocolate items in the United States provides little, if any, of the benefits of pure cocoa. Milk actually negates the effects of the flavonoids present in the chocolate. It’s dark chocolate, particularly that with at least 70% cocoa content, that provides the most antioxidants. But even dark chocolate should not be eaten with milk.

As much as we might like to think so, eating large amounts of chocolate will not improve our health. Even dark chocolate contains large amounts of fat. About 1/3 of this fat is oleic acid, which reduces bad cholesterol and is good for the heart. The other 2/3, however, is saturated fat, which increases cholesterol. Add to that the sugar and additional ingredients present in many chocolate products, and you can see why moderation is the key.

While eating pounds of chocolate each day would be very bad for your health, eating a small amount of dark chocolate provides many health benefits. So the next time you have a chocolate craving, go ahead and indulge a little. Just make sure it’s the right kind of chocolate, and pat yourself on the back for doing something that’s good for you.

This is a Great Cookbook – Chocolate Recipes for Chocolate Lovers.