what about chocolate? Can we consider it a health food?

It is important to realize that most research is conducted on raw cocoa powder and not chocolate. With that being said there is some indication that chocolate can be a healthy addition to the diet, but the real magic happens with raw organic cocoa powder. As the sugar and milk portion increases in chocolate, the health benefits of the chocolate decreases. The greatest health benefits are derived from unprocessed cocoa rather than a processed version of it and so raw organic cocoa is superior to dark chocolate which is better than milk chocolate. Dutch processed or alkalinized cocoa helps to reduce the acidity of raw cocoa, but also destroys some of its medicinal power. Raw cocoa that is not organic contains pesticide and herbicide residues.

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Dark chocolate in general has less fat than "milk" chocolate (and also less sugar), but even dark chocolate comes in different percentages--the higher the percentage of cacao, the less fat, and those with 70-85% cacao are considered much better kinds to consume.
And of course, this all assumes you're eating only dark chocolate *without* nuts, fillings, etc...and also that you're eating only a small to *moderate* amount of chocolate!

Re fat:
". . . Cocoa beans contain approximately 50% fat on their own.
The fat is primarily comprised of two saturated fatty acids (palmitic and stearic acids) and one mono-unsaturated acid (oleic acid), in equal portions.**
Cocoa butter and chocolate do not raise blood cholesterol. However, when consuming milk chocolate or lower grade chocolate where a part of the total fat content comes from milk fat or various other types of fat, the cholesterol level might be adversely affected."

Also, the anti-oxidants from flavonoids in dark chocolate (not in milk chocolate) are quite powerful.... can help protect against aging of the body, heart disease, inflammation and inflammatory bowel diseases, effects of stress, are anti-carcinogenic, etc.

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Why So Healthy?
Chocolate comes from cocoa beans -- the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree -- which, along with other plants like tea, are high in flavanols. These abundant phenolic plant compounds have marked antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and are thought to be responsible for much of the health benefit ascribed to chocolate consumption. Keep in mind that overly processed chocolate -- most of the candy aisle -- often contains added sugar and saturated fatty acids, which offset cocoa's health benefits. So stick with dark, flavanol-rich varieties.


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