Resolutions: Special offer on healthy chocolate

No comment on cake, but now you can have your chocolate and eat it, too.

Part of the difficulty associated with the healthier eating resolution is that we don’t tend to think of healthier food as tasting better. And indeed, a cookie sounds better to most of us than a carrot (unless you’re Buggs Bunny). With the decadent options from Chocolate for the Spirit, however, healthy food— we like to call it healthy chocolate—has never tasted so delicious.

Before you hear the salivating details on how this chocolate could possibly enhance your new diet, we’ll give the scoop on the deals this month. Local producer Chocolate for the Spirit has two particular deals that are special to January:

1. Primal Spirit Bars (Organic 74% dark chocolate) Regularly $9 each, now buy four for $24 ($12 in savings)
2. Cocoa for the Spirit (European-style with dark chocolate and warming spices) Regularly $9 for an 8 oz. bag, now buy three bags for $18 ($9 in savings)

These sweet deals are good through January 31, so click here to visit the Chocolate for the Spirit website and take advantage, or stop by their booth at City Market. For those who don’t already know the benefits of healthy chocolate, here’s a brief summary:

• Dark Chocolate is good for your heart – Dark chocolate improves blood flow, which can lower your blood pressure and help prevent blood clots
• Dark Chocolate is good for your brain – Dark chocolate contains natural chemical compounds that have a positive effect on your mood. It is also contains enough caffeine to stimulate your cognition without spiking your levels like coffee or soda.
• Dark Chocolate helps control blood sugar – The flavonoids in dark chocolate help your body reduce insulin efficiently, protecting you more against type 2 diabetes.
• Dark Chocolate is full of antioxidants – Antioxidants help you resist aging and may indirectly protect you from certain types of cancers.
• Dark Chocolate contains theobromine – Theobromine can harden tooth enamel, meaning it actually reduces your risk of cavities (unlike most sweets). It also can work as a cough suppressant.
• Dark Chocolate is high in vitamins and minerals – Particularly, dark chocolate is loaded with such good-for-you vitamins and minerals as potassium, copper, magnesium, and iron.