The darker the better. Look for chocolate with a minimum of 60 percent cocoa, though 70 percent or greater is best. Most palates will find more than 85 percent cocoa too bitter.The world’s favorite flavor is chocolate, so why deny yourself? I love chocolate, so I was ecstatic to find out that it’s actually good for me. Dark chocolate and its cousin cocoa are teeming with potent antioxidant plant chemicals called flavonoids that protect the heart.
Here’s how to have your chocolate and eat it, too:
The darker the better. Look for chocolate with a minimum of 60 percent cocoa, though 70 percent or greater is best. Most palates will find more than 85 percent cocoa too bitter.
Avoid products that say “milk chocolate.” In addition to increasing the fat content, milk can prevent the body’s absorption of cocoa flavonoids, studies show.
Choose a 2-ounce bar of dark chocolate over a fattening brownie.
CALORIES SAVED: 290.
Get your chocolate fix in other ways. As a chocolate lover, I’ve created a slew of chocolaty recipes that are good for you:
Chocolate Frozen Yogurt (Now Eat This!, page 238).
CALORIES SAVED: 245.
Mint Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt (Now Eat This!, page 239).
CALORIES SAVED: 171.
Chocolate Crème Brûlée (Now Eat This! Diet, page 274).
CALORIES SAVED: 310.
Chocolate Malted Milk Shake (Now Eat This! Diet, page 269).
CALORIES SAVED: 836.