Being healthy doesn’t mean giving up all the good things in life – it just means making informed choices. One of those choices is to always choose dark chocolate over milk. And here is why:

• Dark chocolate contains far less sugar than milk chocolate. A 100g bar of Green & Black’s 70% Dark Chocolate contains 28.5g of sugar (Green & Black’s 85% Dark Chocolate contains just 13.5g) whilst Cadbury’s Dairy Milk contains 56.0g of sugar! Sugar is something most of us need to minimise in our diets. It leads to poor blood sugar balance and low energy levels. Long term over consumption increases the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and fatty liver disease. It causes tooth decay and inflammation in the body. We need to find as many ways as possible to reduce its presence in our diets, and the switch from milk to dark chocolate is one way
• The intensity of dark chocolate means that it’s hard to consume in large quantities, like milk chocolate, so we may naturally consume less

• Dark chocolate contains antioxidants which support your immune system and prevent damage to cells. We normally associate fruit and vegetables with antioxidants but dark chocolate is a rich source of them too. Flavonoids are the family of antioxidants that are found in dark chocolate
• Dark chocolate contains theobromine which has been proven to harden tooth enamel. Theobromine also acts as a vasodilator, widening blood vessels and lowering blood pressure
• Dark chocolate contains good levels of magnesium, a mineral which many of us are deficient in. Signs of magnesium deficiency include muscle cramps and insomnia
• Dark chocolate also contains good levels of iron, which the body uses to transport oxygen around the body and which it uses to make energy. Many women crave chocolate around the time of menstruation – could the need for extra iron be why?
• Dark chocolate encourages the growth of good bacteria in the gut which can support digestion, the immune system and mood

So there’s plenty of reasons to enjoy dark chocolate – but remember try to consume it in moderation