Healthy Chocolate

Did you know that chocolate is good for you? As a matter of fact, chocolate is so good for you that you can eat it several times a day without having to feel guilty. But there is a catch: it has to be raw chocolate and not the processed stuff that you can buy at the grocery store.

All chocolate comes from a fruit tree grown in places like Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela and Africa, just to name a few. It develops into a bean, which is commonly ground into a fine powder in order to make chocolate bars.

During harvesting, the fruit is cut open and the seeds, also known as cacao beans, are removed and sun dried before being sold or processed into chocolate.

Cacao beans are extremely nutritious; they are one of the best sources of magnesium and are high in iron, chromium, anandamide, manganese, zinc, and copper. They are high in antioxidants such as polyphenols, catechins, and epicatechins.

Moreover, they contain tryptophan, which the body converts into serotonin and melatonin. These are neurotransmitters that work together as stress relievers, antidepressants and overall make you feel happy.

Another bonus of raw cacao is that it contains small amounts of caffeine, which makes it a good substitute for coffee. Hard core coffee addicts might not think so, but it can help ease the withdrawal symptoms when taken instead of coffee.

Raw chocolate is also excellent when it comes to losing weight. It is loaded with so many vitamins and minerals that when you eat it you will automatically decrease your food cravings. You'll eat less, have more energy to burn those calories and naturally shed those extra pounds.

You're probably wondering if that is true, why isn't everyone talking about, and why are we being discouraged from eating chocolate.

The truth is that chocolate is good only in its raw organic state.

The chocolate bars you find in your local grocery store or at the convenient store is all junk chocolate because it's not raw. Don't get me wrong, those bars will help to make you feel good. They will fill you up and give you energy. But as soon as the chocolate bar is out of sight you immediately want more, the energy wears off and the happy feeling also begins to fade.

This is because this chocolate has been processed at high temperatures, which makes it a dead food. The processing stage removes all the living enzymes, healthy oils and other important nutrients. Then to make matters worse, other harmful ingredients are added, such as sugar, dairy, preservatives and other harmful food additives. This is the reason why you should stay away from this type of chocolate.

The only chocolate that you should eat when you crave for chocolate is the raw cacao bean. It has a slightly bitter taste to it, which some don't like, but others love the beans just the way they are. When I first began eating them I did not enjoy the bitterness, but now I have developed a taste for them and love them.

Cacao is sold as whole beans, nibs, and powder or cold-processed into chocolate bars or butter. With the cold-processing method all the valuable nutrients are left unharmed, which includes the valuable living enzymes.

This cold processing produces raw healthy chocolate which looks, feels, and tastes just like any other chocolate. The only difference is that it is healthy for you.

There are many ways that you can eat raw cacao. If you like the idea of a chocolate bar, then you can take the powder and mix it up with your favorite natural flavors and a sweetener, such as agave nectar or honey. The cacao powder goes well with vanilla, orange and mint flavors. You can add your favorite crushed nuts to the mix and freeze the bars and eat as a frozen treat.

You can add raw cacao beans and nibs into your trail-mix with other nuts and seeds or dried fruits and berries. You can also blend the nibs or powder in with your favorite smoothies and puddings.

Another way to enjoy the powder is to add it into your favorite tea, or in a hot chocolate. It goes well in a latte made with nut milk, coconut oil and honey.

If grocery and convenient stores only sell unhealthy chocolate, where can you buy this healthy chocolate?

Raw and healthy chocolate is available in most Health Food stores, or online at Sunfood, which is founded by David Wolfe. David has spent many years studying how our bodies work, how nutrition affects our bodies and what we can do to live long and healthy lives.

At Sunfood you will find a wide variety of healthy chocolate ranging from flavored chocolate bars to raw cacao beans, nibs or powder. All are natural and extremely healthy for you.