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The Health of It All...
Chocolate is Good For You!
Aside from being delicious, chocolate is generally thought of as being bad for you. While it does contain fat, its fats are the less harmful ones, stearic and oleic fats, and they don't cause a rise in blood cholesterol levels. Because it is made from a plant, it contains some beneficial substances associated with other foods of plant origin. There are small amounts of copper, zinc, iron and magnesium, along with polyphenols (chemicals that have been implicated in research studies as providing potential health benefits).
Both cocoa powder and chocolate are derived from a bean that's high in flavonoids (known antioxidants). As with other antioxidants, flavonoids have been associated with a reduction in cardiovascular disease risk.
It seems that unsweetened powdered cocoa contains the highest quantity of these antioxidants, followed by dark chocolate and then milk chocolate. The more diluted the finished cocoa, the less flavonoids in each serving. According to one research study, a 40 gram serving (about the size of a standard chocolate candy bar) of milk chocolate contains about 400 milligrams of antioxidants. This is equal to a typical serving of red wine, which has also been recommended for its flavonoid content.
