For some, chocolate falls into the category of junk food, a guilty pleasure, and ruiner of good intentions to lose weight. But ads for (dark) chocolate suggest chocolate is good for us. After all, chocolate comes from plants and contains the same health-protective compounds found in fruits and vegetables. The question is whether chocolate is little more than an alluring form of refined sugar, saturated fat and empty calories or does chocolate (in moderation, of course) have positive qualities that might be beneficial for athletes as a part of a sports diet?