Chocolate Greetings!
Deep, Dark, Chocolate. According to David Wolfe, engineer, living-food nutrition expert, superfoods expert and longevity expert, cacao, aka chocolate, has the highest amount of antioxidants in any other source on the planet.
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| Chocolate with pistachios, CAHHC party 2012 |
Chocolate grows on trees, the Cacao tree. Minimally processed raw cacao is produced from the cacao seeds often referred to as cacao beans. Chocolate comes to us from the Mayans who used the nuts for drinks and as currency. Cacao trees grew wild in the Amazon basin and South American rain forests. They were discovered by the Spanish Conquistador Don Hernán Cortés who brought cacao beans to Europe. The love affair with chocolate continues to this day.
Cacao trees today are the #1 cash crop of the rain forests which greatly benefits the numerous indigenous people of the rain forests with employment. This benefits the rain forests greatly themselves.
Forms of cacao are the seeds/nuts/ beans, pulp, as a powder like cocoa, cacao butter and cacao nibs. Cacao nuts have 15x the antioxidants of wild blue berries and they are the most eaten nut on the planet more popular than almonds. The beans in the cacao nuts are used to produce chocolate oil. Minimally processed and non-heated cacao is raw chocolate and these oils and their healthy benefits remain intact. Chocolates with percentages of cacao above 70% are the best, health wise, where 55% is acceptable. If you can get your hands on raw cacao nuts even better.
The chocolates with the least amount of sugar products are also best as certain degenerative dis-eases feed on sugar. Plus, the amount of sugar most Americans eat per year is way too high, 150 - 180 pounds per year. Yikes! Added fruits, nuts, coconut, or essential oils add sweetness, flavor and texture. Chocolate products are best without dairy as well, as many of you are sensitive to it and don't necessarily know it. Plus, dairy causes mucous build up throughout the body and inflammation, a precursor to dis-ease. Most chocolate that is found in stores is not healthy at all. Over processed, laden with sugar and milk products, artificial flavors and colors, do your body no good.
Do you have muscles that cramp up often? Low magnesium levels are the culprit many times. Personally, this has been an issue for me. Thank goodness I love healthy raw chocolate products. Cacao is the highest source of magnesium. Magnesium has kept the painful charlie horse cramps at bay in my legs. When I slip in eating healthy chocolate my legs cramp up again. Research has shown that magnesium is required for healthy muscles. Remember, your heart is a muscle, so have your magnesium level checked with a number of vitamins and minerals at least once a year by your doctor, Naturopath or health practitioner.
Some benefits of Dark Chocolate are:
- Contains the highest amount of antioxidants in the world. Research has shown that fruit has less antioxidant activity and flavanoids than dark chocolate and dark chocolate products. A chart online specifically lists all the fruits antioxidant levels and chocolate’s level.
- Contains theobromine which is good for your nervous system
- Contains phenylethylamine found in the nervous system. It has a mood boosting effect due to it releasing the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain.
- Contributes to cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure and increasing blood flow
- Raw chocolates have the added benefits of retaining the original nutrients and minerals the body requires
- Chocolate is the #1 anti-aging food in the world. It contains polypehols and resveratrol
- Chocolate is the #1 food for magnesium in the world, highest source of iron, manganese and chromium of any other major food in the world, and is necessary for blood building , stabilization of blood sugar(chromium) and stress reduction– David Wolfe
- Chocolate is the #1 raw food
- Very rich in phosphorus for healthy bones and great for your teeth and zinc and copper. – David Wolfe
David has been interviewed numerous times about cacao/chocolate. His videos are a Google search away, “David Wolfe Benefits of Chocolate” and on Youtube. The TED talk February 2012 and a few interviews with Supreme Master Television are packed with information.
There are many decadent raw chocolates and raw snack bars on the market to choose from. So just maybe this year and moving forward, you will think of chocolate in a new light, I mean dark, dark chocolate that is.
So ladies, to chocolate! Indulge. Valentine’s Day, and every day.
Do you have a favorite chocolate dessert or recipe you'd love to share? Simply put your fingers to the keyboard, give them some exercise, and let us know.
In health and joy,
Barbara
Barbara Greenhouse
Barbara
Barbara Greenhouse
Certified Health Coach
Member, International Association for Health Coaches
Member, American Association of Drugless Practioners
Refresh Your Life Now
Bethel, CT 06801, 203 216 6889
RefreshYourLifeNow@gmail.com
http://RefreshYourLifeNow.
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http://RefreshYourLifeNow.
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Barbara Greenhouse shares her passions of Food, "Cooking", Cruelty-Free, Ahimsa, the Nutrition and Health Connection, and the Sharing of Unbiased Information for a healthy and informed world. She guides her clients through their journey to live their deepest dreams, simply and holistically, with compassion and by incorporating some delicious live raw whole foods, fruits and vegetables. She is currently authoring her first book, "Sacred You, The Delicious Journey"® - © copyright Refresh Your Life Now - 2013 Connecticut, USA
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