We all know chocolate is the best thing in the world, but when we eat that one bite too many, it's easy to feel guilty about it.

Well, not anymore!

Scientists claim they have developed a type that is so healthy it could be taken as medicine. Yes!

The key ingredient in chocolate, cacao, contains antioxidants and minerals, and can even help lower blood pressure while increasing good cholesterol.

But these good elements are normally outweighed, as most chocolate bars contain at least 70 percent fat and sugar.

Now, an American company has developed a prototype that is only 35 per cent sugar and fat (hurrah!), by sweetening the unpalatable pure cacao with a herb from the Andean region of Bolivia and Peru.

Gregory Aharonian of Kuka Xoco, which is developing the chocolate, spoke at the World Chocolate Forum in London this week. 

"Using micrograms of coca plant extract, we can de-bitter unsweetened cacao."

"This eliminates the need for sugar, sweeteners and much of the fat in chocolate, unleashing the medical benefits of cacao."

He then added that while this is a milestone, their long-term goal is to create a chocolate with only 10 percent sugar and fat.

Mr Aharonian described sugar as 'the next nicotine' and argued that if the unhealthy ingredients were removed from chocolate, it could and should be eaten medicinally.

He said: "In America, the $100bn (€89bn) a year chocolate industry could become a $200bn (€178bn) a year health food industry, if only much of the sugar and fat could be removed."

"We look forward to working with the chocolate industry to make chocolate the most fun medicine."

Healthy chocolate? We're looking forward to it too!