I don't care what others say about their first love, but CHOCOLATE is my first love. The darker the better :) When I was little, my mom used to bribe me with chocolates so that I would do my homework or clean my room. It worked.

My love for chocolate grew fonder over time. It's always there in good times and bad. It's THE best breakup food, followed by ice-cream!

My pantry is always stocked with all sorts of chocolate, ranging from cocoa powder, chocolate chips to chocolate bars. I'm always chocolate ready, whether it's for baking or simply snacking! Research has also shown that a dark chocolate a day keeps the doctor away! Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids in chocolates also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.

When possible, I try to select dark chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa and without added "milk fat", an unhealthy saturated fat. A few of my favorite brands are Lindt, Scharffen Berger and Valrhona.

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