Chocolate has many health benefits, but like all foods-in moderation. Here are some suggestions from the National Institutes of Health:
- Eat as dark a chocolate as you can.
- Avoid the following: white and milk chocolate, filled chocolates (for example truffles).
- Make hot chocolate with unsweetened cocoa, water or non-fat milk, and little added sugar.
- Choose dark chocolate instead of less-healthy treats, like full-fat ice cream or sugary candy.
- Watch your total calories. Chocolate has many calories, and gaining weight will more than wipe out any benefits you might get from the compounds in chocolate.
From the National Institutes of Health, Claims About Cocoa, August 2011, https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/Aug2011/Feature1
