If you’re one to indulge in more chocolate during the fall and winter months, there’s some
good news for you.

The good news:
It (chocolate) can help you live a few years longer.

Yes, the benefits of an ounce or two of chocolate each day have been reported for
quite some time, the benefits: better blood flow, improved vision, (especially night vision),
a boost in recall, and thicker and plumper skin, and today, new research says chocolate
can cut your risk of premature death by 35%.

Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants that protect your cells from harmful free radicals,
which will improve blood flow, reduce damaging inflammation and keep blood pressure
in the “normal range” giving you an extra 3 to 5 years of life.

So, if you plan on eating dark chocolate this Halloween right up until Valentine’s day, just
make sure you follow a few rules.
The rules:
Buy top quality dark chocolate. A few pieces of milk chocolate are okay, just eat it occasionally.
Eat it in moderation: Yes, it’s (choc.) good for you, but you still have to discipline yourself and not
go overboard.
Eat it alone or with other complementary foods.
Simply put, adding organic chocolate chips to white flour and white sugar for a tasty dessert
will defeat the purpose of enhancing your life, so again, a few chocolate chip cookies
or a piece of chocolate cake is quite alright for a special occasion, don’t make it
a daily habit.
And lastly, If you must have a dessert, make sure you surround the choc. with
other top quality products (i.e. gluten-free flour, cage-free eggs, almond milk, and top
shelf vanilla extract.

A Halloween Treat For Longevity!
The recipe:
Homemade Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups!
If you’re a fan of the classic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups,
here’s a recipe, using all-natural and good-for you ingredients.
The Ingredients:
1/2 cup of creamy natural peanut butter
2 Tbs. of dark honey
1 tsp. of organic butter (Kerrygold)
1/8 tsp. of sea salt
1 1/2 cups of organic semi-sweet chocolate chips.*
To make:
Line 8 muffin cups with cupcake liners.
Whisk together the first 4 ingredients.
In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave choc. until melted.
Add 2 Tbs. of choc. to each liner, and then divide evenly the peanut
butter and other ingredients and finish up by pouring on the rest of the
chocolate. Place in the freezer until firm. Once firm, cut into squares
and enjoy. As for the leftovers, place them in small plastic baggies
and refrigerate them.
* Organic Chocolate Chips- Look for bargains when buying your peanut
butter and chocolate chips, head to Aldi, or Trader Joe’s or Costco.