Eight Ways to Make Your Hot Chocolate Healthy

Hot chocolate is one of the world's most popular comfort drinks, and can easily lift you out of a bad mood during winter season. However, a large mug of hot chocolate from the coffee shop can contain upwards of 440 calories and 24 grams of fat. That's almost equivalent to a slice of your favorite chocolate cake, and those extra drinks can really take their toll on your health.-and your waistline. If you're not quite ready to kick your hot chocolate habit, there are some options to modify the classic and get your chocolate fix without the guilt. Here are eight ways to make your hot chocolate a healthy treat:

Make Your Chocolate Healthy: Choose skim or soy milk. Most coffee shops make their creamy concoctions with whole or 2% milk, and these are full of saturated fat and calories. Switching to skim or soy milk can easily save over 10 grams of fat per serving, and it still tastes rich and creamy.

Make Your Chocolate Healthy: Skip the whipped cream. This is a hard choice for many hot chocolate fans, but nixing the whipped cream can save you about 3-5 grams of fat easily.

Make Your Chocolate Healthy: Go for dark chocolate. The purer the better, especially since organic dark chocolate powder is one of the best sources of antioxidants. Science Daily reports on the growing evidence that cocoa is actually good for you, and contains chemicals that can fight cancer. Antioxidants can keep your immune system healthy, and dark chocolate can give you that endorphin kick you're craving much more easily than other varieties.

Make Your Chocolate Healthy: Bump up the flavor with coffee. Mixing a tablespoon of instant coffee into your hot chocolate can give you a nice buzz, and take the edge off any alternative sweeteners you're using. Coffee is also a natural antioxidant, and small servings do have many health benefits.