Xocai offers a wide array of delicious, healthy chocolate. And Xocai is
The Healthy Chocolate.
We seem to be hearing a lot about so-called healthy chocolate these days. Is it just hype, spin and fancy marketing, or is there something to it? Being a healthy, aging baby boomer who loves chocolate, I set out to find some answers. Frankly, what I discovered surprised me. In fact, it is accurate to say that what I’ve learned has propelled me into action. Let’s be honest here. None of us is getting any younger, and the various stresses of everyday living continue to mount and take their toll. My feeling is that we can use all the help we can get.
Moderate Skeptic with a Masters degree
As a gerontologist, I have many years of professional experience working with seniors in various settings, and have remained an advocate of independent living and healthy lifestyle choices which promote wellness, vitality and active longevity. For decades I’ve been a proponent of not merely adding more years to one’s life, but rather adding more life to one’s years. Today this isn’t solely academic for me; it is experiential.
Given my on-going study and personal experience, I bring a measure of informed skepticism to any so-called health claim I encounter. So when a friend gave me some supposedly “healthy chocolate” as a gift, I was happy for the chocolate, even as I questioned the healthy aspect. It didn’t mean much to me at the time. I eat fruits and veggies for health and I eat chocolate for pleasure. Sure, if I could get something beneficial out of it that would be a nice bonus. Holy cacao was I ever amazed!
It turns out that all chocolate is definitely not the same. I can certainly tell the difference between a popular candy bar and expensive boutique chocolate, but I didn’t know anything about processing. And similar to vegetables, how chocolate is processed largely determines how nutritious it remains, and how good it is for you, or not. We all know what happens when we cook vegetables, right? We lose about half the nutrients. The same thing happens when you cook the cacao bean, which grows on trees. Unlike typical chocolate producers, where the intense heating process destroys most of the nutrients, there is one company which uses a patented cold process.
The cacao in this company’s products is non-alkalized, unfermented, sun-dried, non-roasted, and most importantly it is cold processed. This patented process produces cocoa powder that has antioxidants which are twice the levels of other dark chocolates and it is diabetic friendly. That was a real surprise.
Most commercial chocolate makers, in our post-industrialized, mass produced world, take out the natural cocoa butter and replace it with hydrogenated oils, waxes, and milk fats while adding lots and lots of sugar, along with preservatives and other chemicals. The industry has taken a natural plant with powerful medicinal properties and turned it into cheap candy. All of this significantly reduces the amount of antioxidants and other natural benefits found in minimally processed cocoa, while adding unhealthful ingredients at the same time. Xocai, on the other hand, retains all the natural goodness and then adds Acai and Blueberries which are also naturally loaded with antioxidants.
What are antioxidants and why should we care?
Antioxidants are molecules which can prevent the damaging and highly detrimental effects of free radicals in our bodies. Antioxidant molecules accomplish this by neutralizing excessive amounts of free radicals in our body. OK, so why should we want to vanquish as many free radicals as we possibly can?
What are Free Radicals?
Free radicals are atoms with an unpaired electron in the outermost shell. In the human body there are five major species of free radicals, which in combination cause damage to our DNA, protein and lipids. Free radicals also contribute to the damaging effects of systemic inflammation. Picture steel which is left outside for awhile and over time begins to rust. This is called oxidation. Our bodies go through a similar process every day. We experience oxidation, which leads to aging. It has also been extensively proven that oxidation is the primary cause of more than 200 different degenerative diseases.
Given the stresses of modern life, the environmental realities of our world, and our often poor lifestyle habits and choices, free radicals are part of everyday life. What we can do to counteract this is to eat foods which are rich in antioxidants. This effectively combats excessive amounts of free radicals in our bodies and prevents or significantly decreases oxidative damage.
What is the ORAC Score?
ORAC is an acronym for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. Brunswick Laboratories is a recognized, independent, third-party leader in antioxidant testing of nutritional products. A Total ORAC FN is the total ORAC score assigned to a product in terms of its food and nutritional value. To achieve maximum health benefits some studies have determined that we need to consume 4,000 to 5,000 mg of antioxidants daily, and at least 1000 mg of flavonoids throughout the day. There are further studies which show we may need over 15,000 ORAC a day. OK, so what are flavonoids and where do we get them?
What are Flavonoids?
Flavonoids are plant-based antioxidants that help our body’s cells resist damage caused by free radicals. Consuming foods containing flavonoids has been conclusively linked to numerous health benefits. Current research indicates that cacao is one of the richest sources of flavonoids of any known food. There are a variety of classes of flavonoids, although one class in particular, the flavonols, has generated tremendous excitement in the research of dark chocolate. Among them are epicatechins and catechins. These are two of the most powerful antioxidant compounds within the chocolate I have come to respect as well as love. Xocai’s cold processing results in a cocoa powder with eight times the levels of these flavonols as opposed to cocoa powder which is produced using standard processes.
Some Comparison Values
Cocoa has a higher ORAC score than many other highly effective antioxidants, including red wine, green tea, Acai and blueberries. The ORAC Value of three X Power Squares of Xocai Healthy Dark Chocolate (which are certified Kosher) equals 6.5 pounds of tomatoes; or 1.6 pounds of spinach; or .4 pounds of blueberries. When comparing one fluid ounce of Xocai Activ with other popular healthy drinks and juices it has a significantly higher ORAC score. Xocai Activ has an ORAC value of 5,270; MonaVie 2,027; Xango 550; Tahitian Noni 500; Himalayan Gogi 400. (from MXI Corp. [Xocai Healthy Chocolate] and the ebook, Healthy Chocolate in 2012 by Adam Paul Green).
More than a Consumer & Connoisseur
Many years ago there was a unique and effective commercial on television. It was for an electric razor. An older gentleman comes on the screen. He is personable, looks directly into the camera, and explains that after using this shaver he was so impressed with it that he bought the company. It was the same kind my beloved grandfather used, and I thought the commercial was really quite moving. Decades later, I feel as if I’ve had a similar experience with Xocai Healthy Chocolate. After loving the taste, then becoming aware of its many impressive health benefits, learning about the company’s commitment to being fair-trade, all natural and sustainable, I am now more than a customer. I’ve become an independent distributor, and being warmly received on former NFL player JJ Birden’s team is a kick. You can meet JJ here: http://globalpreneurs.com/p.php?s=76870
So often we wish we could do more to help others we care about, who are having health challenges, or have tried unsuccessfully to lose weight, or who suffer from the adverse effects of oxidative stress or inflammation, maybe they have trouble sleeping, battle low energy or mood swings. We’d like to help, but what can we offer, what can we do? Now we can encourage them to learn about the far-reaching benefits of healthy chocolate; but not just any chocolate. Only Xocai holds the trademark, and Xocai is The Healthy Chocolate.
You can find a lot of expert information about the history of cacao, as well as data, findings and related results from extensive scientific studies and medical research at http://mydrchocolate.com
Understanding the power of healthy chocolate and learning about how it has changed lives has been exciting and enlightening for me. When my friend first gave me some Xocai I thought it was the most delicious chocolate I’d ever had. But that was it. I didn’t have any idea of its remarkable world history, medicinal qualities or health benefits. What I found is the more we learn, the more there is to love. Life-long learning is so much fun.
If you’d like to learn more about just how healthy and good this naturally cold processed chocolate is, I invite you to watch the short videos at: www.The-Healthy-Chocolate.com
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