Why Dark Chocolate Can Be A Sweet Treat for Easter

CLEVELAND - Easter is this weekend and you know what that means: baskets filled with sweet treats, including chocolate.

And if you’re a fan of dark chocolate, you’ll be glad to hear it may have some health benefits.

“Research shows that there's a lot of health benefits with dark chocolate specifically. We know that it's going to be good for your heart because of that anti-inflammatory property. We're talking about cholesterol levels, decrease your chances for getting a heart attack and a stroke. Other things that we know is that it's going to help with diabetes because it has less sugar content. If you're looking for a treat, dark chocolate is going to be a better option than milk chocolate. And then there's a lot of research that really shows that it helps with brain health,” said Beth Czerwony, RD, registered dietitian at Cleveland Clinic.

Czerwony said the recommended amount of dark chocolate per day is one ounce, which is about one square piece of chocolate.

As for the best kind to get, she said look for anything with 70% or more cocoa and less than eight grams of sugar.

You don’t want to get anything that’s loaded with other ingredients.

Czerwony notes that dark chocolate is an acquired taste and can be bitter.

So, if you’ve never had it before, try sampling a little at a time.

You could even add it to other foods you like.

“You don't have to eat dark chocolate just by itself. You can add it into things if you want to. So we're talking about adding it into parfaits, right? So little chocolate chips into parfaits with yogurt or into your baked goods. Or you can dip it with strawberries to have a nice little healthy treat as well,” she said.

Czerwony said if you prefer milk chocolate or white chocolate, be sure to enjoy it in moderation.

Both have high sugar and fat content.