ho says healthy food doesn't taste good? Chocolate, America's favorite edible indulgence, has just been added to the superfood list! It's a dream come true for most of us to be able to eat our favorite food without guilt and reap health benefits at the same time. But I'm not talking about any old chocolaty food, so put down that family pack of Ding-Dongs and read on.

Cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, contains many of the same phytonutrients found in red wine and tea. Polyphenols are a group of powerful antioxidants, which are believed to inhibit cancer tumor growth, increase HDL (good) cholesterol, and reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol oxidation (LDL oxidation can lead to atherosclerosis). Unsweetened cocoa powder and dark chocolate have the most antioxidant powers, with antioxidant levels higher than fruits such as prunes and strawberries. Catechins, the powerful antioxidants found in tea, seem to be even more abundant in chocolate. Catechins may help reduce the risk of developing skin, esophageal, and stomach cancers. Like cranberries, chocolate and cocoa also contain tannins, which can help keep the urinary tract healthy and reduce cardiovascular disease risk.

Like many other plant foods, chocolate contains fair amounts of magnesium and iron. It also contains calories and fat. One ounce of dark chocolate has about 135 calories, 8 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, and 2 grams of fiber. One ounce of cocoa powder (about 5 tablespoons) has 60 calories, 4 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, and 9 grams of fiber. The calories are doable if you eat your chocolate in moderation, but how can we justify all that saturated fat? Well, most of it is in the form of stearic acid, which has been shown to have little to no effect on blood cholesterol. No kidding.

When you choose your chocolate, go for the high quality dark chocolate, like Scharffen Berger and Dove, since milk chocolate contains butterfat that can raise bad cholesterol levels and many of the cheaper chocolate products have had their beneficial cocoa butter replaced by unhealthy hydrogenated and palm oils. Semisweet chocolate chips also fall into the dark category, and cocoa powder is always a great choice, since it is minimally processed and unsweetened. And, by the way, chocolate is not addictive. It has a flavor and texture that is unlike any other food, and our brains produce endorphins when we eat it, which is what keeps us coming back for more. This month, try my recipes for Tiramisu, Chocolate Raspberry Pots de Crème, and Chocolate-Covered Fruit.