Choc Full of Goodness

Dark and bitter or milky and sweet ... there's nothing quite like chocolate to make a bad day better.

Luckily there are loads of reasons to enjoy the stuff, especially as this is National Chocolate Week.

Swedish scientists say people eating chocolate after a heart attack may be less likely to have another one.

And the fact that chocolate boosts brain power and lifts depression can only be a positive thing.

So, chocolate really is good for your health ... but only if it's dark.

Black Magic fans bombarded makers of the classic dark chocolate with letters pleading for its return. After two years of being off the shelves, Nestle brought the range back this year.

Nutritionist and bestselling diet book author Zoe Harcombe says it's easy to end National Chocolate Week the same size as you began.

She said: "Stick to dark chocolate, with at least 70 percent cocoa and ideally, 85 percent.

"The problem with milk chocolate is that it uses artificial sweeteners and it's a lot more calorific.

"Have a couple of squares of dark chocolate after dinner and you'll feel like you've had dessert, yet you won't be piling on the pounds."

Zoe, who wrote "Stop Counting Calories, Start Losing Weight," added: "It's simple. Choose cocoa, not sugar. Dark chocolate has approximately 40 fewer calories per 100g than milk chocolate. Far more important though is the carb content.

"A 100g bar of 85 percent chocolate has 19g of carb which is about the same as one apple. But 100g bar of milk chocolate has more than 50g.

"As dark chocolate has nutritious, not empty, calories as well as antioxidants and anti-coagulants which make blood flow more freely, you will need far less of it to satisfy you."

But Zoe warns: "Don't graze on it. If you're going to have some dark chocolate, then have it.

"Enjoy as much as you want to eat of it in one sitting, but don't make it last throughout the day. This will cause insulin to be released and insulin is called the fattening hormone.

"We don't want to be drip-releasing the fattening hormone all day, so have your chocolate lunch and you'll only get one release of insulin."