I've heard that chocolate can be a good-for-you treat. Is that true?

The pleasure of eating chocolate has always come with the guilt-ridden price of calories and fat. At the risk of sounding like junk science, I’m not saying to boot all the healthy foods out of your diet and replace them with chocolate, but I am saying the potential health benefits of dark chocolate allow you to feel good, not guilty when you do choose to eat it.

Besides the current research on chocolate and reduced blood pressure, the antioxidants in chocolate (both dark and milk) may help prevent changes in cells that potentially lead to cancer and heart disease. These antioxidant levels are measured in ORAC units. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) part of the USDA has determined ORAC values for a number of foods, including many fruits and vegetables as well as nuts, spices and chocolate.

Dark chocolate contains twice the ORAC level as milk chocolate and both rank right up there with raisins, prunes, blueberries, kale, and strawberries. So, yes, milk chocolate has benefits too but you get twice the bang for your buck with the dark chocolate in terms of its antioxidant rating.
Although chocolate is high in fat (cocoa butter), a good part of the fat (oleic acid) is monounsaturated, the type that can raise levels of good cholesterol called HDL. Along with antioxidants in dark chocolate, you’ll find a small amount of minerals including iron, magnesium, zinc, copper and potassium.

Look for dark chocolate by your favorite chocolatier, but remember that cocoa counts too if you like to bake or make hot chocolate. Cocoa has little fat and contains antioxidants specifically called flavanols.

One of my favorite snacks is to take a graham cracker, spread peanut butter on top and sprinkle on a few chocolate chips. Run this under the broiler for maybe 30 seconds, just enough to cause the chips to melt. Enjoy with a cold glass of skim milk.