Dark chocolate taste good and is a good source of iron, magnesium, copper and manganese. If you buy at leat 90% cocoa the it is usually very low in sugar. It can be used effectively to fill a craving for sweet foods. It is a source of antioxidants and can help repair free radical damage. Cocoa butter on its own is a healthy fat as it’s highly saturated and low in polyunsaturated fat. It features a mild chocolate taste and is great to prepare healthy desserts.

You might as well ask why people have sex. It would fit your argument just as well. My answer to you is seratonin and also dark chocolate still fits in the Paleo framework with negligible downsides.

Read this:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-you-should-eat-and-drink-high-cacao-dark-chocolate/#more-27164

Because chocolate is addictive. If you add theobromine to any food at all, people will come to like it more regardless of taste. It's also been shown to reduce stress.

I would take the supposed benefits of chocolate with a pinch of salt though (not literally). Chocolate is packed full of anti-nutrients, including phytic acid and oxalate, so like wheat, its nutritional profile is doubtless not as impressive as it looks on paper.

For me, really being able to enjoy and appreciate a good quality dark chocolate as a more indulgent part of my diet makes me aware of how far I've come. I haven't had the best relationship with food in the past, and sugar could always trigger a binge. One of my favorite sugar-filled foods was chocolate (milk, white, semi-dark). I could start with one square (or M&M, Reese's, hershey kiss, chocolate chip) and I'd end up inhaling the rest of whatever I was eating, along with a ton of other junk. Through readjusting my taste buds and my attitude toward food, I now look forward to savoring ONE square of 100% dark chocolate. Instead of inhaling it, I really enjoy it.

I don't eat chocolate all day everyday, but I do eat it everyday. That's the difference.

Here is a link from the website Natural News. Not exactly paleo but a good website. http://www.naturalnews.com/035035_dark_chocolate_health_benefits_cacao.html

(NaturalNews) More and more health reasons for eating dark chocolate keep coming in. Many will be pointed out here, then explained further in the sources indicated by numbers in parenthesis. But first, understand that organic dark chocolate brought into the market place under fair trade agreements is best.

Some of the major cheap chocolate producers use child slaves in Africa to pick cacao. The more dark the chocolate with less sugar, milk, and other ingredients, the closer it is to cacao. A range of at least 70% to 90% cacao in dark chocolate is both tasty and healthy.

Milk chocolate contains milk, which negates the health benefits, and sugar, which feeds cancer cells. Avoid it.

According to Dr. Debra Miller's statement in Chemistry Central Journal , "Cacao seeds are a 'Super Fruit' providing nutritive value beyond that of their macronutrient composition." (1)

Interestingly, one doesn't have to gorge lots of chocolate every day to get the health benefits. A little treat, like a square or two daily will support good health.

A study of almost 20,000 participants in Germany concluded that those who ate 7.5 grams of dark chocolate a day received most of the heart protection benefits of chocolate. Organic dark chocolate bars are usually 100 grams. (1)

Benefits of dark chocolate 1) Cardiac and stroke protection : Dark chocolate lowers blood pressure, which lowers risks of heart attacks and strokes. (1)

2) Reduces risk of colon cancer : Cocoa polyphenols from dark chocolate reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. This was determined in a study by the Science and Technology Institute of Food and Nutrition in Spain, which was published in the journal Molecular Nutrition. (2)

3) Healthy fats :The fat in chocolate does little to raise cholesterol. It contains abundant oleic acid, the type of fatty acid found in olive oil, which helps prevent heart disease and promote antioxidant activity. (3)

4) Enhances glucose metabolism : Dark chocolate (70% plus) candy bars inhibit blood sugar issues to help prevent diabetes and obesity. How's that for a surprise! (3)

5) Improves mood : Studies have shown that dark chocolate contains serotonin and increases endorphin production. It's a natural anti-depressant. (4)

6) Improves brain function : Nottingham University professor Ian MacDonald used MRI analysis to determine improved brain activity with people who had just consumed cocoa drinks. (4) Hopefully they didn't have to undergo too many MRI scans that would fry their brains!

7) Eases PMS issues : Here's a hint for husbands and boyfriends to give dark chocolate to your wives and lady friends. (5)

There you have it: many reasons to enjoy organic dark chocolate that is at least 70% cacao. There are brands with 80% to 90% as well. These aren't your kiddy chocolates with lots of sugar or milk or creamy nugget fillings, etc. They are semi-sweet at best.

The more bitter the better. It's not difficult to get used to if you really like chocolate. Enjoy chocolate with the knowledge that it's actually good for you.

Okay, I have been on Paleo since October 22nd. I am sick with like tons of stuff, cannot eat half the foods that others can eat on Paleo and have constant fatigue. I mean I feel tired a lot of times and cannot function well.

The only thing I crave is chocolate AND the only thing that gives me energy is chocolate. You tell me why - because I am totally lost. I don't know the answer. I wish I knew. The only thing I can think of it has something to do with liver, but I could be way off there.

Also, I take it you are a guy. Well, I am a girl and I know tons of girls who crave chocolate. I guess it has something that girls need. Some weird combination of iron and magnesium maybe, because we lose blood every month?

I know it is a very valid question but believe me - when I crave chocolate, I would eat it even if it was proven that it more deadly than rat poison.

I'm not sure there are too many negatives to extra dark chocolate, other than small amounts of sugar. As others have answered, it's a delicious treat that's full of nutrients and good fats, and it can help with cravings. If chocolate didn't give me headaches most of the time I eat it, I'd almost definitely eat it every day.

I think chocolate is a lot like coffee; if you like it and don't have any negative reactions to it, then there's almost no harm and probably some benefit to indulging.

I can't stand the stuff - dark chocolate that is. So I don't get the obsession either. I understand the health benefits and everything and wish I could overcome the taste - WAY too bitter. Pre-paleo I could inhale milk chocolate. During my transition to paleo I bought several bars of the dark stuff, with varying percentages (from 60%-99%), and every one of them ended up in the trash after barely a single bite.

I don't get my taste buds... But then again, I was never able to get a taste for coffee, tea, or beer.

Negatives? It's pretty good for you. I'm sure there's some people who abuse that as just one branch of 'faileo', and I expect they do so because they like the taste. I don't really agree with there being anything you rely on to eat every day but life isn't perfect. But if there are associated risks, it is generally the lesser of multiple dietary evils. There are far worse indulgences in the snack aisle. Plus, depending on who you talk to, dark chocolate is pretty good for you.

Having a couple of squares of 90% chocolate stops me from feeling deprived and satisfies the desire for something sweet. Which in turn stops any sweet 'cravings' from escalating into full-on obsession which might otherwise result in eating a load of sugary crap I really don't want or need.

So - a small amount of 90% choc, some antioxidants and other good stuff v a big pile of sugar and anti-nutrients? A no-brainer for me, personally.

Doesn't chocolate have caffeine, some sort of addictive substance starting with a TH, and too much copper?

I only consume 100% organic cocoa