Healthy Chocolate Is A Yummy Everyday IdeaIf something like healthy chocolate sounds too good to be true it probably is, right Murphy? (A.K.A. Murphy's Law). Well in this case, it is not too good to be true. Even the big researchers are buzzing about chocolate for health.
Did you know that dark cocoa powder has more antioxidants than any other food tested by the USDA? I guess that's what all the fuss is about.
Without going back to Chemistry 101 and thinking too hard about those tiny little thingys called valence electrons, we'll explore chocolate. To start, let me explain that antioxidants are good because they are able to absorb free radicals.
Free radicals??? Okay, chemistry set aside, just remember that free radicals are bad. (Did somebody say nothing in life is free? Well... these are.) They are involved in close to some 200 disease processes.
For those of you with a bigger brain who like to use bigger words, please bear with me. You can look in any of these places for a more intellectual presentation:
Critical Care Nurse 2007 Feb; 27(1): 11-15 touts chocolate as a rich source of antioxidants. They note it is a means to lower blood pressure, a way to enhance blood flow, and it may even reduce overall mortality. (Yeah! The fountain of youth!) However, you should note that when you read further, they say white chocolate has no health benefits. They recommend eating a dark chocolate with less added milk, sugar, and creams.
That last point is important so keep that in the back of your brain for a minute.
Experimental Biology and Medicine 232: 293-300 (2007) concludes the procyanidin oligomers in cocoa stimulate the immune system as well as early events in adaptive immunity.
The Journal of the American Medical Association Vol. No 1, July 4, 2007 showed chocolate can efficiently reduce BP when taken as a part of a usual diet.
The Journal of clinical Nutrition Vol. 81, No 1, 298C-3035 Jan. 2005 indicated the antioxidants in cocoa supported cardiovascular health. Also, in 2006, The American Society for Nutrition noted that dietary oxidants contribute to the maintenance of skin health.
This brings us to our personal top five reasons you should eat healthy chocolate: - decrease appetite (my daughter said "This chocolate makes you skinny!") - fight inflammation (my son's acne is definitely improving) - support cardiovascular health - increase sense of well being (I sound pleasant don't I???) - improve insulin levels - support mental function (this is because it also has DHA)
Now, get that little recommendation from Critical Care Nurse out of the back of your brain. Got it? Okay. They said eat dark chocolate with less added milk, sugar and creams. This makes it a more healthy chocolate.
That's why we like Xocai chocolate. It is manufactured with the intent of retaining and maximizing the health benefits found in chocolate.
Then they go a step further and add the fullfledged power of acai berries. Specifically, they do not add any sugar, fat, milk, or waxes. (Yes, this makes it okay for diabetics to eat...in small amounts.) This helps maintain the potency and purity of the chocolate. It's the most healthy chocolate we've found.
The down side?
It does cost a little more than your average Hershey bar. It is, after all, made with Belgian chocolate.
You might find it tastes a little bitter at first. If you aren't a fan of dark chocolate, start with the nuggets. They seem a little creamier. Or... you could try the Mega bars. They have orange bits added.
Frankly, since we like dark chocolate, we like it all. My teen son especially enjoys the cookies. The protein bars are great too (though some people may think them to be a bit too dry). We eat mostly the power squares. The drink is good but I add water so it is not so thick. Xocai healthy chocolate products are marketed in a multi level market fashion (MLM) so that could be a turn off if you've ever had a bad experience with an MLM before. If so, just ignore that aspect and focus on the product. It seems more and more healthy chocolate is popping up on the market. Hershey's now has a dark chocolate which is 60% cocao. Look at the labels on your chocolate and buy a dark chocolate with high cocao content.
The only other drawback I can think of off hand is that there really is no established dose. I eat it when I feel like it making sure I eat some everyday. (That's why we like to call it an everyday idea.) Since it curbs your appetite and is a little strong, you probably won't be inspired to overdo it. I recommend eating just enough healthy chocolate so that you can feel a difference. Don't forget chocolate opens up the heart center like nothing else. Still don't believe? Watch the movie "Chocolat."
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