I just read an article that caught my attention. The author, Jake Heller from The Daily Beast, says that new studies show that people who eat chocolate frequently have lower body mass indexes than people who don't. That would mean that chocolate can help you stay thin. He also states that chocolate does not harm your completion as previously thought and, in fact, is good for your skin. He also reports that chocolate is good for your heart and also helps prevent strokes. These are all things that I have heard before. Even Dr. Oz professes these same benefits of eating chocolate.

Here is the part that actually shocked me. Apparently chocolate reduces the risk of diabetes and cancer, and can strengthen and improve blood flow. And here is yet another shocker … chocolate can control coughing. Apparently, one of the chemical components, theobromine, reduces the activity of the vagus nerve, the part of the brain that triggers coughing fits. This intrigued me because I want to have a thousand reasons to eat chocolate and I am frequently plagued with coughing fits. I haven't found that chocolate helps much with my coughing problem but I would rather eat chocolate than have to suck on a cough drop.

This information is interesting and educational, but who knows what the next study will show. But for now, if you want some great excuses to feel good about eating chocolate, Jake can give you 11 good reasons. I'll let you do your own research! I don't really have to have reasons for eating chocolate. I just love it! Even if this information is not spot on, we still have the most important reason to eat chocolate and that is because it just tastes heavenly. I do find it very interesting to talk with other people about their feelings for chocolate. Some people like me, crave it and find an immediate satisfaction when indulging in a chocolate treat but some people tell me they could take it or leave it and others say that it makes them feel sick. So here we have the whole gamut, love it! Like it! Or leave it!

Okay, now here's the deal … dark chocolate is what we are talking about and apparently we have to eat one or two bars of dark chocolate each week for it to be beneficial to our health. I can handle that chocolate prescription, no problem!

This prescription means we can have our sweets and eat them too. In fact, the whole idea fits right into the theme of one of our new DVO cookbooks, Sugar Free and Lovin' It! Let's get this book, create our own chapter within it for all the wonderful dark chocolate recipes we collect, and then we'll have them right our fingertips!

Here's to Chocolate!