This is proven fact ; although many in our diet obsessed western cultures would have you believe that it is not. Most diets today followed by people unhappy with their weight ban chocolate and categorize it as one of the “bad” foods that people should not eat!

BUT chocolate is healthyvery healthy in fact. Cacao, from which chocolate is made is one of the greatest sources of anti-oxidants, it provides us with magnesium, potassium and other useful amino acids which help our bodies. What is not good for us is over sweet sugar laden chocolate confectionary which contains very little REAL chocolate. (Here I mean mars bars, and all their competition, or chocolate coated “sweets” individually wrapped, you know the ones). REAL CHOCOLATE is a bar or tablet made from cacao, cacao butter and little else besides, but can also include high quality handmade pralines’ which are chocolates filled with chocolate fillings. Pure chocolate is even healthier than milk chocolate and white chocolate, but good quality chocolate of all these colours is infinitely better than the modern confectionary.

Chocolate, derived from the tropical plant Theobroma Cacao meaning “Food for the Gods” was brought to Europe in 1528 by Cortes. Until 1615 it remained a secret of the Spanish until King Louis XIII married the daughter of the king of Spain. She introduced chocolate to the French court, the French love of chocolate has not ceased since.

Several recent studies have polkadot magic mushroom chocolate bars  confirmed the positive role that chocolate can play in our diets. We are all told we must eat foods laden with anti-oxidants, and we should eat foods high in vitamins or minerals. Chocolate is a product which has a high source of these important elements.

Eating REAL CHOCOLATES which are not too high in sugar can be beneficial to your health. As with all eating this needs to be in moderation but CHOCOLATE is beneficial to your healthTRUE and thankfully so!

So many diets today want us to give up everything and only eat certain foods. But eating a balanced diet with all the food groups, eating smaller portions, yet eating three times a day a full meal is far healthier than the way most people eat today. One exception I know of is the French.

A great French book entitled French Women Don’t Get Fat details exactly why they don’t – yet they eat chocolate, drink wine and eat all food groups. The secret lies in eating smaller quantities of high quality produce, and doing it in a reverent way. If you sit down three times a day to a proper meal then snacking becomes unnecessary as you will never be hungry, always enjoy your food AND be able to enjoy luxury foods like chocolate without having to worry about your figure.

French women eat dessert twice each day! At lunch and dinner, and seldom go a day without eating chocolate in one form or another. Coffee is also a ritual, always one small cup accompanied by (Yes you guessed) one small chocolate. Learn to savour high quality coffee, with high quality chocolate both in small amounts. It is healthy, beneficial to your health and there is no guilt involved since you only had a little of both.

In recent years there has been a rapid growth in the small artisanal (traditional) chocolate makers. World over people are beginning to look for more authenticity, higher quality, even organic products. Chocolatiers have responded by opening more and more specialist shops and there are now several companies on the internet who offer to deliver their exclusive handmade chocolates to your door

Chocolate is Healthy!