Know Your Dark Chocolate

The wrapper is your Rosetta Stone. First, scan the front for the percentage of cacao, an indicator of antioxidant flavonols. As little as 10g a day of 70% cacao chocolate can improve heart health, Portuguese research reveals. Next, read the ingredients. Avoid dark chocolate that specifies “alkalinisation” (a.k.a. dutch processing), which strips out flavonols. What you do want to see is sugar and vanilla to balance out the bitterness of the cacao, and cocoa butter to hit that sweet spot of creaminess.

Image by Levi Brown