Americans devour about 11.7 pounds of chocolate per person annually. Today when you want to buy chocolate there are more choices than ever. Everything from Artisan, Organic, Fair Trade and Save The Rainforest chocolate bars are available to American consumers. And in moderate amounts, chocolate can also be good for you! Where do I sign up?

The cocoa beans in chocolate contain flavanols, which have been linked to blood vessel and cardiovascular health. Tannins in chocolate can prevent cavities from forming (a fact I won't be sharing with my children) but read the labels; chocolate must contain at least 70% cocoa to have a healthful amount of flavanols. Those that have less than 70% cocoa tend to contain more sugar, which can have a negative effect on the teeth and hips.

Not all cocoa is grown the same. Conventional cocoa contains a significant amount of pesticides. Organic cocoa is grown without pesticides and under the natural shade canopy of the rain forest. This environmentally sound method of farming maintains bio-diversity and protects the winter habitat of millions of migratory songbirds.

If your organic chocolate also has a Fair Trades logo on the wrapper, you're helping more than the songbirds. Fair Trade guarantees that the cocoa farmers receive fair prices and labor protections.

That's a lot of good news for chocolate lovers. Of course, there are also a list of foods that provide a good deal of flavanols, such as purple grapes, apples, cranberries and certain teas. But until they get their own holidays, I'm asking my Valentine for a romantic box of chocolates!

Chocolate lovers can contact Theresa by email at theresakiene@familymagazinegroup.com