Finally, a resolution I can keep! Haven’t you heard? Chocolate is good for you. Okay, maybe not all chocolate but enjoying a nibble of dark chocolate (at least 72% cocoa) has some great health benefits.

Word on the street is that its all about the flavonoids. These little critters, are an antioxidant found in cocoa (among other super foods such as cranberries, peanuts, apples, onions, tea and red wine).

These antioxidants help in repairing damage and protecting your health from environmental toxins. Cocoa may also help reduce your LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) and prevent the formation of plaque on your artery walls. Since no one has bothered to establish how much dark chocolate (the hard, slightly bitter stuff… anything chewy and creamy isn’t going to cut it) we should consume to stay healthy, I’m opting for one-two small squares a day from my Endangered Species Supreme Dark Chocolate bar (which is fair trade, of course). At that pace, one bar will last a week or possibly two.

How’s that for good news? Enjoy your glass of red wine with dinner and finish up with a tasty nibble of dark chocolate. (Hmmm… if I opt for the variety with nuts and cranberries do I reap triple rewards?).

P.S. Endangered Species carries bags of bite sized dark chocolate bars, perfect for Valentine giving (or secreting away to feed your own cravings).

P.P.S. You now have a license to enjoy a small bit o’ chocolate on occasion, this does not mean bring home the bag intended for your child’s v-day cards and gorge. No one likes a hog.

P.P.P.S. So what if I didn’t include eating chocolate as part of my original resolution, I’m making this up as we go along.

Eat well. Be well.