Did you know .... Flavanols in chocolate have been shown to help improve insulin use in the body. Dark chocolate with nuts comes in low on the glycemic index at 33. Chocolate helps to improve circulation and lower blood pressure. Chocolate is one of the richest sources of antioxidants on the planet. We live fast-paced, convenience-focused, time-deprived lives and Americans' food choices reflect this fact. The ease of grabbing a sweet snack combined with our love affair with sugar has diabetes running rampant, a disease growing at such a rate it's been labeled an epidemic.

An estimated 7% of Americans currently suffer, but the number of cases diagnosed in the last seven years increased by 54%. Worse, more children are being diagnosed with diabetes than ever before due to their perpetual processed-food diets. A lack of education on the detrimental affects of the disease has many people blindly plowing through the day on a continual sugar high, running to the nearest candy machine the moment they feel tired.

Over time, this daily (and even hourly) food abuse causes the pancreas, which produces insulin to lower blood sugar to healthy levels, to quit working properly. By this time, "onset diabetes" is only a diagnosis away. Despite the fact that onset diabetes can be avoided by minor changes in food choices, Americans aren't likely to adjust their eating habits any time soon. The cereal/latté breakfast, fast food lunch and carb-rich dinner isn't just a habit, it's a lifestyle. But snacks are a great place to start the change because it's easy to switch from chips to chocolate, and here's why you should--especially if you have high blood sugar or diabetes. Diabetics need to eat low glycemic index foods ((less than 55 on the glycemic index) to keep blood sugar low. When eaten alone, dark chocolate comes in at 50 on the index. But when eaten with nuts (any kind), it's comes in at a low 33 in the index, making it a perfect snack choice. A diabetic's pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin, so what little is there needs to be used very effectively.

The flavanols in chocolate have been shown to help improve insulin use in the body, helping reduce the strain on the already insulin-deprived system. Diabetics need extra antioxidants to help combat health problems that often arrive with a diagnosis of diabetes (heart disease, weight gain and more). Because it's made from the seeds of a fruit tree, chocolate is one of the richest sources of antioxidants on the planet. But just-say-no to milk and white chocolate-all the antioxidants are in the cocoa powder, so dark is a must. Milk and white also have too much sugar. Diabetics often simultaneously suffer from high blood pressure.

Chocolate helps the body release nitric oxide, a natural compound that helps blood vessels relax, improve circulation, and lower blood pressure. Ultimately whether or not you have diabetes, dark chocolate (preferably with nuts) is an excellent snack choice for the reasons listed above and many more. The difference between guilt-ridden and guilt-free chocolate eating is simply education. So the next time you have a choice, choose chocolate. (Note: If you've been advised by your doctor not to eat sweets, check first before adding dark chocolate to your diet.)

Julie Pech, author of The Chocolate Therapist; A User's Guide to the Extraordinary Health Benefits of Chocolate

Julie is an award winning author and international speaker. Julie maintains that the only difference between eating chocolate every day guilt-free, versus guilt-laden, is "education". Her mission? To change the chocolate-eating world as we know it today, one convert at a time.

To get the job done properly, Julie offers entertaining and educational presentations for groups, speaking on the health benefits of chocolate at hospitals, corporate luncheons, women's groups, men's groups, retirement communities, and fund raisers.

Julie has appeared on national radio shows, local TV and talk shows, travels as an international guest speaker with cruise lines, teaches classes at Colorado Free University, and has been featured in numerous national magazines and newspapers. She is currently producing 13 episode television program about chocolate to be aired in February 2009.