Admit it, you’ve already tried to calculate how many kilometres you’d need to run to work off all the eggs and bunnies consumed over the Easter long weekend.

We’ve all been there, drowning out the inner voice of reason in mountains of shiny foil and creamy, milky goodness.

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The luscious and unctuous feeling as you chew through just one more egg cannot be resisted.

But don’t feel guilty because there are plenty of benefits to those decadent Easter treats, such as …

Happier kids

The babies of mothers who eat chocolate may be cheerier according to a study from Finland. Researchers compared the smiles and laughter of babies born to pregnant mothers who ate chocolate to those who abstained, and found the babies of choccy-lovers were happier.

The cause could be chemicals in chocolate linked to positive mood, the researchers speculated.

Emotional eating might just be okay for you

A Swiss study by Nestlé (obviously) says regular chocolate emotional eating reduces stress, particularly when they looked at the metabolic effect that stress has on peoples bodies. But remember the study was for those who ate a small amount everyday for two weeks, not Easter consumers who gorge ravenously on one weekend.

Chocolate, the safe cough medicine

Is chocolate the new cough medicine? A professor of respiratory pharmacology contends it triggers an area in the brain that quietens coughs almost as effectively as codeine.

Elaine knew how good chocolate was for you and her continuous stream of chocolate sauce reminds us of that.

Milk makes you strong!

Milk, which is found in milk chocolate, the chocolate most of us Easter binge on, is good for your bones, skin, teeth and muscles. Remember that.

Chocolate based on the ‘Original Chill Pill’

Cocoa is a great source of magnesium, which is considered helpful for premenstrual and nervous tension – the nutrient is believed to be so vital by some researchers that it is known colloquially as the ‘Original Chill Pill’.

Maybe we’re not sweet enough

Milk chocolate has a fair bit of sugar in it. But sugar can be great sometimes! It is apparently handy for skin health and it’s high calorie content provides a nice energy boost, momentarily at least.

The darker, the better

Studies researching the benefits of both cocoa and high-cocoa chocolate have shown reasonable benefits to your health:

It improves blood vessel health by increasing the elasticity of artery walls so they can dilate more readily, which in turn affects blood flow volume and pressure.

Tina Fey had a chocolate husband on SNL.

Reducing the harm of high blood pressure

It’s also been proved to help in reducing blood pressure and the more you eat, the greater the drop. People with normal blood pressure don’t appear to be affected.

Dark chocolate can also improve cholesterol profile by increasing HDL (good cholesterol) levels and lowering LDLs (bad cholesterol), as well as insulin resistance and sensitivity.

There’s also evidence it contains a decent amount of soluble fibre and is known to be loaded with minerals.

Just one more. Photo: Shuttersrock

Chocolatey grin

Chocolate has a wonderful affect on your brain by causing the release of benificial chemicals – serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.

‘Food of the Gods’

It’s no no wonder the Latin name for chocolate, Theobroma Cacao, means ‘food of the Gods’.

Just don’t overdo it

The New Daily by no means suggests that consuming lots of chocolate is good for your health.

Like all treats, Easter eggs are very high in sugar and should be eaten in moderation.

But just one cheat weekend is okay, right?