health care england

You're a chocaholic and you want to figure out how to make chocolate. All you want to do is feed your sweet tooth, but it's worth noting that chocolate has held the attention of some of the world's greatest chefs and cooks.

Cooking with chocolate - especially making your own - really is a fine art. But did you know that it's also actually quite good for you?

Does that mean chocolate is the new granola? Well, not exactly. You might want to hold onto the organic wheat grass just a little while longer. But as far as feeling guilty for eating a bit of chocolate each day goes, you can forget about it!

Actually, to be more specific about it - we're talking about dark chocolate. When you eat a few chunks a day, you aren't doing your body any harm at all. In fact, you're probably gaining more than a few benefits.

Let's start with the simple fact that chocolate is nothing more than vegetable matter and as such, it contains a lot of of the health benefits that naturally accrue in vegetables. So when you start nibbling on dark chocolate, you are consuming important antioxidants (you know, the guys who made green tea famous!). These fight what are known as free radicals that drift through body and can contribute to heart disease and other illnesses.

Is dark chocolate enough on its own? Probably not. But in conjunction with an overall healthy diet and exercise regimen, it certainly isn't hurting anything.

And antioxidants (or flavinoids) aren't just good at taking down free radicals. They can also help lower your blood pressure and even ease up your cholesterol levels.

In that light, it almost seems like we really are talking about health food here!

What else can dark chocolate do? Well, if you're partial to it, eating it will make your feel happy. The good taste and pleasure will cause an uptick in your body's endorphin production. Dark chocolate can also help boost the serotonin levels in your brain and that is a recipe for staving off depression.

Finally, chocolate contains caffeine. That and its other naturally occurring stimulants can increase your energy and mental agility.

Dark chocolate does have fat in it, but not enough that you need to be concerned about it. Eating too much is bad, but in moderation, dark chocolate is actually pretty darn good for you. So eat up without guilt!

Want to learn more about dark chocolate? Check out How To Make Chocolate, Jasper Bailey's website for chocolate lovers!