Health Benefits of Chocolate

What if you could get a ton of antioxidants from chocolate? As you probably know, antioxidants help prevent damage from oxygen free radicals in the body. The USDA tracks antioxidant content in food with the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale. They recommend a daily ORAC consumption of 3000 or more. Surprisingly, unprocessed cocoa powder has THE highest ORAC score of any food! However, cocoa is typically processed in such a way as to destroy its antioxidant value and other health benefits. For example, your typical chocolate candy contains unhealthy, refined sugars, and fillers to get rid of the bitter taste of pure cocoa powder.

There is a company that produces chocolate in a way that preserves its health benefits and tastes great. the name of the company is MXI and they produce a chocolate named Xocai.

Here is how MXI describes how one of their chocolates, Xocai Nuggets, is produced:

"Xocai Nuggets are produced with rich Belgian unprocessed, nonalkalized, nonlecithinized cocoa powder that is high in antioxidants due to a closely monitored fermentation, drying, and cold-press process. Because these processes are closely monitored, Xocai nuggets deliver the optimum amount of the antioxidants found in the all-natural cocoa powder."

Independent lab testing shows that the ORAC scores of the Xocai products are through the roof, with one small nugget containing 3,120 ORAC!

Click here for more details on Xocai Healthy Chocolate

Americans alone consume about three billion pounds of chocolate each year. It is quite possibly the favorite food of our nation yet we are not alone. Europeans consume about 40% of the chocolate produced each year. Just about all of us will gladly eat chocolate on a daily basis. When faced with a choice between eating a half pound of spinach or a few ounces of chocolate, most people, European or American, will choose the chocolate over the spinach. While spinach offers an abundance of nutritious benefits, choosing the chocolate may not be as crazy or ill conceived as you might think. Of course that depends on the type of chocolate you're choosing. All chocolate is not created equal.

Chocolate has risen from the ashes to be crowned a new source of hope in the fight against everything that threatens our health. Chocolate has powerful antioxidant properties and is in fact one of the single best sources of antioxidants available. It also offers vitamins B, C and E and a variety of essential minerals including calcium which is essential for bone health. However, there are certain forms of chocolate which are better than others. Let's take a look at what various types of chocolate have to offer.

Dark chocolate contains more antioxidants than most vegetables and fruits. It has more antioxidants than broccoli, spinach, blueberries and strawberries. This is dark chocolate in its purest form and not once it has been combined with loads of extras that are not healthy. There is less sugar and no milk added to dark chocolate. It is sweet but not to the standards of your typical candy bar which is typically made up of milk chocolate.

Milk chocolate has milk added among other things. The milk provides a fat called palmitic acid which is not good for lowering LDL cholesterol. Milk chocolate is what we most frequently consume in our chocolate bars along with preservatives, nuts, and loads of saturated fat and empty calories.

However, if you're looking for ultimate nutrition without the sugar and fat, unprocessed cocoa powder is the perfect source. It is the purest form of chocolate and what was originally used by the ancient Mesoamericans to cure a variety of ailments.

Cocoa powder is however difficult to consume in its raw form and is most frequently used in baking. Semisweet chocolate is another popular chocolate for baking. It is a type of dark chocolate with very little added fat and sugar.

Surprisingly, white chocolate has absolutely no chocolate in it. It is pure sugar and fat and offers little to no health benefits.

Next time you're faced with the choice between spinach and chocolate, don't feel so bad if you choose the chocolate especially if it is dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is by far the best and a great complement to all those fruits and veggies you are eating already.

If you would like information on a healthy chocolate that is specifically manufactured to maintain its antioxidant value and still tastes great, click here:

Xocai Healthy Chocolate

Chocolate has been around longer than most people realize. Dating back to 1500BC, the ancient civilizations of Mexico drank chocolate to provide them with energy and heal a variety of illnesses. Once Europeans discovered the Central and South American civilizations it wasn't long before the product of the cacao tree soon found its way to the table of the crowned heads of Europe.

However, the drink of the ancient Mayans and Aztecs was not enjoyed in the form of the silky smooth confection we crave today. Considered the nectar of the Gods, the ancient chocolate drink was actually very bitter. Made from fermented and dried cocoa beans they added water, chili peppers, cornmeal and various other ingredients.

Sweet and very spicy they called their version of hot chocolate, xocolatl. This is where the more modern word, "chocolate" originated from. The drink was used by these peoples to treat everything from diarrhea and upset stomach to more serious ailments.

These ancient people revered the cacao tree and its yield. The Mayans reserved this drink for only the upper echelon of their society: rulers, soldiers, priests, and rich merchants. Being able to have access to the drink was considered a status symbol.

