Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Lose Weight While Eating Healthy Chocolate?

By Brian McCoy

When you think of losing weight, the word chocolate does not generally come to mind. However, thanks to some new developments it could in fact be possible.

Doctors and scientists alike have recently been touting the positive benefits that healthy, dark chocolate can have on your body. Although dark chocolate does have many healthful benefits, the vast majority of chocolate products that you find in stores is far from healthy. The reason is simple. These products are loaded with refined sugars, unhealthy fats, and artificial preservatives. None of these have the positive benefits that dark chocolate does for your health and well-being.

Traditional chocolate also losses much of its nutritional benefits as it is heated during manufacturing. This causes an 80% loss in antioxidant levels.

There is a company that has come out with an alternative to these unhealthy, poorly manufactured dark chocolates. Xocai is a division of MXI Corp. and is based in Reno, Nevada. They have brought to market an all natural, pure form of cacao that maintains its nutritional value through the manufacturing process. Rather than heat the cacao, it is cold pressed. This allows the dark chocolate to maintain its healthful properties.

The 6 products that Xocai has available are: X Power Squares, X Powerhouse Cookie, Activ, Nuggets, Protein Bar, and Omega Bars. All of them are formulated with unprocessed cacao powder, with acai berry and blueberry added to enhance the taste. Antioxidants, flavonoids, high ORAC values, high fiber, and low sugars are just some of the many healthy benefits that the dark chocolate products contain. The are also approved for diabetics, vegetarians, and vegans.

You might be asking yourself, "What does this have to do with me losing weight?" Studies are on the rise, including one from Japan, that conclude that the intake of cocoa may combat weight gain. Although there are several factors leading to this, two of the most helpful for weight loss are gene regulation and the potential mood elevating effects of cocoa. The helpful chemicals from these studies suggest that because you may feel more energetic, it will lead to increased exercise, and result in weight loss.

It's true that there are several biochemical responses taking place, but on top of that you are also consuming a healthier, more organic form of chocolate. For example, if you ingest a form of healthy dark chocolate instead of a Milky Way bar, what would you think that the difference would be? Not only is the healthy dark chocolate low in sugar, fat, and calories, but it is also high in fiber, antioxidants, ORAC value, and flavonoids. This is a stark contrast to the unhealthy Milky Way bar.

An added benefit is that you don't have to give up taste either. The formulations that Xocai has put together for their line of healthy dark chocolate products has mass taste appeal. People are sharing their positive testimonials as to the fantastic results that they are seeing with the products. Because of this, I feel that it is beneficial for you and your family that you look into how the Xocai healthy chocolate can be good for you. - 16069

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