Chocolate contains flavonoids, powerful antioxidants, stearic acid, phenylethylamine, theobromine plus many essential minerals such as magnesium and iron.
Flavanoids or phenolic phytochemicals are compounds present in plant foods which have been recognized as having health benefits. In humans they have been found to fight against cancer and heart disease. They exist in a wide variety of foods and beverages such as apples, cranberries, peanuts, onions, red wine and tea.
In a study conducted at Cornell University, Dr. Chang Y Lee, team leader, compared the presence of the phenolic compound gallic acid and the flavonoid epicatechine in chocolate with red wine and green tea. Chocolate had 611 mg of gallic acid (GAE) as compared to 340 in red wine and 165 in green tea. Chocolate contained 564 mg of epicatechin (ECE) whereas red wine had 163 and green tea only 47.

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