Train your taste buds for bitter

While antioxidants in dark chocolate make it a better-for-you treat, they do lend it a bitter flavor. So you may need to train your taste buds by starting off with bars that provide a lower cocoa percentage, say around 50 percent, and then gradually working your way up from there. Soon, you may find yourself craving a bar with upwards of 80 percent cocoa. Baking or unsweetened chocolate is pure cocoa, making it chockablock with antioxidants but crazy bitter, which is why it's most often added to recipes that also contain sugar. In addition, cocoa powder is the unsweetened substance left from pressed, ground cocoa beans; if not treated with alkali (Dutch-processed to make it milder in flavor) it's likely a great source of antioxidants.

Remember portion control

For all that is good about dark chocolate, it's still prudent to practice portion control to keep your daily calorie intake in check and lessen the risk for unwanted weight gain. A good rule of thumb is to limit yourself to about one ounce daily, which is roughly 150 calories. Eat too much and any potential health perks will be outweighed by chocolate's potential harm to the waistline. And a daily chocolate treat still doesn't negate the need to load up on vegetables and fruits as other sources of disease-fighting antioxidants.

Chocolate Nut and Fruit Clusters

Serves 12

6 ounces dark chocolate bars, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

...continued