Free Radicals, ORAC, Antioxidants and Chava

!±8± Free Radicals, ORAC, Antioxidants and Chava

You will want to read every word of this article to discover why Chocolate can be a major weapon in your fight against aging! Once you read this, you will understand why!

Free Radical Damage

By now most people are aware of the importance of antioxidants. Every day we are bombarded by FREE RADICALS, these are produced by our own body processes, and come from external sources. Free radicals are formed when a cell loses one of its electrons due to contaminants or the body not functioning correctly. This results in a chain reaction as each cell steals an electron from another cell to stabilize, and is thought to be a major cause of aging and disease.

Unchecked free radical damage can mutate cells and then those bad cells replicate, spreading genetic mutations throughout the body. Dr. Denham Harman is credited with creating the theory of free radicals as crucial in aging of our bodies!

Sources Of Free Radicals.

There are two classes of free radicals, endogenous and exogenous. Endogenous free radicals come from body processes. Normally they are swallowed up by a properly working immune system, but immune function has fallen substantially over the last 30 years due to the reduction in Natural Killer cell activity. This manifests in a huge increase in diseases such as Arthritis, Cancer, and other autoimmune diseases in recent times. It appears our bodies simply aren't creating enough natural killer cells to combat the level of free radicals our bodies are producing.

Exogenous free radicals come from external sources. The most famous one is cigarette smoke, but they include heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides, and chemicals. These come from all food including fruits and vegetables, the air, water and ground, household cleaners, and the workplace. Indeed our modern life exposes us to these daily and there is some evidence that electrical radiation from computers, TVs and electrical appliances may contribute as well.

Clearly Free Radicals are not something we want running around our bodies, mutating cells and aging our bodies prematurely!

What Are Antioxidants?

These are stable cells that are able to absorb free radicals without continuing the chain reaction. They are found in many fruits and vegetables, and a vegetarian diet is a great start to increasing your immune response. Antioxidants are known as "free radical scavengers", soaking up free radicals in the body. Health authorities are well aware of this and now recommend multiple servings of fruits and vegetables for good health. In the US as Scientists discovered how deficient our food is, and how much we are under attack by free radicals, they continue to increase their recommended daily allowance of fruits and vegetables.

The latest recommendation is 13 servings a day! As this doesn't include French Fries, most people are not getting anywhere near enough antioxidants from their diet. The whole thing is further complicated when you purchase non organic produce which comes complete with a whole range of pesticides and herbicides to counter any good!

The Need For Supplementation

It is becoming obvious that it is now very difficult to obtain a full range of nutrients from food alone.

The answer to the aging problem is to supplement with products that boost our natural killer cells and eliminate free radicals from the body. This is why antioxidant supplements have appeared. By discovering rich sources of antioxidants, we are able to give our bodies our daily allowance now missing from food.

It is important that all supplements we take come from whole food sources, as there are complex enzyme and mineral components in food required to properly utilize nutrition in the body. Artificial vitamins do not have this and there are studies showing carrot juice reducing cancer risk, while beta carotene supplementation actually increased it!

ORAC and Antioxidants.

Given that we need antioxidants to counter our toxic world and deteriorating bodies, how do we determine which to take? Well, first and foremost, a whole food source is preferable.

There are many fruits and berries which are high in antioxidants. Here are a few. The rates quoted are per gram

Chocolate Dutch Powder 402

Acai fruit (fresh) 185

Cranberry 95

Blueberry (low bush) 93

Plums (black) 73

Plums 62

Blackberry 53

Raspberry 49

As you can see chocolate rates fairly highly, The ORAC score is based on a certain weight, in this case 100 grams.

Chava Vital Chocolate and ORAC

Given all of the information I have shown you, it is a fairly logical conclusion to get excited about Chava. Chava is 70% Dark, Organic Cacoa. It is Fair Trade which means no child slave labour like many popular brands! It is not only toxin free but includes 5 drops of Natural Cellular defense Zeolite in each piece.

Zeolites are known to soak up toxins and heavy metals. This gives us peace of mind that Chava Chocolate will not contribute to free radical production. Another brand of Organic chocolate, Dagoba, were forced to withdraw huge amounts of product from sale when it was found to contain high lead levels!

Chava has an ORAC value of 33,928 per 8 gm piece. That means a whopping 424,100 ORAC for 100 grams.

This is off the scale of the above chart!

Recommendations are for 5,000 ORAC a day, so 2 pieces of Chava provides huge protection from the ravages of aging. It is in fact, once for once, double that of any other chocolate product!

What Else Is In Chava Vital Chocolate?

Well, each piece has 663mg of Flavonoids. Research links Flavanoids to reduced risks for cancer, heart disease, and other age-related degenerative diseases, as well as antioxidant protection of body fluids such as blood.

They also may help prevent stroke, flu, tooth decay, and other ailments. As you can see, this is a good thing!

Conclusion.

It was an eye opener for me to discover how healthy properly processed chocolate is. This is not the stuff sold in supermarkets. Now that the health benefits of chocolate are being researched, we can throw away some of those pills and switch to whole food to keep us healthy and fight aging!

Free Radicals, ORAC, Antioxidants and Chava

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Should You Buy Organic Chocolate?

!±8± Should You Buy Organic Chocolate?

