Chocolate: The Path to a Woman's Heart

We eat over 3 billion pounds of chocolate per year - that's a lot of hearts, kisses, and bunnies! Most of us believe chocolate is an aprhodisiac. Men world-wide lay their hopes on this fact when they present their girlfriends or wives with chocolate gifts on Valentine's Day or other occasions.

But did you know that chocolate contains antioxidants known as flavonols that are actually good for your heart? Cocoa has high levels of epicatechin, a substance that helps lower blood pressure which can cause stroke. Flavonoids in chocolate act in a similar way to aspirin, keeping blood vessels free of clots that can lead to heart attack or stroke.

When you're looking for candy for your lover, choose dark chocolate: it contains more antioxidants. The higher the percentage of cocoa in the candy, the more antioxidants. Look for chocolate candy with at least 70% cocoa and where cocoa is the first ingredient - not sugar. Some of my personal favorite brands (yes dear, I'm hinting about a gift) are Lindt Excellence Extra Dark (85% cocoa), Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate (72% cocoa), and Chocolove Extra Strong Dark Chocolate (77% cocoa) that comes with a love poem inside the wrapper! If you're creative, unwrap the chocolate bar, memorize the poem, and present the chocolate in a gorgeous, deep-red heart-shaped box surrounded by a dozen red roses. You may not have the opportunity to recite the entire poem!