Dark Chocolate - Yum - but good for you?

Heathy Chocolate - this is not an oxymoron. The chocolate based products developed by MXI (Marketing Chocolate International) - Xocai are truly natural and certified to be full of antioxidants and flavanols - more than any other product on the market today.

Ever since I was young, I've LOVED dark chocolate. Now I know why - it's good for you! The antioxidants found in dark chocolate make it the best product you can find! How do I know? There is a lot of research that has been done in recent years about the benefits of dark chocolate.

A study done in 2003 showed that the antioxidants in dark chocolate lowered blood pressure. This particular study was done by Dirk Taubert, MD, PhD and his colleagues at the University of Cologne, Germany. Their report can be found in the August 27 issue of "The Journal of the American Medical Association."

Another report by Mauro Serafini, PhD of Italy's National Institute for Food and Nutrition Rearch in Rome showed that this needed to be dark chocolate, not milk chocolate, nor dark chocolate mixed with milk. It appears that the milk "may interfere with the absorption of antioxidants from chocolate."

Also, Prevention Magazine has published an article about the health benefits of Dark Chocolate. This article is entitled "Dark Chocolate Can Pack a Big Antioxidant Wallop."

Here is a quote from the magazine: "Several studies in animals and humans have shown the heart-healthy effects of chocolate's antioxidants. One of these studies, led by Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State University, found that people who ate a diet rich in cocoa powder and dark chocolate had lower oxidation levels of bad LDL cholesterol, higher blood antioxidant levels, and 4 percent higher levels of good HDL cholesterol."

The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service did a recent study. This showed that the more cocoa powder the chocolate contains, the more antioxidants you are getting. The pure unprocessed cocoa powder has the highest amount of antioxidants. In this form it is bitter and so sweetners are added to make it palatable. The candy industry also adds fat and fillers. As a result, you have to be careful when choosing a dark chocolate product to please your palate or enhance your health.

The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) value is a way of measuring the antioxidants in foods. Dark chocolate has more than 13,000 ORAC units and milk chocolate has about 6,700 according to the Chocolate Manufacturers Association, McLean, VA. The cacao bean and its bran have the highest phenol levels. How the bean is processed has an effect on how much of the antioxidants are destroyed.

A couple years ago we came across a fabulous "candy bar" that was made from dark chocolate and did not have a lot of fatty fillers. The manufacturer is Pure D'Lite. These bars are also sugar-free for the diabetic and those watching their calories. Now the parent company has come out with a dark chocolate beverage that blends dark chocolate, acai berry, blueberry and other natural ingredients. It is sweetened with aguave, a natural low glycemic sweetner. Contact us for more information about this fabulous product!

For more information go to this link. There are solid chocolate products, energy drinks, high protein meal replacement shake and coming soon - anti-aging!

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