A bite of chocolate wouldn’t hurt either! There is now more evidence than ever as to why chocolate should be incorporated into your daily life. The health benefits of chocolate are numerous; from your body and mind to your skin and teeth chocolate affects it all! Chocolate contains the same natural flavanol antioxidants found in green tea and red wine. It also contains magnesium, iron calcium potassium and many important vitamins.

The quality and colour of your chocolate plays a vital role here. Dark chocolate has high levels of antioxidants. This can help reduce damage by free radicals. Free radicals are organic molecules responsible for the process of aging, tissue damage and most diseases. Dark chocolate has higher levels of antioxidants than broccoli! But that doesn’t mean you should stop eating your broccoli!

The health benefits of chocolate come from the cocoa content in the particular bar of chocolate. So look for chocolates that contain more than 50% cocoa solids. The general rule is the less sweet the chocolate the more cocoa it contains and the higher the cocoa content the better the quality, which also means it’ll probably be more expensive. But it’s good for you! And hey it’s chocolate after all, I’m sure your not gonna experience any buyers remorse!

So here are just 10 reasons why you should pick up a bar of chocolate today!

A happy heart
Eating a few squares of dark chocolate every day may reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack by almost 50%. Studies have found that blood platelets clotted slower in people who eat chocolate.

The New York Times even reported that dark chocolate is almost as effective at lowering blood pressure as most commonly prescribed antihypertensive drugs.

Gets the blood flowing
A Professor from the University of Nottingham found that drinking cocoa drinks rich in flavanols improved blood flow to key areas of the brain for two to three hours.

Flavanols in the cocoa drink are a key ingredient of dark chocolate. The study also suggested that cocoa flavanols in chocolate may enhance brain function to help fight sleep deprivation, fatigue, and the effects of ageing.

Muscle magic
Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout. In a study conducted at Indiana University, elite cyclists who drank chocolate milk between workouts scored better on fatigue and endurance tests than those who consumed sports drinks.

Boosts mood and helps fight PMS
Chocolate produces the effects of a mild anti-depressant by increasing serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain. It can also ease premenstrual symptoms.

Chocolate contains significant amounts of magnesium which helps with many biological functions, including heart health, bowel movements, muscle control and relief from menstrual cramping.

So consumption of chocolate can actually help relieve the discomfort caused during menstruation!

Eases a cough
A UK study found that theobromine, a component in cocoa, may be more effective as a cough medicine than standard drug treatments.

The research showed that theobromine acts on the sensory nerve endings of the vagus nerve, which runs through the airways in the lungs to the brain.

So the next time you find yourself out of cough syrup just reach for a bar of chocolate n ease the pain!

Smarty pants
It sounds almost too good to be true, but preliminary research suggests chocolate may boost your memory. Improving your attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving skills by increasing blood flow to the brain.

Food for the skin
German researchers conducting a study on the effects of chocolate gave a group of women a half-cup of special extra-flavonoid-enriched cocoa every day.

After three months, the women's skin was moister, smoother, and less scaly and red when exposed to ultraviolet light. The researchers found that the flavonoids, which absorb UV light, helps protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance.

Improves processing of blood sugar
An Italian study found that dark chocolate consumption increased the body’s metabolism of blood sugar and may reduce the risk of diabetes. A few squares of dark chocolate a day could actually help in preventing early onset diabetes.

Raises HDL cholesterol and lowers LDL cholesterol
A Penn State study found that diets high in cocoa powder and dark chocolate (with high flavonoid content) are related to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels when compared with diets low in flavonoids such as tea, wine, coffee, and onions.

Chocolate Is Better for Your Teeth
Chocolate is better for your teeth than other foods with a similar sugar content. The nature of chocolate makes it easily rinsed from the mouth by saliva.

Chocolate also contains tannins, which inhibit the action of cavity causing bacteria, by not allowing them to stick to the teeth.

Gooood luuurving
Although chocolate is not an aphrodisiac, as the ancient Aztecs believed, chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA), a natural substance that is reputed to stimulate the same reaction in the body as falling in love. Hence, heartbreak and loneliness are great excuses for chocolate overindulgence.

So the next time you’re indulging in everyone’s favourite treat impress your friends and family with a little bit of chocolate trivia and prove why you’re a true chocoholic and their not! Here are just a few fun facts to get you thinking.

There are about 5 to 10 milligrams of caffeine in one ounce of bittersweet chocolate, 5 milligrams in milk chocolate, and 10 milligrams in a six-ounce cup of cocoa; by contrast, there are 100 to 150 milligrams of caffeine in a cup of brewed coffee. You would have to eat more than a dozen Hershey Bars, for example, to get the amount of caffeine in one cup of coffee!

Chocolate can be lethal to dogs!! Theobromine, an ingredient that stimulates the cardiac muscle and the central nervous system, causes chocolate's toxicity. About two ounces of milk chocolate can be poisonous for a 10-lb puppy.

Chocolate has long been heralded for its value as an energy source. Think of it this way: a single chocolate chip provides sufficient food energy for an adult to walk 150 feet; hence, it would take about 35 chocolate chips to go a mile, or 875,000 for an around-the-world hike.

It's a common myth that chocolate aggravates acne. Experiments conducted at the University of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Naval Academy found that consumption of chocolate -- even frequent daily dietary intake -- had no effect on the incidence of acne. Professional dermatologists today do not link acne with diet.

Chocolate syrup was used for blood in the famous 45 second shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's movie, "Psycho" which actually took 7 days to shoot.

The best chocolate is the darkest, anything over 50% cocoa content. Chocolates with higher cocoa contents have the lowest amount of sugar, and a tiny square of it would actually do wonders for your health. In the words of Forrest Gump “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get” – but hopefully its a healthier heart and a happier mind!