Chocolat e
Great news for all of us guilt ridden chocolate lovers!
It's good for you, YES! Chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, in moderation, is good for you.
A study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture shows Cocoa to be rich in antioxidants, which help prevent heart disease, cancer, and even slow the aging process. A recent study at Tufts University found that dark chocolate may lower your blood pressure.
The higher the percentage of real chocolate, the better it is for you. So look for chocolates with as much pure natural cocoa as possible.
Here are a few of my personal favorites.
Newman Own is organic and all the proceeds go to charity. My favorite is Sweet Dark Orange Dark Chocolate. But you can get plain Sweet Dark Chocolate and Sweet Dark Espresso. Milk Chocolates include Crispy Rice, Butter Toffee Crunch, and Plain. They're all delicious. They come in 1.2 oz ($.99) and 2.8 oz ($2.29) bars, available at supermarkets and natural food stores everywhere. Or buy online at www.healthytrader.com.
Art Historian Erika Fowler- Decatur, co-founded Ithaca Fine Chocolates, "to bring together and share two of the world's greatest gifts: fine art and fine chocolate". Her Art Bars are all made with Organic & Fair Trade Certified Swiss Chocolate. They're called Art Bars because wrapped with each bar of chocolate is a collectible card featuring a reproduction of a work of art. A portion of the proceeds is donated to local and global art education programs. 
My favorite, Exquisite Swiss Dark Chocolate with Coconut is 58% Coca. The Exquisite Extra Dark Swiss, is 70%. Even the milk chocolates, like Exquisite Swiss Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts, are 32%.
Art bars come in 1.6 oz ($2.25) and 3.5 oz. ($3.75) sizes
and are available in natural and specialty food stores, museum
shops in 44 states nationwide and online at www.ithacafinechocolates.com/
 I love to drizzle Wax Orchards Fat Free Classic Fudge over my all-natural ice cream. It's sweetened with fruit juice so its only 45 calories a tablespoon. It's a vegan food (no milk or dairy added) and because it's fruit sweetened, it's recommended for diabetics.
There are six Fudge flavors including: Classic, Amaretto, Peppermint Stick and Orange Passion, Oh Fudge (dark, medium sweet), and Fudge Fantasy (dark & sweet). You can buy it in natural and specialty food stores, check www.waxorchards.com/ for a list of places to buy online.
New Moon 74% organic dark Chocolate bar- my personal favorite Dagoba bar. They use single sources and blends of cocoa from Madagascar, Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Peru for its chocolates. Dagoba Bars include:
Eclipse Bars- 87% cocoa. They're a dark, organic chocolate and have the lowest sugar content of Dagoba's line of 13 dark and 6 milk chocolate bars.
Lime- 59%organic dark chocolate with lime essence and macadamia nuts
Brasilia - organic milk chocolate with organic coconut, organic roasted Brazil nuts and organic roasted pecans.
Dagoba chocolates are available at natural food stores, specialty shops, hotels, florist & gift shops, wineries, restaurants and online at www.dagobachocolate.com
As you might imagine I've been sampling all my favorite chocolates as I wrote this article. Yea, I can feel my blood pressure getting lower!
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Mirabai Holland M.F.A. is one of the leading authorities in the Health & Fitness industry, and public health activist who specializing in preventive and rehabilitative exercise for women. Her Moving FreeTM approach to exercise is designed to provide a movement experience so pleasant it doesn't feel like work. For more information www.movingfree.com. Send YOUR favorites to askmirabai@movingfree.com
By Mirabai Holland ©2006, ©2007
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