By Taylor Romanowski

Published 2.1.11

We all love chocolate, some of us just can’t resist it, but what if we told you that chocolate is actually a nourishing and wholesome food for the body? Whaattt? That’s right, the word is out… chocolate is good for you! Before you get too excited and reach for that chocolate candy bar or slice of chocolate cake you may want to keep reading, not all forms of chocolate are nutritious; it’s the dark kind that is…

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and if your plan involves picking out a box of chocolates for your special someone you may be picking something out that’s far greater than that little red heart box… Transfer over to the dark side and leave that milk chocolate behind in the dust. A new study has found that eating high-quality chocolate once or twice a week is good for that ticker of ours, providing a one-third lower risk of developing heart failure. Now that’s some good news for all us chocolate lovers out there.

When it comes to chocolate, bitter is best. The purest chocolates, like unsweetened baking chocolate, have a bitter taste to them, meaning that most of the chocolate consumed contains sugar. Many ingredients added to chocolate raise its caloric and fat content and lower its antioxidants. For all us milk chocolate lovers, the time may be here to make the switch.

Dark chocolate’s bitter taste comes from cocoa beans that are processed into cocoa solids and cocoa butter. The solids contain antioxidants – the higher the percentage of cocoa content in the chocolate, the more antioxidants inside. What’s better for you is listed right there on the package, so next time your just dying for some chocolate, choose the one with the higher percentage of cocoa. Your body, mind and soul with thank you.

Now that we’ve tried to persuade you to make the switch to the dark side, you’re probably wondering what all those great benefits that delicious morsel holds…

Because Our Bodies Are Our Temples –

• Listen To The Beat – Dark chocolate is rich in minerals such as magnesium and copper, these minerals aid in regulating normalblood pressureand subsequently, maintaining proper heartbeat levels.
• Go To Your Happy PlaceEating a delicious piece of chocolate not only tastes good but has been found to possibly reducestresslevels; it works by stimulating the production of endorphins that may give rise to a happy feeling.
• Groove To The MovementEating dark chocolate relaxes and makes blood vessels more flexible, helping withblood circulation.It also decreases the risk posed by innumerable cardiovascular diseases.
• Heart To HeartIt has been medically proven that dark chocolatelowers cholesterol levels;reducing the bad cholesterol levels in the human body significantly, up to 10 - 12%.
• Exiting The Danger ZoneDark chocolate is a potentantioxidant. Reports from the National Institute of Food & Nutrition Research in Italy suggest that these antioxidants actually gulp up free moving radicals and other dangerous molecules that may be potential health hazards.
• Got A Case Of The Blues?–The serotonin level in dark chocolate may act as an effectiveanti-depressant. Dark chocolate contains serotonin, which has some of the qualities of anti-depressants.
• Spread The Love–Small intakes of dark chocolate boost yourheart’s health. Dark chocolate contains loads of poly phenols and anti-oxidants; the anti-oxidants present in dark chocolate help the fight against premature aging and heart diseases.
• Natural Pleasures–Dark chocolate containsendorphins, which aid in enhancing the production of endorphin, which results in the feeling of pleasure in human beings.

You can deprive the body, but the soul needs chocolate so this Valentine’s Day really show your loved ones how much you care with a gift of self-indulgence that gives back to the body.