Few things in life are as perfect as chocolate...

Maybe you've ever been sitting on the couch and suddenly felt an irresistible craving for something chocolatey - you're not alone! Research shows that these irresistible desires are no coincidence.

Apparently, sudden cravings for comfort foods like chocolate signal the body to consume nutrients that help keep the hormonal and mental systems balanced.

The most common post-menstrual craving in America is chocolate, and this may be linked to our cycle. During the period of premenstrual stress, levels of serotonin—the chemical responsible for good mood—drop. Chocolate and other fatty, carbohydrate-rich foods help produce serotonin. Research also shows that when you give in to your sweet tooth, your body's levels of endorphins, the chemical that helps you feel calm, rise.

But how do you choose the best chocolate for you?

The higher the cocoa content, the better the chocolate, due to the flavonoids. Cocoa flavonoids have been shown to help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, improve brain function, and possibly reduce the risk of diabetes.

Dark chocolate is the one with the most flavonoids in cocoa and this is the reason that makes it better for your health so you can eat it even every day, without regrets. Milk chocolate contains less and white chocolate contains none at all. However, flavonoids do not only make chocolate healthy but also give it its characteristic bitter taste. The process of reducing this bitterness can also remove some nutrients. Roasting, for example, creates various new flavors but in order to produce them, a quantity of flavonoids must be destroyed along with them. Although the amounts of flavonoids in dark chocolates vary, it remains a better choice than milk chocolate which tends to contain more sugar.

Remember to buy chocolate with at least 60% cocoa. Generally speaking, as we said, the higher the cocoa content, the more flavonoids! Also, look for the cocoa content to be listed first, followed by the sugar content!

Choose “Fair Trade” chocolate. When a chocolate bar has the words “Fair Trade” on its packaging, you know that the company that makes it guarantees that the farmers who work for it have been paid fairly and that the rules against child labor have been followed.

Choose organic chocolate - cocoa farming uses huge amounts of pesticides. But when you choose 100% organic chocolate, you know that all the ingredients are organically produced, without the use of chemical pesticides.