Health benefits are found in the beloved sweet treat. According
to a popular saying, there are four basic food groups: milk
chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate and chocolate
truffles. Whether or not you subscribe to this sugarcoated view
of nutrition, make no mistake: Chocolate can not only win hearts
this Valentine's Day, but there's evidence to suggest that it
may help mend them too. Dark and sweet, chocolate was once
reserved for the royal and the very rich. Today, chocolate is
often comfort food for the masses. Americans consume an
estimated 11 pounds of chocolate (more than 26,000 calories) per
year, according to a study published in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition. Popular, of course, doesn't necessarily mean
nutritious. "Chocolate is not a health food," said Jeffrey
Blumberg, director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at
the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at
Tufts University. "Broccoli, yes, you can eat all you want. Dark
chocolate, I can't say that abo