Why Chocolate Is Good For You

Chocolate is actually cocoa. Cocoa leads the list of foods brimming with phytonutrients. Notice, I didn’t say a chocolate bar. But chocolate is more healthful than you might think. It tops the list foods high in phytonutrients – way ahead of broccoli. Among other benefits, it works against depression, probably via a mitochondrial boost. It gives you a gentle lift-me-up like a caffeinated beverage. Yes, chocolate contains fats and calories, so use it sparingly – but savor each little piece!

Chocolate’s unhealthful quantities come from additives: sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, milk and milk products, and cheap flavorings. But an organic dark chocolate (containing at least 70 percent cocoa) that is dairy-free and sweetened lightly with cane or beet sugar is well worth the extra expense. Or buy baker’s chocolate. It’s quite bitter but has no nutritional spoilers and cheap. Use unsweetened cocoa for hot chocolate, and make it with soy milk and water. And in the future, look out for new products that will offer chocolate without added ingredients.

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