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Chocolate Every Day

And I am still losing weight!

 I love chocolate. I think many of us do love chocolate, and because of what happens inside our bodies when we eat chocolate, we can actually justify explain scientifically our passion. It has to do with serotonin. Now this article is not going to be about serotonin, so don’t get all glazed over yet!

I want to know WHY chocolate is so bad for us if it makes us feel so darn good, and is there a way to have our chocolate and eat it to, without feeling like we have to go out back and sneak a bite while furtively looking over our shoulder to make sure nobody sees us!

So what is the difference between healthy and unhealthy chocolate? To find the answer to that I found a website by Dr. Steve Warren called My Dr. Chocolate. Here’s an article from that site.

Good Chocolate vs. Bad Chocolate

Over the centuries, chocolate has come full circle. Most of the modern world currently views chocolate as a tasty but quite unhealthy indulgence meant for only occasional consumption. But health-conscious consumers are now learning that dark chocolate, devoid of some of the unhealthful ingredients usually paired with it in confectionary products, possesses some impressive health properties.

Scientists are rediscovering what ancient Mesoamericans knew centuries ago: chocolate can be very good for you. It may have been cultivated for over two thousand years, but in the last five years science has finally begun to discover the actual health benefits of cocoa. Research is just beginning and is especially promising in the area of phytonutrients, polyphenols, and flavonoids.

However, not all chocolate is created equal. Most candy bars and chocolate foods commonly found in grocery stores are not what you’re looking for. These are typically high in refined (white) sugar, milk fats, and hydrogenated oils—ingredients that replace the truly healthful nutrients found in cocoa.

It’s important to remember that what makes chocolate healthy is the chocolate itself—that is, the pure cocoa that comes from the bean of the cacao plant. Studies confirm that the chocolate products with the highest levels of polyphenols and procyanidins should contain at least 70 percent pure cocoa powder. What this means is that, while it’s not necessarily bad to have “milk” chocolate, which contains a higher percentage of cream or milk, the more pure cocoa the chocolate contains, the more beneficial it will be. Bitter is better.

Also, many chocolate confections are processed using a procedure known as “Dutching,” which neutralizes the chocolate’s acidic flavor and modifies its color by adding alkali-potash to the cocoa nibs before roasting. However, this alkalinization process also removes most of the chocolate’s natural polyphenols. Another process commonly used by confectioners that can damage cocoa’s healthy nutrients is roasting: when chocolate is prepared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, its antioxidant compounds are destroyed.

So when looking for a healthy chocolate product, look for a dark chocolate product with the following properties:

• Has not been alkalized.
• Has been dried and cool-pressed rather than roasted.
• Consists of at least 70 percent pure cocoa.
• Contains cocoa butter instead of milk fats or hydrogenated oils.
• Contains natural, low-glycemic sweeteners—such as raw cane—rather than refined sugar.

Healthy Chocolate? How Exciting!

You still don’t want to eat 10 bars of the stuff in a sitting. Healthy chocolate, at least the kind that tastes good enough to eat, has calories, HOWEVER you CAN eat a bit every day to satisfy that need for chocolate. There is no need to be deprived.

I found a healthy chocolate source that has ALL of the above and a number of other great properties as well. At Chocolate Daily you are going to find healthy chocolate made even healthier with acai, omega 3’s and/or orange peel gratings to boost flavor, health, and antioxidant score, making it even better for you than anything else that is on the market.

The company is called Xocai and here is what they say about their chocolate.

Xocai products are produced with unprocessed, non-alkalized, non-lecithinized cacao powder, combined with the Acai berry and blueberries. The combination of these ingredients, in their natural state, provide a product that is packed full of the most powerful antioxidants! Chocolate products on store shelves use processed cocoa powder and sugars, along with bad fats, fillers, waxes, preservatives, and they contain a high amount of calories!

Here are my 2 favorite kinds, though they do have a couple of other choices as well.

Xoçai™ Nuggets, the Ultimate Antioxidant Treat!

Xoçai™ Nuggets, are an extremely high cocoa content chocolate combining the exotic flavors of dark chocolate with Açai and Blueberries. Each 12-gram Xoçai™ Nugget is made with rich, dark, Belgian Chocolate. There are 100 Nuggets per case. They are suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans. The Xoçai™ Nuggets are considered a “Clean Product”: No Artificial Colors, No Artificial Flavors, No Preservatives, and No Sucralose.

Each 12-gram piece of Xoçai™ Nuggets has an ORAC Value or Antioxidant Content of 3,120, and the USDA recommends at least 3,000 to 5,000 per day. Furthermore, the Xoçai™ Nuggets are the only Chocolate Bar, dark or milk, in the marketplace that has printed on the packaging the ORAC Value or Antioxidant Content of the product. We’re truly excited that we have the Ultimate Antioxidant Treat with a balanced nutritional profile.

 

Essence of Health, the Xoçai™ Omega Squares

The North American diet is almost completely void of the essential fatty acid Omega-3. Researchers believe that at least 60% of North Americans are presently deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids and that children are obtaining almost no Omega-3. In fact, the deficiency of Omega-3 in the North American diet has now been linked to an extensive list of health-related problems sited in over 2,000 scientific studies.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to health.

They are considered essential fatty acids, which means that they are essential to human health but cannot be manufactured by the body.

The National Institutes of Health and International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) recommends that individuals consume at least 220mg daily of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), the most important Omega-3 fatty acids, and that pregnant and nursing women consume at least 300mg daily. For comparison purposes, there is 100mg of DHA per 1/4 cup of canned tuna.

The Xoçai™ Omega Squares™ have a minimum of 200mg of DHA and EPA per daily serving. The Xoçai™ Omega Squares™ are an excellent source of Omega-3 and promotes the necessary balance of essential fatty acids though the Açaí Berry, flaxseed and a patented, plant-based, encapsulated Omega-3.

Reverse the Imbalance!

It is important to maintain an appropriate balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 in your diet as these two substances work together to promote better health. A healthy diet should consist of roughly two times more Omega-6 fatty acids than Omega-3 fatty acids (2:1).

Many researchers suggested that the present excessive levels of Omega-6 fatty acids, relative to Omega-3 fatty acids (10:1), in the North American diet has created a significant imbalance and is a major factor in the rising rate of diseases in the United States. Omega-9 fatty acids are not classified as essential fatty acids, because they can be created by the human body from unsaturated fat.

The Xoçai™ Omega Squares have been developed to provide your body the essential fatty acids for preventative and better health during every stage of your life.

www.ChocolateDaily.com is where you can go to find out more about this chocolate and order some if you want.

 

 

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