Just say the word chocolate and most people start salivating like a grizzly Rottweiler staring down a mailman.
And not only is chocolate a god among confectionaries, but it’s also been linked to a variety of health benefits; such as protecting against heart disease.
Chocolate has earned that reputation because of its high concentration of antioxidants, which have been shown to reduce oxidation; a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
And now, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers say consuming small amounts of chocolate – sorry, only 6 grams – may lower cholesterol levels in some people.
Individuals who already had heart disease showed a reduction in LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol when eating modest amounts of chocolate – so you shouldn’t devour an entire bag of Hershey’s Assorted Miniatures.
And chocolate’s effect on reducing cholesterol was attributed to polyphenols – surprise-surprise, an antioxidant. A 1.25 ounce bar of chocolate contains roughly 300 milligrams of polyphenols.
But if you don’t like chocolate, or are more of a vanilla person – or shudder the thought, a strawberry person – polyphenols can also be found in vegetables and wine.
Image credit: The Washington Note
Bad day at work, get depressed, pound a gallon of triple chocolate ice cream. Yeah, we’ve all done it…guilty! 
Quitting a bad diet, and switching to a healthy one, might be just as difficult as kicking drug addiction.
Sure, devouring a pint of triple-chocolate ice cream will make anyone feel better, but we’re not talking about “comfort food” here.
