The sister team of Jen & Jaclyn, founders of BeFitNPretty.com, are back this week with yet another delicious way to fall in love with good nutrition.  Chocolate anyone?

Good news dark chocolate lovers! This decadently rich and velvety treat may do as much for your heart as it does for your taste buds (well almost as much). Dark chocolate (sorry milk chocolate lovers) is packed with flavonoids, a compound with strong antioxidant properties. Research has shown that the flavonoids found in dark chocolate can have some very heart healthy benefits, including helping to reduce high blood pressure and levels of LDL or “bad cholesterol”.

Now for the not so good news. You don’t need a ton of dark chocolate to reap these health benefits and dark chocolate is still high in calories and fat. So keep your nibbling to no more than 1-2 ounces per day and remember that the darker the chocolate, the better. For the maximum health benefit, choose chocolate with at least a 65% cocoa content, it will contain more of those fabulous flavonoids. Sounds good to us!

Please note: The information provided here is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for the advice or treatment given by your doctor or dietitian. Please consult with a registered dietitian or your doctor if you have any questions about the information in this post.

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