Think wine, and can chocolate be far behind? Together they can light up even the dullest of days. In fact, forget the vino; it takes just one small, dark, handsome square to lift your mood, feel loved, or get that million-dollar worth glow on the face. Health wise too, this once taboo food, is proving to be a winner. "A recent spate of studies indicates that moderate intake of dark chocolate offers a number of benefits," agrees H&N panel nutritionist, Stella Watson. Cocoa or cacao - the foundation for chocolate - is rich in antioxidants especially flavonoids.

Two tablespoons of natural cocoa offers more antioxidants than four cups of green tea, 1 cup of blueberries and one and half glasses of red wine. And that's only the start. Look further and the news only gets sweeter. Here are 6 delicious reasons why you should nurture a chocolate habit and taste-tested advice from Brainard Colaco, Corporate Exec Chef Mocha - Coffees & Conversation, on what to try. Merry munching!

1. A happier heart

Scientists at the Harvard University School of Public Health recently examined 136 studies on cocoa, and found it does boost heart health, according to an article in the European journal Nutrition and Metabolism. Cocoa's flavonoids seem to prevent both cell damage and inflammation, offering heart benefits that range from increased blood flow, less platelet stickiness and clotting to reduced bad cholesterol.

2. Better blood pressure

If yours is high, chocolate may help Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, director of he Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University, recently found that hypertensive people who ate 100 gm of dark chocolate per day for 2 weeks saw their blood pressure drop significantly, according to an article in the journal Hypertension. Their bad cholesterol dropped, too. People who ate the same amount of white chocolate? Nothing.

Word to the wise: 100gms of dark chocolate roughly equals 400 calories, so the participants had to cut that much out of their daily diets to make room. But you probably don't have to go to those lengths. Just a bite may do you good, Blumberg says.

3. Muscle magic

Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout. In a small study at Indiana University, elite cyclists who drank chocolate milk between workouts scored better on fatigue and endurance tests than those who had some sports drinks. Yoo-hoo!

4. TLC for your skin

German researchers gave 24 women a half-cup of special extra-flavonoids-enriched cocoa every day. After 3 months, the women's skin was moister, smoother, and less scaly and red when exposed to ultraviolet light. The researchers think the flavonoids, which absorb UV light, help protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance.

5. Brain gains

It sounds almost too good to be true, but preliminary research at West Virginia's Wheeling Jesuit University suggests chocolate may boost your memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving skills by increasing blood flow to the brain. Chocolate companies found comparable gains in similar research on healthy young women and on elderly people.

6. Good loving

Italian researchers wanted to know whether chocolate truly is an aphrodisiac. In a survey of 143 women published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, those who ate chocolate every day seemed to have more sex drive, better lubrication, and an easier time reaching orgasm. Pass the Pure Sin, right? Not so fast. The women who ate chocolate were all younger than the ones who didn't; it was age and not chocolate that made the difference. Still, if a double-chocolate truffle puts you in the mood, why let science get in the way.


Ready to indulge? Dark chocolate has more antioxidants and less sugar and fat than other varieties. But the flavor gets less creamy and increasingly bitter the darker you go. Experts say any treat with 60-plus percent cocoa packs a healthy punch. Below, the whole line up, from least healthy to the most deserving.

* Milk: That's your Nestle, Amul and Cadbury's Plain; 5-Star bar; Fruit & Nut, Éclair, Perk to name a few. The cocoa content is a mere 20 to 30 per cent - the rest is all saturated fat and sugar.

* White: Isn't even chocolate, and is devoid of flavonoids. All this imposter boasts of is cocoa butter, cream, milk and sugar.

* Semi-sweetened: Into this category falls Cadbury's Bourneville, Mars bars, Amul Bitter, Booza, Ritter Brown, Toblerone, Bounty. These have 45 to 58 per cent cocoa content.

* Cocoa: It's 50 per cent dry powdered cocoa seeds and cocoa butter with a little sugar and milk solids.

* Dark, Bitter: You have Lindt, Morde, Ritter Sport, Selbourn, Cuban Chocolate, Hershey's, Calibon. They’re used extensively in desserts, savories or to manufacture designer chocolate like Fantasie. The cocoa content here is 70 per cent and above, making them truly antioxidant rich.

Store Well

Wrap your chocolate bar in layers of plastic and stash it in a dark cupboard away from strong-smelling foods. Chocolate, like butter, absorbs strong aromas. Stored improperly, it develops a white film called bloom, which basically means that cocoa butter has separated from the bar. This may result in loss of that luxurious melt-in-your-mouth feel, but is still fine for baking.


According to the World Cocoa Foundation (WCA) a bar of unsweetened dark chocolate (40gms) delivers a whopping 22.5 per cent of the daily requirement of copper, 12 per cent of magnesium and nearly 7 per cent of the iron, vitamins E & C.

Get Your Daily Dose

- At 35 calories apiece, says Stella Watson, an inch square or two of Lindt, Morde and Bourneville is a perfect way to end dinner

- Don't care for the bitter taste? Have a chocolate fondue. Melt Morde in a double boiler and dip diced mango, melon, strawberries or nuts (almond, peanuts, but not cashew) for a sumptuous dessert.

- Start or end your day with a tall glass of hot cocoa/chocolate shake using skim milk and sugar substitute. Or simply spike your morning coffee with cocoa.

- Eat at your own risk: chocolate sushi, chocolate momos. Ugh! Both semisweet and bittersweet varieties are ideal for baking and desserts, says Chef Colaco. Milk chocolate is the most common chocolate for eating but is less preferred in cooking.

Pre tempered chocolate, with 56 to 60 per cent cocoa solids, is easier to handle in cooking, doesn't burn, melts easily and stays so longer. Also no addition of sugar required.

A Perfect Pair

Couple lighter chocolates with lighter wines; darker chocolates with full-bodied wines. For example:

White Chocolate: Goes well with white or dry Merlot, Riesling. Sauvignon Blanc, Sula Brut, Sula Seco, Joie.

Dark, semisweet: Pair with reds and full-bodied wine (Port Wine). You can choose from Zinfandel, Demi-sec, Rose, Vin, and Cognac.

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