::Chocolate Healthy or Not? ::

Stop the press, hold the phone, and forget about that diet! Scientists have now proven, DARK chocolate (my very favorite) is now healthy and good to eat on a daily basis. If you are one who CRAVES chocolate, are a pre-menopausal or post menopausal woman, are a child, work in a chocolate factory, etc., this is the greatest thing to be discovered since sliced bread. To you non-believers, this proves “There is a GOD!” Amen…
These brilliant men and women have opened the floodgates to candy counters and bakeries worldwide. Now housewives can start making those delicious cakes she use to before Vegans (veggie and soy only eaters) said it was taboo to eat foods tasting like anything other than straw. I'm excited! I'm elated! I'm throwing my hat in the air. We can now have 50 grams of DARK chocolate per day to improve our health. Hallelujah!
Two ounces of dark chocolate, (70% chocolate solid) has now been proven to improve heart disease, and blood pressure, plus, adds much needed nutrients to the body such as: iron, calcium, potassium, and several essential daily vitamins. A 1&1/2 square of this fabulous chocolate has as many cancer anti-toxins as a glass of red wine. (To you Vegans who need to wash down that dry meal with a glass of bubbly, you’re off the hook, and may not become a wino after all.) Have a piece of chocolate cake instead.
50% of all food cravings are chocolate. Some folks even claim they are chocolate addicts,like me, who gets the shakes without a good ‘healthy’ portion every day.) But remember, one needs to curb the other calories of the day if you happen to go on a chocolate binge or you may have to join the circus as the main attraction, “Fat man or lady.”
No matter what rich concoction you may find it in, taste is the main draw to the delights of chocolate. Cravings play a big part in wanting only chocolate to satisfy, but a pleasurable chemical reaction in those cute little endorphins in the brain also have been proven to be part of our love of chocolate. This is one area we Americans lag behind in consumption though. Folks in Switzerland consume 22 pounds of chocolate per year, the Swedish 17 pounds, and we consume approximately 15 pounds on average, per person, per year.
Caffeine worries, no way! One serving of dark chocolate contains less caffeine than a cup of DECAFFEINATED coffee. Any energy burst you may get from chocolate is most likely from the sugars added, not the chocolate itself. Only old-fashioned Hershey’s cocoa is the healthy drink to choose when preparing hot chocolate vs. coffee. So when you need a change from your morning decaffeinated, reach for the deep rich flavor of chocolate. Or skip liquids altogether and have a big piece of chocolate cake to start your day, (a much better idea in my book).
A word of CAUTION: This information applies only to DARK chocolate when beating the drum for health benefits.

Now that my cravings have been peeked, I can’t help but pass along a fool-proof, wonderfully rich, homemade, dark chocolate cake you can serve within an hour of starting the recipe: My husband’s favorite… Yummy!