Dark chocolate approved

By Annette Herrick

Chocolate: Trainer approved. Really!

That is dark not milk chocolate with caramel, marshmallows, and a cherry liquor filling. If we could all eat a little more than our weight and our world might be a little lighter.

I want you to do an experiment for yourself. Try about 100-200 calories of 60 percent to 80 percent dark chocolate, any brand. Likely it will be alternative and more expensive than what you're used to paying.

Notice how you feel during and after you eat it. Do you feel a little lift, maybe even euphoric? Try it after dinner for desert. Can you go for a stroll and take in the twilight hours?

Compare this to the last time you ate Snickers or Twix bars, malted milk balls, or a bowl or brownies and ice cream. How did you feel afterwards? Maybe, like lying on the couch and turning on the TV?

Dark chocolate, with little added sugar, is known to have a satisfying affect. It is known to decrease blood pressure, and if you eat it instead of other junk food it can even decrease your chance of cardiovascular diseases. The antioxidants even prove helpful in warding off other diseases like cancer.

So, you see, being fit is not always about self-deprivation, it could be about being well and treating your self to the wonderful things on the planet.

Remember, this trainer gives dark chocolate her approval.