Chocolate: better for you than fruit?

My daily treat is a really nice cup of coffee. No added sugar, just one sweetener: so not too ‘sinful’ in the calorie stakes.

The thing is that it’s hard to have a coffee without ‘a little something’ to go with it.

Coffee and croissant?

Coffee and cake?

Coffee and biscuits for dunking?

 or Coffee and chocolate? (My personal favourite as combinations go)

Somehow Coffee and … an apple doesn’t do it for me.

So I was heartened to read recently that chocolate is good for you. It has more ‘antioxidants than fruit’.  It could even be considered a ‘superfood’ (most of us have had it in that category for a long time anyway).

Ounce for ounce dark chocolate  and cocoa contains more healthy plant compounds than many fruit juices.  Antioxidants apparently stop cells being damaged and protect the body from diseases such as cancer.  Chocolate has more these helpful agents than cranberries and pomegranates.

All very GOOD news to those of us who like a little coffee with our chocolate.  But I must source my information: the institute that produced this heartening study was the Hershey Centre for Health and Nutrition.

Hmm, they would say that wouldn’t they?