Does a chocolate a day keep the doctor away? Good news for all of chocolate lovers out there. Recent research suggests that giving in to your chocolate cravings might actually be beneficial for your health.

It’s true. But you can’t just reach for just any old chocolate bar. You have to look for chocolate that contains at least 70% or more cocoa solids. This is usually found in dark chocolate. A study published by the American Health Association found dark chocolate contains flavonoids which are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants have been found to reduce heart disease and can have positive effect on preventing free radicals

A friend of mine works for a major chocolate company reported that their dark chocolate sales have skyrocketed since this study was released. Apparently, the company also sells a type of chocolate that is 99% cocoa. This type of chocolate is for the ‘real chocolate connoisseurs’ and kind of tastes like chalk. Can you handle it? If you’re a real chocolate fan this chocolate is for you.

According to WebMd, dark chocolate, not milk chocolate or white chocolate has been found to help lower blood pressure and may help prevent the onset of heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a cornucopia of nutrients including iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A, B, C, D, and E. Dark chocolate doesn’t contain saturated fats so it won’t raise cholesterol levels, but it does contain sugar and fat and can cause you to pack on a few if you go overboard.

For all you PMS sufferers dark chocolate may be beneficial to help alleviate some of those dreaded monthly symptoms as well. Dark chocolate contains high levels of magnesium which has been proven to help increase pre-menstrual progesterone levels. Forget Midol, the next time you’re feeling crampy reach for a square of dark chocolate instead.  Finally, a reason to give into those monthly chocolate cravings!

Milk chocolate, on the other hand, contains a lot of extra ingredients such as butter, milk fats, and sugars are added. Milk chocolate and white chocolate are high in saturated fats and can actually raise blood cholesterol levels.

Remember that even dark chocolate is still high in fat and calories. So if you’re going to increase your daily chocolate intake be sure to watch your portion sizes. A good way to do this is to purchase those individually wrapped chocolate squares so you can restrict yourself from devouring an entire chocolate bar.