Lately I have been asked a lot about chocolate.  More research has been coming out about it, and for the happiness of a lot of people, especially the chocolate manufacturers, the findings have been very encouraging.  With such buzz, it makes a great marketing tool.

Not all types of chocolates are the same.  White chocolate has no chocolate in it and is pure cocoa butter. It contains none of real chocolate’s healthy components.   Milk chocolate has some chocolate, but the great part of its volume is whole milk, thus leaving very little room for pure chocolate.  When I say pure chocolate I mean dark chocolate only and of course, the higher percentage of cocoa, the more of the healthy components.  Within these components is epicatechin which is a plant flavonoid.  Chocolate has a higher concentration of these flavonoids than green tea, red wine and blueberries.  Flavonoids are anti oxidants that keep cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels, reduce the risk of blood clots and trigger the release of active substances that improves blood flow in the arteries improving circulation and heart health.  In addition, other benefits have been linked to eating chocolate, but conclusive studies have yet to be performed on humans.

The drawback is that chocolate is high in fat and sugar, a terribly tasty combination, and in my opinion, it outweighs the benefits.  I always recommend people to have one cheat day of the week, and in that case I’d agree it’s better than ice cream or key lime pie.