Monday, December 1, 2008

Eat Chocolate, Lose Weight?

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.

You may have heard about the positive benefits that dark chocolate can have on your body. The idea is becoming more and more widespread. However, the chocolate that you purchase in stores is usually far from healthy. What is the difference? The unhealthy chocolate is full of sugars, fats, and artificial preservatives. This makes the chocolate unhealthy and bad for your overall health.

Another problem with traditional forms of chocolate is that a large percentage of its positive nutritional contents are lost during the heated manufacturing process. About 80% of the healthy antioxidants are destroyed during this process.

Thankfully, there is another option apart from the unhealthy, heat processed dark chocolates. A company named Xocai is a part of the MXI Corporation based in Reno, NV. Xocai has developed a line of products that is in its most natural, purest form of cacao. This is the result of the chocolate retaining its nutritional benefits during manufacturing. The cacao is cold pressed rather than heated. Therefore, the dark chocolate preserves its healthful benefits.

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.

Thankfully, you don't have to give up great taste either. Xocai has gone out of its way to formulate a healthy dark chocolate line of products that tastes great. Testimonials are flooding the internet from people who have seen great results from the healthy chocolate. For this reason, I believe that it is worth your time to investigate the products and see what they could possibly do for you. - 16650

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