Mercola - Natural Health Products & Articles

What is your idea of a comfort food? A national survey conducted in 2003 showed that most people tend to eat comfort foods when they’re in a good mood and feel that they deserve a reward, rather than when they’re stressed or sad.

Chocolate has always been a favorite comfort food around the world. After all, what’s not to like about chocolate? It’s delicious, convenient and affordable, so it definitely fulfills the pleasure factor. From a nutritional standpoint, however, chocolate is not the healthiest food to consume.

If you’re in a good state of health, you can indulge your sweet tooth and consume chocolate in moderation because dark chocolate – chocolate which is close to its original raw state – is healthy in the right amounts. Dark chocolate contains resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant which helps increase the lifespan of your cells, and protect your cardiovascular, immune and nervous systems.

But not all dark chocolate products are created equal. Here’s natural health expert Joseph Mercola’s guide to finding chocolate that’s delicious and healthy at the same time:

1.    Read the label – Stay away from chocolate containing the following ingredients: trans fat, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, soy proteins, monosodium glutamate, preservatives, stabilizers, milk and milk byproducts.
2.    Choose chocolate products made from the least destructive processing techniques – Over-processing depletes the nutrient levels in the chocolate and can introduce lead contamination. Organic dark chocolate is your best choice.
3.    Avoid chocolate made with milk or milk byproducts – Adding milk to chocolate during processing can deplete the antioxidant content.
4.    Low sugar content is always better – Sugar is one of the main obstacles to good health and can seriously weaken your immune system.
5.    Look for chocolate produced by companies which observe the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility – Include Fair Trade certification as part of your “choco criteria.”

Fair Trade certification means that the manufacturer uses only pure ingredients, works closely with cacao farmers and growers, respects employees and suppliers, taps sustainable energy sources to power chocolate production, and uses sustainable packaging and printing methods.

After months and months of research, Dr. Mercola and his team found an established chocolate manufacturer that is both USDA and Fair Trade certified. Organic Fair Trade Dark Chocolate is 80 percent cocoa and contains only 0.190 grams of sugar per gram. It comes in three mouth-watering flavors – rich dark chocolate, cherry & almond and mint – which are guaranteed to tickle your taste buds without giving you any guilty pangs.

Remember: Even if you can get your hands on the healthiest dark chocolate available, eat in moderation. The ideal amount is 6.7 grams per day.