Chocolate and your Health
The good news is that chocolate and good health are not at opposite ends of the food spectrum: you can eat chocolate without compromising your health. The really fantastic news is that the healthiest chocolate you can eat is gourmet chocolate that is high in cocoa solids. This means you simply have to eat gorgeous, delectable, real chocolate. Ordinary chocolate just won’t do, so you have every right to demand that you be plied with gourmet delights!

Here are some of the healthy properties of chocolate:

Anti-oxidants – these help protect against cancer and heart disease and are an essential component of any healthy diet. The National Institute of Public Health and Environment recently found that chocolate contains four times the anti-oxidants found in tea, with dark chocolate containing more than milk chocolate.

Magnesium – our hearts need magnesium and potassium to function properly, and when heart problems do occur, it is commonly magnesium that is found to be lacking. Cacao is a good source of magnesium, so chocolate high in cocoa solids is a nutritious choice.

Low Glycaemic Index – chocolate is a low GI food, which means it is well-suited to human metabolism and digestion. However, chocolate that is high in sugars and trans-fatty acids is not so good, so be sure to choose chocolate that is high in cocoa solids and made by traditional methods.

See our Chocolate and Dieting page for more information.