For those of us who have celebrated our 29th birthday multiple times, recent reports of health benefits from eating chocolate may make aging easier to digest. While chocolate is unlikely to become the sixth food group, numerous studies have identified health benefits linked to eating this decadent treat. Though it may sound odd, the consumption of chocolate has been associated with several health benefits, including:

Lower blood pressure
Improved cardiovascular health
Better brain performance
Reduced risk of stroke
Better renal (kidney) function
Lower Body Mass Index (BMI)

Researchers attribute these health benefits to a high concentration of flavonoids in certain types of chocolate. Flavonoids are rich in antioxidants, such as those found in apples, green tea and even red wine. Before indulging, it is important to know that not all types of chocolate are potentially beneficial. Dark chocolate is considered the best due to higher cocoa content. Likewise, there are few if any health benefits associated with eating white chocolate.

In its purest form, chocolate is bitter and foul-tasting; therefore, sugar and fat are added to make it sweet and smooth. Because most types of chocolates are highly processed and include nuts, caramel and other fillers, they tend to be high in saturated fats and loaded with sugar. Additionally, the milk in milk chocolate is reported to interfere with the absorption of antioxidants. What makes dark chocolate the best is the higher concentration of natural antioxidants due to the least amount of processing.

With any food or candy, it is important to read the Nutritional Facts on the packaging.  You should still consider moderation with chocolate, but at the least, some of the past guilt can be dropped!

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