what? dark chocolate is healthy.

Sick of sweets the day after Halloween? Well, this sweet can be beneficial.  I will give you a little tip on chocolate. If you are like me, any chocolate used to be just fine, but as I become more health conscious, I have even been making sure that my "treats" are not too, well,...junky!!

Stick to dark chocolates, most of them have the percent of cocoa printed on the bar, the higher the number the better. Look at the sugar content, it is alot lower in dark chocolates.

Also dark chocolates do not contain any dairy so you are getting more of the good stuff!!

Here's some enlightening info on America's #1 love:

Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.
Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:

• Lower Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
• Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.

Other Benefits of Dark Chocolate:

Chocolate also holds benefits apart from protecting your heart:

• it tastes good
• it stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure
• it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant
• it contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants

Doesn't Chocolate Have a lot of Fat?:

Here is some more good news -- some of the fats in chocolate do not impact your cholesterol. The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid:

• Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.
• Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research is shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
• Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.

I SCORED these dark chocolate mint bars today from Down To Earth, for only 99 cents each!! I was so excited, they are normally almost 3.00 each!  They are made with 72% cocoa made by a brand All-Natural. They donate 10% of their profits to help support species, habitat and humanity.I got seven, should of got more...

Here's the ingredients in this one:

bittersweet chocolate(chocolate liquor, unbleached filtered beet sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), natural mint.

sugar: 12grams for 1/2 the bar

Plus, dark chocolate is more pure, so you don't need a lot to satisfy your cravings!

So if you need a sweet snack, try some dark chocolate, you will sooner or later be hooked:)

~happy sweet, dentist-free day!