Hmmmmm Chocolatess ...

One of the most compelling reasons to make chocolate a part of your regular diet may be for the antioxidants it provides.
 This is why the antioxidant polyphenols in chocolate are so valuable, as they have the ability to stop free radical mediated oxidation.
This helps to decrease your risk of those and other diseases by directly interfering with one of the major preventable causes of chronic degenerative diseases.
 A factoid from ACS's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry indicates that naturally occurring polyphenols in cocoa, the fundamental component in chocolate, actually boost levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol, while at the same time reducing the atherogenicity of so-called “bad” variety – LDL – by preventing its oxidation.
Don't Worry - Eat Chocolate Beyond the fact that chocolate contains the feel-good anandamide compound, there are additional clinically-confirmed reasons why chocolate has been referred to as “the new anti-anxiety drug.”
Another ACS study (in the Journal of Proteome Research) revealed that one-and-a-half ounces of dark chocolate a day for 2 weeks reduced stress hormone levels.
Volunteers for the study, categorized as “highly stressed,” were found at the end of the two-week period to have lower levels of the “figh-or-flight” stress hormone cortisol.
 But remember that many chocolate brands are high in sugar, calories and unhealthy saturated fats, so buyer beware.
First, be sure that the chocolate you're eating is dark chocolate.
There is also a big difference in chocolates’ health effects, depending on how much you eat.
As mentioned in the Cleveland Clinic study:
Don't Worry - Eat Chocolate Beyond the fact that chocolate contains the feel-good anandamide compound, there are additional clinically-confirmed reasons why chocolate has been referred to as “the new anti-anxiety drug.”
Another ACS study (in the Journal of Proteome Research) revealed that one-and-a-half ounces of dark chocolate a day for 2 weeks reduced stress hormone levels.
Volunteers for the study, categorized as “highly stressed,” were found at the end of the two-week period to have lower levels of the “figh-or-flight” stress hormone cortisol.
 But remember that many chocolate brands are high in sugar, calories and unhealthy saturated fats, so buyer beware.
First, be sure that the chocolate you're eating is dark chocolate.
There is also a big difference in chocolates’ health effects, depending on how much you eat.
As mentioned in the Cleveland Clinic study:
Another ACS study (in the Journal of Proteome Research) revealed that one-and-a-half ounces of dark chocolate a day for 2 weeks reduced stress hormone levels.
Volunteers for the study, categorized as “highly stressed,” were found at the end of the two-week period to have lower levels of the “figh-or-flight” stress hormone cortisol.
 But remember that many chocolate brands are high in sugar, calories and unhealthy saturated fats, so buyer beware.
First, be sure that the chocolate you're eating is dark chocolate.
There is also a big difference in chocolates’ health effects, depending on how much you eat.
As mentioned in the Cleveland Clinic study:
As mentioned in the Cleveland Clinic study:
..Be careful about the type of dark chocolate you choose: chewy caramel-marshmallow-nut-covered dark chocolate is by no means a heart-healthy food option.
Also, please be aware that many popular and seemingly artisan-quality chocolate companies are now owned by multinational corporations who use GMO ingredients, disregard fair trade standards, and otherwise are not interested in supporting organic and sustainable production methods.

Few foods, and certainly not dessert foods, have as much therapeutic potential as this “candy” aisle treat, as evidenced by a wide range of accumulating scientific research linking its consumption to over 40 distinct health benefits
While most of us have heard about the importance of antioxidants, a primer might help, beginning with the explanation that the formation of free radicals – atoms, ions and molecules with unpaired electrons – in your cells can damage your DNA to the point that your risk of developing diseases like Alzheimer’s, heart disease and cancer are elevated.

Be aware that milk chocolate does not have the same healthy effect as unadulterated dark chocolate, because milk often prevents absorption of polyphenols
If you’re craving a decadent chocolate treat but want to avoid the downsides, take a look at this video so you can make your own organic chocolate bars.

As examples, Cadbury Schweppes bought Green & Black in 2005, who in turn was bought by Kraft Foods in 2010. Dagoba was bought by Hershey’s in 2006. You will find this pattern recur quite often if you peak beneath the “wrapper” of the chocolate industry.
So, please remember to choose carefully, and consider whether the companies you support are supporting you back.