There is some very good news for those of us who love chocolate.  Plain and darker the better!  While it still contains sugar, the darkest chocolate has many benefits! The cacoa should be 80% or higher.

Chocolate is derived from the roasted cacao beans.  The hulled meat of the bean, or the “nib,” is ground into a liquefied form then usually sweetened and flavored. 

The beans come from the seed pods of an evergreen tree that originally grew in Central and South America. Now grown around the equator, cacao tree plantations can be found in the Caribbean, Africa, Southeast Asia and even in the South Pacific islands of Samoa, New Guinea and Hawaii.



Chocolate contains hundreds of chemicals including the stimulant phenylethylamine, which creates a “feel-good factor”.

Eating a small amount of chocolate will probably prevent a chocolate binge.  So when you feel a craving, have a little.

Chemicals in chocolate called tannins actually prevent cavities from forming.

A chocolate bar has about 3-4 grams of protein.

Chocolate contains antioxidants called flavonoids, a category of polyphenols, which may prevent cell damage and reduce the risk of cancer and other age-related chronic diseases.  One study found that the polyphenol contents in chocolate is four times that found in tea.

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Chocolate is a plant-based food, and contains many nutrients found in other plant foods.

Chocolate is a good source of minerals copper, magnesium and calcium.

The fat in chocolate, comes from cocoa butter, is comprised of equal amounts of oleic acid (a heart health monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil), stearic and palmitic acids.  Stearic acid appears to have a neutral effect on cholesterol, neither raising nor lowering LDL-cholesterol levels.  Palmitic acid does affect cholesterol levels but only comprises one-third of the fat calories in chocolate.

Sadly, it is poisonous to pets!

It’s a common myth that chocolate aggravates acne.  Experiments conducted at the University of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Naval Academy found that consumption of chocolate – even frequent daily dietary intake – had no effect on the incidence of acne.

ENJOY IN MODERATION!