(NaturalNews) With Valentine's Day fast approaching, many consumers are once again shopping for chocolate. The rush to buy chocolate is even stronger this year, thanks to the continued reporting of chocolate's remarkable health benefits. Yet most consumers have been deceived: Typical processed chocolate products have virtually none of the health benefits that have been attributed to chocolate in the scientific research. Why? The bitter alkaloids have been removed to make the chocolate taste less bitter. On top of that, most
chocolate products are blended with refined sugars and unhealthy fats to create the finished product. The result? A diabetes-inducing, fat-expanding chocolate product with no real
health benefits whatsoever.
Fortunately, there are
companies selling
real chocolate products today. We've reviewed several of them here on this website, and these companies produce chocolate products with all the natural health
benefits still intact. My top three recommendations for chocolate companies are:
Transition Nutrition (
www.TransitionNutrition.com) - This company produces chocolate brittles that are simply outstanding -- among the best tasting in the industry. This year, they've introduced
Valentine's Day Gift Baskets available at
http://www.royalhimalayan.com/giftbasket.htmEmpowered Chocolate (
www.EmpoweredFoods.com) - Makers of "empowered" chocolate products that contain numerous
superfood ingredients, including goji berries, mesquite and others. I wrote a full
review of this company last Summer. Read it here:
http://www.naturalnews.com/021885.htmlSacred Chocolate (https://
www.naturaw.com/raw_food/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=497) - Created by Steve Adler, a minister, all Sacred Chocolate is blessed with prayer and positive intention. The ingredients are sustainable, nutritious and delicious! It uses the whole
cacao bean, including the skin. I've completed an interview with Adler that will run on this website shortly.
For a wild chocolate bar experience, rich in microalgae
superfoods, I recommend the
WildBar (
www.WildBar.info). I've also interviewed the creators of this chocolate bar and plan to post that video soon.
SunFood Nutrition (
www.Sunfood.com), of course, also offers various chocolate
superfood products based on raw cacao. There, you'll find everything from
raw cacao nibs to Steve Adler's Sacred Chocolate (mentioned above).
There are several other
healthy chocolate sources that I'm not personally familiar with, but are recommended by leaders in the raw
foods community. Check out the following:
Golden Bean Chocolate
www.goldenbean.comChocolate Super Foods
www.chocolatesuperfoods.comFortinaChocolate
www.fortinachocolate.comGoddess Chocolate
www.rawgoddesschocolate.comGnosis Chocolate
www.gnosischocolate.comLove to give chocolate? Give HEALTHY chocolate!
The bottom line in all this is that if you care enough to give chocolate this Valentine's Day, be sure to
give healthy chocolate superfood products, not "junk" processed chocolate.
Real chocolate offers a multitude of impressive
health benefits. It enhances brain function, liver function and heart function. It's loaded with antioxidants and even has anti-cancer properties. There's probably no more delicious way to enjoy such health benefits than eating chocolate!
But remember: Common processed chocolate (and chocolate candy bars) are little more than junk foods. Don't kid yourself into thinking these are "health foods." Only
minimally processed chocolate has health benefits, and you can only find that from small chocolate companies like the ones listed here.
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In mid 2010, Adams produced NaturalNews.TV, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He's also a noted pioneer in the email marketing software industry, having been the first to launch an HTML email newsletter technology that has grown to become a standard in the industry. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
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Wednesday, February 06, 2008
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