5 FACTS ABOUT CHOCOLATE TO HELP YOUR HEALTH
Kiss Your Way
Get the benefits without the weight by eating a couple ounces per day. Invest in chocolate sold in squares, or kisses, that allow easy, small servings. Overindulging in chocolate can lead to more calories, and possibly weight, overshadowing the health benefits. Also look for brands with added cacao, such as Mars CocoaVia or Hershey's Cacao Reserve.
Forget White
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Chocolate made with lots of added milk, oil or sugar doesn't have as much of the heart healthy flavonoids. White chocolate doesn't have any.
Dark By Other Names
Don't be fooled. The FDA doesn't have a set definition for dark chocolate, the way it does for milk chocolate or cocoa. Most reputable manufacturers however, like Hershey or Mars Chocolate North America, call it dark chocolate, semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate when it contains at least 35 percent chocolate liquor (the product of pure cacao beans with the fat/cocoa butter removed--no alcohol).
Why Heart Flavonoids
Chocolate is made from the cacao bean, which has flavonoids--the antioxidant that is credited for decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke and improved blood flow andinsulin sensitivity (reducing the risk of diabetes).
Go Dark, Not Sweet
Pure cocoa, dark, semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolates have the most cacao, and therefore most health benefits.
