Not only is chocolate a desert, either drizzled over ice cream or wrapped neatly in foil, it can also be a healthy part of a well-balanced diet, just like an apple or a serving of green beans.

Dr. Diane Birt, distinguished professor of food science and human nutrition, said this seems logical because chocolate originates from a plant.

Fruits and vegetables contain chemicals called polyphenols which are health promoters. Remarkably, the same polyphenols can also be found in chocolate.

Birt said an unanswered question about the health benefits of chocolate is, “Can you get an appropriate amount [of polyphenols] boosting the health benefits without the fat and sugar?”

“If a person is healthy and physically active, then including chocolate in their diet can be beneficial,” Birt said. “However, if not, fruits and vegetables are a better choice.”

Epidemiology studies, which research patterns, causes and controls of diseases in groups of people, have shown reasonable evidence to support the benefits of chocolate in a diet.

“Heart health and cancer prevention are the general areas that have been studied,” Birt said.

Although there are several types of chocolate, some have higher proportions of polyphenols than the rest.

“Dark chocolate seems to be richest in these compounds,” Birt said.

On campus, students seem unaware of the possible benefits of chocolate.

Nikita Miles, freshman in pre-business said, “I would probably choose dark, but I don’t usually think about the health benefits.”

Miles said she eats chocolate every day – a few Hershey’s Kisses or a granola bar with chocolate chips. However, she said she couples it with a well-balanced diet of fruits and vegetables.

Just remember when choosing a chocolate, Birt recommended a thorough read-through of the nutrition label and to pay close attention to sugar and fat grams. She said dark chocolate with low amounts of sugar and fat provide the best benefit yet have a bitter taste.