Eat a couple of squares of dark chocolate when you feel that you must have something nice and sweet.

Cocoa and dark chocolate are rich in flavonoids and antioxidants, chemical compounds that help protect against the harmful products of oxygen reactions (know as "free radicals") in body tissues. These free radicals have been linked to the development of heart disease and some cancers. Eat the right amount of dark chocolate and you can lower your blood pressure, relax your blood vessels and your insulin will work better.

The amount of chocolate intake should be moderate in order to enjoy optimum health benefits. Chocolate is a calorie rich food with a high sugar and fat content, so regular consumption of chocolate requires reducing the caloric intake of other foods. Choose the purest dark chocolate you can find – the more raw and unprocessed, the higher the flavonoid content.