Not all chocolate is created equal!

Seems improbable that something so deliciously bad for your waistline could benefit your health.  As a self professed chocoholic, I was thrilled when I first learned that chocolate actually had health benefits.  Alas, something that tastes good, that I crave, that I don't have to feel completely guilty about consuming.  So...I can eat a 1.6oz piece of DARK chocolate every day and it may reduce my blood pressure, lower cholestrol, help reduce the risk of heart disease, increase brain blood flow and give me better skin?  Ummm...sign me up! 

Here's the skinny...Dark chocolate (with high-cocoa content) is loaded with something called epicatechin. Epicatechin is a particularly active member of a group of compounds called plant flavoniods. Flavoniods keep cholesterol from gathering in blood vessels, reduce the risk of blood clots, and slow down the immune responses that lead to clogged arteries. Dark chocolate contains a lot more cocoa than other forms of chocolate and it's the cocoa that makes chocolate healthy...you get where I'm going here...the higher the cocoa content, the better.  And don't forget that the manufacturing process, like with most processed foods, destroys the original makeup of the food, in this case the cocoa -- so up to half of the flavoniods. But chocolate companies have now learned to make dark chocolate that keeps up to 95% of its flavoniods.  Hats off to the smart guys!

Here's the problem....the experts won't tell us for sure who's making the healthiest chocolate, but they've got some advice for us: "Remember that chocolate is a plant food, so choose the most natural, least processed chocolate you can find. That means avoiding chocolate with milk solids, emulsifiers, and heaps of added sugar. Also, skip chocolates with any mention of alkali or "Dutching," which are known to reduce nutrients".

My advice is buy your chocolate from Whole Foods...and Skinny Bitch says to get these brands; Chocolove Belgian Dark Chocolate, Endangered Species dark chocolate bars and Tropical Source rice crisp dark chocolate. 

So there you have it.  What's the lesson learned here?  Eat more chocolate...just make sure it's DARK and remember the higher the cocoa content the better.