About Xocai Chocolate

Healthy Chocolate from Xocai

Not All Chocolate Is Created Equal!

With all the good news about chocolate, you may want to rush out and buy your favorite chocolate bar from the local store. Well, not so fast. Don’t expect health benefits from just any old chocolate, including the dark chocolate at your favorite health food store – because not all chocolate is created equal. Not by a long shot. Even the bars that boast that they have 50-70% “pure cocoa” on their labels are closer to the typical candy bar than they are to the all-natural cacao beans.

What Are The Problems With Commercial Chocolate?
1) The cacao beans are roasted (heated) which destroy the nutrients, natural flavonols and anti-oxidants. 2) The beans are “dutched.” (A process that utilizes alkali to neutralize the natural bitter taste. This process destroys the anti-oxidants.) 3) Natural cocoa butter is taken out. Hydrogenated oils (trans-fats), waxes and milk-fats are added. 4) Heaping quantities of refined sugars are added as well as other preservatives, flavorings and chemicals.

Where Can I Find “Healthy Chocolate”?

The Answer is Xocai™ (pronounced ‘sho sigh’)

• Cold-pressed cocoa (patented process)
• No dutching and no adding alkali.
• Has the highest levels of flavonols and other nutrients naturally found in cacao.
• Low in sugar. Using only natural, glycemic-balanced, natural non-refined sweeteners.
• Contains no waxes, hydrogenated oils (trans-fats), or preservatives.
• Retains the cocoa butter and cocoa solids.
• Cacao beans are cleaned and continually tested for bacteria and other infectious agents.
• Mixed with the Brazilian acai berry.

With daily consumption, give the program 4-6 weeks and up to 6 months for maximum effect, and remember that more is not always better. It takes time for cells to heal and be repaired. Just 3 squares a day is all you need.

The USDA uses the original ORAC scale to measure the anti-oxidant fighting activity of different foods against 1 of the major free-radicals in the body. The new test (Total ORAC FN) measures against 5 major free- radicals. The test will become the standard measurement in the future.Just because a product combats 1 free radical, does not mean that it fights the others. Xocai chocolate is one of the 1st foods to be tested with the new ORAC FN scale which has only proven that Xocai products are even more potent as an anti-oxidant than originally thought.

The following results are from the Brunswick Laboratories, the leader in anti-oxidant testing of nutritional products. Orac Value based on 1 fluid ounce

Anti-Oxidants - What Are They and Why Do I Need Them?

Studies have shown that cocoa may be the most anti-oxidant rich food discoveries to date, far surpassing other well-known anti-oxidant rich foods such as blueberries, grapes, raisins, prunes, green tea, and red wine. Anti-oxidants are one of the best ways to prevent disease and promote overall Wellness. They work on a cellular level to deactivate free radicals in the body, neutralizing their effects and preventing cell damage. One of the best and most reliable ways to determine the potency of anti-oxidant-rich food is through the ORAC test (which stands for oxygen radical absorbance capacity.) Xocai’s “Healthy Chocolate is among the highest rating scores on the ORAC scale.

What exactly is a free radical and why should I be concerned? A free radical is an atom with an unpaired electron in the outer-most shell. Free radicals in the human body cause DNA, protein, and lipid damage, and contribute to systemic inflammation. Let’s make this simpler to understand: Say you have a piece of steel and you leave it outside for awhile. What is going to happen? It is going to rust. This is called “oxidation.” Your body goes through the same process every day. As you breathe, eat, sleep, and exercise, your body experiences oxidation. Oxidation is the cause of aging and more than 200 degenerative diseases. With the help of anti-oxidants, you can greatly decrease the number of free radicals in your body because anti-oxidants are molecules that bind with the free radicals, thus neutralizing them.

No one can avoid free radicals completely; they are a part of your daily life. Even oxygen (the stuff we need to breath and live) causes free radicals. However, by consuming foods rich in anti-oxidants, you can bind the free radicals and prevent oxidative damage.

Studies Regarding Dark Chocolate

More than 2000 studies from prestigious universities such as Yale, Harvard, Oxford, London and Purdue as well as dozens of medical and health journals demonstrate that properly processed cacao (pronounced ‘ka cow’) and dark chocolate have many health benefits. These studies include the following: 200 studies on anti-oxidant benefits, 170 cardiovascular health, 60 brain and mental function, 20 weight control, 20 mood, and so on.

The research on chocolate is relatively new and ongoing. However, numerous studies provide ample proof that the little cacao bean, as well as properly processed dark chocolate products, can provide a variety of potential health benefits which include the following:

• Prevention of and/or reversal of cardiovascular disease by stopping bad cholesterol from forming on vessel walls and lowering of cholesterol levels.
• Prevention of the formation of blood clots, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
• Increased flexibility of blood vessels, which helps to lower blood pressure and decrease the stress on the heart.
• More effective utilization of blood sugars, thus preventing diabetes, as well as decreasing the complications of diabetes: vision problems, amputation, neuropathy, kidney problems, and the potential for cardiovascular complications.
• Prevention of certain types of cancer.
  Prevention of many chronic illnesses and effects of aging due to its potent anti-oxidant content.
• Prevention and/or reversal of the inflammation associated with arthritis, fibromyalgia, or any inflammatory disease.
  Possible prevention of dental cavities and gum disease.
• Improved liver function.
• Lowered risk of depression

How Chocolate Works

As mentioned, chocolate has literally commanded the scrutiny of much of our scientific and health communities. So much so that in February 2000, chocolate was the center of attention at the Annual Meeting and Science Innovation Exposition at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and later in 2004 and 2006 at the National Academics in Washington, D.C. These first-of-their-kind meetings featured international scientists from the public and private sectors. The National Academies is the premiere scientific body in the U.S., bringing together committees of experts in all areas of science and technology.

These symposiums-and the dozens of studies completed on cocoa in the last several years - have raised the awareness of the public regarding the potential of chocolate to improve one's health. While much of the public still views chocolate as a "sinful" indulgence that only leads to health problems such as increased weight, acne, and cavities, a significant number of studies have emerged in recent years that appears to be changing the public view at least a little. With time, hopefully everyone will come to understand that properly processed cocoa products represent a healthful food choice capable of preventing disease and promoting overall wellness.