As far back as 1500 B.C. advanced early civilizations in the Mesoamerica regions of Central America and Mexico recognized the health benefits of chocolate. Some of the earliest to discover these benefits were the Mayans who looked upon the cacao tree and it's pods and beans as a sacred medicinal plant. These ancient people regularly consumed a nutritionally dense drink of cacao mixed with chiles, cinnamon and other spices. This was truly known as the Nectar of the Gods and was called Xocalatl.

As Spanish explorers discovered these new worlds and the treasures they held, they began to take these new discoveries back to the masses in Europe. As cacao and it's antioxidant rich beans and this newly discovered Xocalatl drink were introduced to the Europeans, chocolate became very popular and as such it did not take very long for it's original healthy form to be diluted, distorted and adulterated to make it more appealing to the masses, a far cry from the healthy Mayan drink Xocalatl. It became what we know today as something completely different . . . unhealthy and nutrient deficient candy.

In the same way that cacao has been transformed and degraded, so too has our once healthy lifestyle. One of society's largest problems is our poor diets and our lack of exercise. We live in an environment that exposes us to all kinds of toxins and pollutants from the daily lives we lead. All of this exposure leads to the build up of free radicals and the damage they cause to our bodies, internal organs and tissues.

Modern science and medical research has put cacao and chocolate back under the microscope. We have discovered that one of the worlds favorite foods actually holds some very incredible health properties that really can't be found in hardly any other medicinal type of plant.

There have been more than 2000 studies from many very respected institutions like Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Purdue Universities. These have even been peer reviewed studies published in many major medical journals including the Journal of American Medicine that resoundingly confirm that properly processed cacao and dark chocolate could help with a broad spectrum of human health benefits. The studies have documented:

• 200 studies on antixidant benefits
• 170 on cardiovascular health
• 60 on brain and mental function
• 20 on weight control
• 20 on mood
• many, many more!

The key to this research is knowing that all chocolate is not created equally. You can't just run to the local store and buy a bunch of your favorite chocolate bars. You may have even seen those so-called dark chocolate bars that whose labels may show they contain as much as 70% pure cacao. Be careful though, even those high cacao content bars are considerably closer to a candy bar than they are to the original source the Mayans discovered centuries ago...the all natural and nutrient rich cacao bean.

More in the next blog post......... 

"If these observations regarding cocoa predict the future, then we can say without blushing that they are among the most important observations in the history of medicine."

Dr. Norman Hollenberg, PhD, MD,      Harvard University

Whoa! Read that again! So even Harvard's Dr Hollenberg has stated that cocoa can be good for you and has been scientifically linked to improved health! 

It is pretty easy to know and understand that the type of chocolate Dr Hollenberg speaks of is not what you would find in a typical retail environment where most chocolate is found---the grocery aisle or near the checkout counter. In fact most store bought chocolate has pretty much been stripped of any beneficial flavanols and phytonutrients found in raw and unprocessed cocoa and instead is loaded with chemical additives, waxes, fillers and refined sugars.

Only raw and unprocessed cold pressed healthy dark chocolate can yield any marked health benefits. Here are 10 reasons to incorporate healthy dark chocolate into your diet:

• Contains Fiber  Cocoa fiber aids in the proper functioning of the body's digestive system, carrying proper nutrients and eliminating waste. PLUS a healthy chocolate has no trans fatty acids.
• May Balance Cholesterol High quality cold pressed dark chocolate may help balance good and bad cholesterol. Healthy drk chocolate has no cholesterol.
• May Aid in Weightloss Japanese researchers have found that cocoa consumption may help to prevent weight gain though several processes including gene regulation 
• Scavenges Free Radicals Cocoa is the highest of plant sources containing free radical fighting antioxidants. It is higher in antioxidants than ALL FRUITS AND VEGETABLES as judged by ORAC scores. Free radicals are unbalanced atoms or molecules that are missing electrons. As they move throughout the   body they cause damage to cells and tissue. Phytonutrients like the  flavonoids in chocolate help eliminate these damaging molecules.
• Supports Vascular System Health Dark chocolate has been shown to improve the health of blood vessels in studies by making arteries be more relaxed and responsive.
• Repairs and Restores Other Antioxidants Many antioxidants become weakened or destroyed. But the powerful antioxidants found in dark chocolate repair and strengthen the whole antioxidant network in the body.
• Rich in Polyphenols Cocoa is very rich in polyphenols which are a broad group of plant nutrients that help reduce inflammation, act as powerful antioxidants and help protect against damaging radiation.
• Supports Mental Function Over 200 hundred degenerative diseases are associated with cell damage caused by free radicals. As damaged cells mutate from free radical attacks they cause problems. Several studies show that cocoa may help to protect the brain as well as improve cognitive functions.
• Protects the Heart Research has shown that cocoa is high in the phytoceuticals that support a healthy heart.. They strengthen blood vessels walls and help to inhibit artherosclerosis and in doing so that may reduce the risk of edema, stroke and  heart failure.
• Boosts Mood and Sense of Wellbeing Cocoa has chemicals that create a sense of happiness and well being.The mood enhancing chemicals Theobromine and Anandamide are two chemicals that stimulate enhanced moods. Some research has shown that consuming healthy chocolate can increase Dopamine and Serotonin levels in the brain as well.

So, now doesn't Dr Hollenberg's statement above make more sense? Only one chocolate has the research, the science and the antioxidant preserving patented cold process technique though. That healthy dark chocolate is Xocai. For more information you can visit:

www.TheRealChocolateDiet.com