Eat Dark Chocolate in Moderation

The cacao plant is the source of chocolate. The Latin name for this plant means "food of the gods." The Aztecs believed the cacao beans had more value than gold.

Chocolate or more specifically cacao, is one of the world’s healthiest foods. One way to determine the health value of food is its antioxidant content. Cacao has a higher concentration of antioxidants than almost any other food, including blueberries and acai berries. Cacao has twice the antioxidant level of an equivalent amount of red wine and twice times that of green tea.

So one would think then that, the more chocolate you eat the healthier you would get. Wrong!!

Cacao is very high in calories. Cacao can contain 12% to 50% fat. Although the fats are the healthier unsaturated types, they basically have a neutral effect health-wise, but the high calorie content can cause weight gain if you over indulge.

Look for dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao by weight, and limit daily intake to 6 or 7 grams daily. Enjoy your chocolate, but do it in moderation.