Being selective when it comes to your dark chocolate.

A British medical journal claims that many manufacturers of dark chocolate remove the heart healthy element - the flavanols.

According to many scientific studies, flavanols have a positive effect on human health because they help neutralize free radicals that could damage the body's cells, and cause oxidative stress.

It is this oxidative stress that has been linked to a wide range of chronic diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

The chocolate industry has never denied that processing removes a lot of nutrients from cocoa, however medical journal The Lancet states that consumers are often misled over how healthy a chocolate product is.

In fact, manufacturers often deliberately remove the flavanols from their products because of the naturally bitter taste, sometimes then darkening the cocoa solids for aesthetic purposes.

However, according to Sandra Capra from the University of Newcastle, the health properties of dark chocolate are real and should not be dismissed so lightly.

"The evidence is there, that dark chocolate is a good alternative to milk chocolate and is a source of some key anti-oxidants," she said. "Anyone already on a healthy and balanced diet should be able to indulge occasionally in one or two squares of dark chocolate and benefit from a few health benefits as well."

Bonnie - a key to knowing if the brand contains a beneficial amount of flavanols is the percentage of cocoa listed. If 70% or higher, it is almost a guarantee that there is a medicinal amount of flavanol content. If the amount of cocoa is not listed on the packaging, I would not recommend purchasing it.