If you think that eating healthy means cutting out dessert from your diet altogether, you are wrong. Desserts often get a bad rap, but they aren’t all bad for you. Outside of the calorie count and the simple sugars they contain, they do provide some health benefits. Before you ditch your sweet tooth, consider these seven benefits to your health.

1. They can lower your blood pressure

If you are a chocoholic, putting it away isn’t the answer. Although it shouldn’t be eaten by the pound, just a few bites can help to lower your blood pressure and decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease. According to a 2011 Harvard study, eating dark chocolate daily can lower your blood pressure over time. The richness of the cocoa has a high content of flavonoids, an antioxidant that helps to regulate your anti-inflammatory response and boost your immune system’s function.

2 They can increase your libido

A healthy sex life is an important part of your overall health. Some desserts have aphrodisiac properties for both men and women. Things like pumpkin pie contain high levels of zinc, which is known to boost testosterone levels. Even the smell of a pumpkin pie baking is enough to help with penile blood flow and reduce anxiety in both women and men. Vanilla has the same effect on both sexes, while dark chocolate seems to put women in the mood more than their male counterparts.

3 It’s all about the swallowing

Researchers have found that if you are trying to lose weight, a slush drinks vendor in Vancouver will tell remind you that all you have to do is pay attention when you eat desserts. When participants in a study were asked to either choose a healthy or unhealthy snack and were then asked to count the number of times they swallowed while eating, both groups lost weight. It wasn’t about the snack that they chose, but about the attention they paid to eating that was important. Therefore, eating dessert is good for you as long as you count the number of times you swallow and pay attention while you eat.

4 It may lower your stroke risk

Dark chocolate is very good for you in many ways. In a study done in Sweden, men between the ages of 45 and 79 were studied to see how eating 10 grams of dark chocolate per day aided their overall health. Researchers found that the group who ate the dark chocolate was 17% less likely to suffer a stroke than those who didn’t.

5 It satisfies your sweet tooth

When your body craves something, it is like an itch you can’t scratch. Cravings will drive you to consume calories if you don’t satisfy them. According to a study at Drexel University, when you deny yourself the thing that your body craves, you typically lose the battle. By the time that you give in to temptation, you eat way more than you would have had you just fed the monster right away. In essence, denying yourself dessert, hurts you in the end.

6 Homemade desserts may decrease your intake of fat and sugar

Desserts that are prepackaged are loaded with all sorts of things that are unhealthy and bad for your body. If you prepare your sweets at home, you can reduce the fat and sugar in the recipe and substitute oils to make them more healthy. Homemade desserts give you all the health benefits without the ones that are not so healthy.

7 Desserts may encourage you to exercise

If you make dessert your treat for good behavior, eating dessert may actually motivate you to exercise, which is healthy all the way around. If you treat dessert as a reward for getting up and getting moving, it may become the start of a healthier new you. The benefits of exercise are stupendous, and when combined with the benefits of desserts, they are even greater.

Denying yourself dessert may be hazardous to your health. At a minimum, giving in to temptation once in awhile may actually protect you from the risk of stroke, encourage you to work out, and keep your cardiovascular system strong. If you remember one word: moderation, dessert can be one of the healthiest things for you.