Mmm, look at the drip on that cake!  I bet it’s delicious!
Are you a fan of dark chocolate?  I’m more of a milk chocolate eater.

I guess I need to try and get on the dark chocolate bus.  Depending on who you talk to or the articles you read, it’s both good and bad for you.  Isn’t that true with almost all things we eat?  There seems to be a positive and negative in most anything.

Research shows that dark chocolate is a heart healthy treat.  It shouldn’t be eaten in large portions because the sugar and saturated fat it contains is very unhealthy for you.  Make sure you try and find some that’s not loaded with the bad stuff.

The darker the chocolate the better because the percentage of cocoa is important.  It’s best if it’s at least 70 percent cocoa. The higher percentage of cocoa solids it has, the more bitter taste it will have.  To make it seem not so strong and bitter, it may help to take small bites.

Read all these benefits of dark chocolate…
A great source of fiber, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, and other minerals.
It lowers the risk of insulin resistance, therefore, reducing the risk of diabetes.
It controls chronic inflammation which lowers the risk of heart disease.
Processing nitric acid, helps improve blood flow throughout the body and brain
And much more.

Do the benefits outweigh the risks?  Probably not!
Does this give you free reign to eat as much chocolate as you’d like?  No!

Even though it’s “good” for you in some ways, you still must consume it in moderation.

There’s also “bad” things about dark chocolate.  Some of them are:
It’s high in saturated fat and calories. Eating it frequently or in large amounts causes weight gain.
It’s also higher in caffeine which could cause anxiety and caffeine robs the calcium from your diet.  This is a concern for women who are worried about the risk of osteoporosis after menopause.
It can increase the risk of kidney stones.
It can bring on migraines.
And much more.

Please check with you physician before deciding to make dark chocolate part of your daily intake.

If you’re not a fan of dark chocolate, it’s also Baked Alaska Day!  That sounds phenomenal!  How are we supposed to choose?

No matter which you moderately indulge in, enjoy!

Because it’s already available in my pantry, I’m going to go get me a nibble of dark chocolate in celebration of National Dark Chocolate Day