The concept of dark healthy chocolate is something relatively new. Everyone knows that chocolate tastes yummy, but most have no idea that it is a health food in the correct form.
Researching the internet, Xocai is the main product that appears on a Google search. This company, MXI Corp, has been around for a couple of years, and offers a range of dark healthy chocolate options.
They even make healthy chocolate chip cookies! It is interesting to note that now other companies, including Cadbury, are quoting health benefits of healthy chocolate treats on their wrappers.
Is There Really Such A Thing As Healthy Chocolate?
In my youth, we considered chocolate a sweet, to be avoided if possible. True Cadbury used to boast a glass and a half of full cream milk in every block, but that can’t be healthy considering what I have read about dairy and cholesterol?
What’s more, chocolate has sugar in it, or it tastes extremely bitter. This was before the days we were aware of toxins in our environment and all of the adulteration of foods by the food industry.
You would have to conclude that Cadbury chocolate was not dark healthy chocolate. Woudln’t it have been great if we had healthy chocolate treats in those days! We were totally unaware this was even possible.
Research Says Cacao Is Healthy!
When you grind Cacao Beans, you get Cacao powder and Cocoa Butter. As it turns out, organic Cacao powder in its raw form, has been demonstrated to provide a wide range of health benefits.
First at 26,000 per 100 grams, it has the highest ORAC value (antioxidant rating) of any food. Studies show benefits for Heart, Circulation, Blood Sugar, Liver, Cholesterol and there are over 1200 studies published to date.
One could say that dark chocolate was heart healthy chocolate. Clearly it is not raw Organic Cacao that is the problem here.
Why Commercial Chocolate Is Not Healthy
Any chocolate containing vegetable oil includes Palm Oil. This is obtained by clearing rain forests in Indonesia and is threatening the Orangutan population. Not good!
Often Vegetable Oils are used to replace Cocoa Butter when reconstructing chocolate. My opinion, food in its natural state has all sorts of components that make it easier to digest.
There is full cream milk in much of the chocolate and because it absorbs environmental toxins, often lead and cadmium. These are dangerous heavy metals and cause all sorts of health challenges.
Finally there may be Trans fat, High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), Artificial sweeteners, Soy, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), and Preservatives and stabilizers. Beware of cheaper brands, as they are even less healthy! Avoid compound chocolate.
Other Chocolate Products. The healthiest chocolate is dark healthy chocolate, organic certified and containing a high percentage of raw cacao. There are claims of healthy chocolate bars, healthy chocolate chip cookies, and other healthy chocolate treats. I prefer a pure dark organic chocolate product with demonstrated health benefits.
A new product, Chava Vital Chocolate, appears to be the healthiest chocolate on earth! More about that later.
What Is A Healthy Chocolate? A Healthy chocolate is organic and grown in an area where toxins are minimized. It is not harvested by child slave labour. It does not contain palm oil. Ideally it is certified organic and dark. It should be cold processed to retain the antioxidant value of the raw Cacao Beans.
Healthy chocolate treats are low in calories as well, so weight gain is not an issue!
Why Chocolate Over SuperJuices? Well, the concept of ORAC as a measure of antioxidant capability is much touted as an anti-aging property of many of the super juices.
One square of Chava Vital Chocolate has a higher ORAC than a liter or 32 oz of any of these juices, so Chocolate beats them hands down in this department.
Chava Vital has Activated Liquid Zeolite to remove heavy metals and toxins ensuring it is of the purest standard, and a potent mood enhancer to help you feel good.
Chava has double the ORAC of Xocai, which up till now was leaps ahead of other antioxidant foods.
Chava Vital Dark Healthy Chocolate
This is a new entry to the organic chocolate market. The result of years of study by biochemists, Chava combines all the benefits of 70% raw cacao with Activated Liquid Zeolite and a proprietary mood enhancer to give an amazing 37,208 ORAC in a recent test.
It definitely qualifies as a superfood and retains all the benefits of raw Cacao. Personally, after just a few pieces, I have noticed I feel more positive, and my workout rate appears to have improved at the gym.
It is still early days, but considering the science, not unexpected. Because of its extreme anti-aging capabilities, you can expect to look and feel younger after using Chava for a period, and it makes sense you will see this in your skin.
Brunswick Labs have certified Chava with an extreme ORAC, making it a prime weapon against Free radical damage. You can’t purchase Chava in a Chocolate Shop, as it is only available through direct distribution.