The wonders of chocolate would have stayed in the Mesoamerican realm if it wasn't for European explorers who visited this region in the 1500s. Cortés and his Spanish soldiers conquered Mexico and received the gift of chocolate as a reward. It was one of the treasures the kings turned over to the conquerors along with their gold and other riches.

This flavored beverage quickly found its way to Europe. Spanish soldiers told their nobility about how the conquered peoples grew and processed the cocoa beans. Quick to experience such a well revered and popular drink, they had to experience this drink for themselves.

The Europeans didn't relish the bitter taste of the drink so they sweetened it. Honey and sugar were used to give the chocolate beverage a better taste. Needing a tropical climate, the cacao tree was not native to Europe so chocolate became a delicacy in the Old World. Chocolate was used as a medicine and an all-in-one food that increased energy and staved off hunger.

The limited availability of chocolate didn't stop the Europeans from obtaining this new delicacy. They enslaved the Mexican people making them grow and harvest the cocoa bean but also the sugar cane required to sweeten the chocolate drink. Who would ever have thought that chocolate, now so easily accessible and inexpensive, was once in short supply and cost so much that only the very rich and the royal could enjoy it? It truly was the drink of kings.

If you would like information on a healthy chocolate that is specifically manufactured to maintain its antioxidant value and still tastes great, click here:

Xocai Healthy Chocolate

Chocolate comes in many forms today. That's not how it started though. Today, we eat it in bars, on top of ice cream or just about anything, as a hot winter's day drink, and mixed with a variety of other things. However, chocolate was most popular as a drink more than 3,500 years ago.

In Mesoamerica, chocolate was the favored drink. Everyone had access to it because it was the main crop produced in the region. Workers harvested the pods from cacao trees. Trees grew several pods and instead of growing on branches or vines, they grew right out of the tree.

Inside the pod were many cacao seeds. These seeds were fermented and dried. Once dried, they were ground into paste or powder to make their chocolate drink. The drink was used to heal ailments, give energy on long journeys, and as a part of religious and royal ceremonies.

It wasn't until the Europeans got a hold of the cacao seeds that it was used in other forms. They did consume the drink made famous by the Mexican tribes; however they had to add sugar to alleviate the bitter taste. The Spanish explorers on the other hand did not share their new taste with the world. Instead, they used monks as additional processors of the seeds into cocoa beans. In 1544 a group of Dominican friars brought Mayan nobles to Prince Philip of Spain. They brought him the gift of cocoa in its processed and powdered form. Later, in the 16th century the Spanish began adding sugar and sometimes vanilla to the mixture.

This drink spread to other parts of the continent after Spain's power diminished. Other countries improved on the addition of sugar, with other ingredients like milk, vanilla, and other sweet flavorings. Pressing the chocolate made for a smoother taste. Chocolate was consumed by the high and mighty all over Europe.

The mass production of cocoa paste eventually allowed even the lower classes to be able to indulge in the wonder of this new taste. Chocolate even made it to the colonies in America, but did not make as big an impression as it did in Europe.

In the 1600s chocolate was eaten for the first time. It was used in cakes and other desserts as an ingredient. Chocolate shops were becoming popular as was the mass production of the sweet delight. People just couldn't get enough and chocolate makers were getting rich.

The first chocolate bar was created almost 200 years later. Some of the most famous chocolate makers, Nestle and Hershey are still around today giving us as much of the chocolate confection as we can stand. Over the centuries, the notion of eating chocolate has replaced the ancient curative drink the Europeans were so fond of. People still drink it as hot chocolate and café mochas which is a far cry from the bitter drink consumed by the Aztecs.

If you would like information on a healthy chocolate that is specifically manufactured to maintain its antioxidant value and still tastes great, click here:

Xocai Healthy Chocolate

Whether you're living in 2008 AD or 1500 BC, we all wish we had more energy. With so much going on in our lives, we're frequently exhausted before our work is done. The ancient civilizations of what is now Central and South America found that the bean of the cacao tree had many hidden properties, one of which was increased energy.

They used the ground powder from the fermented and dried seeds of the cocoa tree to create a drink which they believed held many properties including increased energy. Each region used the drink for different purposes. The Mayan people had easy access to a wealth of cocoa beans which meant everyone, from the basic working class to priests and royalty, were able to enjoy the chocolate energy drink.

When the Europeans came across these ancient civilizations they found the chocolate drink to be a bitter but refreshing concoction. The explorers also noticed that only the wealthy Aztec royalty was permitted to drink the chocolate beverage. Merchants and runners were however afforded the privilege. For them, the drink allowed them to take long trips without the need for much else to eat or drink.

The drink not only satisfied thirst but also the need for nourishment. The properties of the cocoa bean provided the necessary nutrients so that body could be sustained on chocolate drinks without suffering ill effects. Spanish monks drank chocolate during ritual fasts as a way to keep up their strength.

For the Europeans, chocolate began to take on the dominant persona of a unique food group. They loved the taste once they added various sweeteners. However doctors were enamored by the fact that this simple concoction could be such an elixir. They postulated that a person could survive if they consumed chocolate and nothing else.

Chocolate drinks were consumed after a hard day's work or a particular laborious trip. The nutrient packed beverage restored spent nutrients in the body and provided nutrients that other foods did not contain, much like a multivitamin.

And, the energy provided by chocolate occurred across the board. Old, young, sedentary, or active - everyone benefited from drinking the beverage. The positive effects led many to believe that in the presence of chocolate, disease was suspended and life prolonged. The scientific name for chocolate is Theobroma cacao, which translates to "food of the gods."

Chocolate is more popular these days as a solid treat than as a drink, yet the cocoa bean still contains the same nutrients for the past 3,000 years. Recent studies have demonstrated that chocolate contains three main benefits. It is a natural energy boost with the stimulants; theobromine, caffeine, tyramine and phenylethylamine. It is also a natural analgesic and has several compounds which produce hormones and general feelings of well being. In short, the ancient civilizations were on to something great and modern society can still benefit from this ancient energy drink.

If you would like information on a healthy chocolate that is specifically manufactured to maintain its antioxidant value and still tastes great, click here:

Xocai Healthy Chocolate

Chocolate has long been considered junk food. Candy isles are full of chocolate goodies and a cookie just isn't a cookie without chocolate in it. Ice cream, chocolate milk, and chocolate sauces are everywhere you look and none of it is good for you, right?

It is high in fat; it is bad for our hearts and our cholesterol; it is making us fat. If this is truly the case, then why did so many ancient civilizations swear by its effects for both their health and well-being?

The answer is simple. We don't consume chocolate like the ancient civilizations did. They mostly drank their chocolate while ours is mixed with other ingredients including fat and sugar to make it palatable. These added ingredients are what are essentially bad for us - not the chocolate itself. Milk fat, hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn sugar are the culprits. Ancient civilizations didn't have these artificial additives. The good news is that with a little attention to the chocolate we consume, we can achieve the health benefits from chocolate today.

Researchers have been split on their opinions of the health benefits of chocolate. "While chocolate does have some health benefits it is not to the great extent that some are saying." "Chocolate is good for you in so many ways". The list goes on and on.

The truth is that chocolate contains antioxidants that help fight everything from wrinkles to high cholesterol. Chocolate has the potential to benefit those with ailments like diabetes, hypertension, weight problems, and the like. These benefits are seen to appear mostly in dark chocolate and cocoa powder. Milk chocolate does present health benefits but to a lesser degree because of the milk fats.

This doesn't mean that you should run right out and grab a shopping cart full of chocolate bars. The chocolate that we eat contains other items like sugar, oils, milk, nuts, and ingredients that are not so healthy. The candy bar as we typically consume it is still junk food.

Choosing chocolate that is closer to nature is a smarter choice. These are your more natural and pure chocolates, often categorized as dark chocolate. If you're accustomed to milk chocolate then the taste of dark chocolate may take some getting used to. Perhaps ease the transition to pure dark chocolate by trying semi-sweet chocolate. To compare the antioxidant value of dark chocolate - a forty gram serving of milk chocolate has the same antioxidant value as a glass of red wine. The same amount of dark chocolate has twice the antioxidant value as a glass of red wine and far less of the saturated fat and sugar as milk chocolate.

However, all dark chocolate is not created equal. Did you know that unprocessed cocoa powder has one of the highest antioxidant scores of any food? When cocoa is processed into the typical chocolate, much of the antioxidants in the cocoa are lost. Plus, the typical chocolate, even dark chocolate, contains fillers, processed sugars, etc. So, it is not exactly as healthy as it could be.

One company that is manufacturing chocolate specifically to preserve its antioxidant content is MXI. The brand name of their chocolate is Xocai. Here is a description from MXI of how one of their chocolates is produced:

"Xocai Nuggets are produced with rich Belgian unprocessed, nonalkalized, nonlecithinized cocoa powder that is high in antioxidants due to a closely monitored fermentation, drying, and cold-press process. Because these processes are closely monitored, Xocai nuggets deliver the optimum amount of the antioxidants found in the all-natural cocoa powder.

So, continue to eat your fruits and vegetables. They are important in our fight against aging. But, chocolate has come on board as another source of antioxidants. An ounce or two of dark chocolate on a daily basis will improve your health, disposition, and calm that sweet tooth. With the more natural and purer chocolates, that is all you need.

If you would like information on a healthy chocolate that is specifically manufactured to maintain its antioxidant value and still tastes great, click here:

Xocai Healthy Chocolate