Most of us love our chocolate. But did you know there are significant differences between the supermarket varieties, and certified organic product. Commercial interests try to dupe us into believing their product is the real thing, when it left that blissful state long ago on the way to the Supermarket.

Fair Trade

When it comes to chocolate, most of us are aware that when Europeans first took this fruit to Africa, there was child slave labor involved in Cocoa production. These days many farmers use their children to help them take care of their farms, but unfortunately unscrupulous chocolate companies such as Nestle and Hersheys, are more interested in short term profits, than the welfare of African children!

Recently Cadbury announced that they are switching over to Fair Trade Chocolate after intense lobbying from consumer and green groups. Most organic chocolate, on the other hand, is certified free trade. Those wanting a clear conscience when eating chocolate will wish to make sure their favourite brand is fair trade certified!

Pesticides and Toxins

Chocolate in its raw form has been shown to have relatively low levels of toxins such as lead. Unfortunately, this is not the case after processing. Here is the result of one study.

"What's interesting is that cocoa beans tested had an average lead concentration of < 0.5 ng/g, "one of the lowest reported values for a natural food," the study points out. But, by contrast, "lead concentrations of manufactured cocoa and chocolate products were as high as 230 and 70 ng/g."

"In fact, a team of American and Nigerian researchers found that lead levels in raw cocoa beans were 60 times lower than lead levels observed in processed chocolate products, the Chicago Tribune reports".

Chocolate absorbs everything from its environment. That means that toxic substance used in manufacture are going to get into the chocolate! Certified Organic Chocolate comes from areas where pesticides are not used. It may still have residues, but they are generally much lower. Organic chocolate is generally not processed using chemicals, often a larger source of contamination than those in the growing environment.

Additives

When selecting an organic chocolate, make sure they are not using refined sugar in the production. Commercial chocolates have quite a few additives.

Here is the list from Cadbury dark Chocolate. Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Milk Solids, Emulsifiers (Soya lecithin, 476), Flavour. May contain traces of Nuts. Dark Chocolate contains Cocoa solids 45%.

Unfortunately, with no certified foods, including chocolate, there is no requirement to list pesticides, herbicides, lead or other heavy metals in the product. Even the ingredients listed can come from many sources, and may be very detrimental to human health. Omission is a common practice amongst food giants to avoid scrutiny!

Conclusion

When all is said and done, Organic Chocolate is a better alternate to Commercial varieties. It does cost more and Dagoba sell a 56.7 gram square for .95 a piece.

Organic chocolate has many advantages, particularly if it is cold pressed and may retain much of the antioxidant and other nutrient value of the raw cocoa bean.

Should You Buy Organic Chocolate?

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Top Chocolate Brands For Your Sweetheart on Valentine's Day

!±8± Top Chocolate Brands For Your Sweetheart on Valentine's Day

As Valentine's Day edges ever closer, department stores build larger displays of gift ideas. It isn't unusual to walk into Target or Wal-Mart and find shelves of heart-shaped boxes, all filled with a variety of truffles, nut clusters, and other bon-bons. Indeed, the days leading up to February fourteenth mark records sales of chocolate, and while mass-produced brands are enjoyable and affordable, sometimes this holiday calls for something truly special. This year, why not splurge and give your sweetheart the gift of gourmet, artisan chocolate?

Across the country, one will find a multitude of chocolatiers that specialize in unusual, yet delicious sweets. From antioxidant rich dark chocolate, enrobing juicy berries and thick nuts, or creamy caramels laced with sea salt, there is no limit to the variety of gifts available for this holiday for lovers. Some names you may have seen in area grocery stores and boutiques, while others offer ordering and shipping via the Internet. If you choose to order a gift basket or selection, be sure to research availability and delivery times to ensure your treats arrive in time. Know, too, that not all artisan chocolate is expensive, and for a special bar or collection of truffles even a little goes a long way. Here are just a few brands to consider for a unique, scrumptious Valentine.

Vosges Chocolate: This upscale New York-based chocolatier offers a selection of bars, bons bons and other delectables infused with ingredients one would normally not associate with dessert. Vosges is perhaps best known for their popular bacon and chocolate confections - bars and shaped solids that deliver a salty, smoky sweetness with each bite. For the sweetheart who loves both, why not purchase a pair of Mo's Bacon Bars, in milk and dark. Or, try a box of enrobed caramel marshmallows or exotic truffles with a hint of ginger, paprika, and other wild flavors?

Moonstruck Chocolate: Based in Orgeon, this delightful chocolate company offers up some cute as a bug truffles this Valentine's Day - "bug" being the operative word. Their Love Bugs are dark ganache truffles flavored with raspberry or strawberry, with painted on smiles that make the candies almost too sweet to eat. Almost! Be sure to visit them online for collections featuring bon bons flavored with champagne, creme brulee, and Irish cream among other taste sensations.

Organic Chocolates: If your sweetheart is thinking more "green" than red these days, you may wish to present her or him with a selection of organic and fair-trade bars. Some of the more noted brands you might find at your local grocer include Green and Black's, Endangered Species, and Dagoba Chocolate, all of which carry different varities - from milk to dark to white, plain or with nuts or berries or other yummy extras.

This year, take a break from the ordinary in chocolate and present a tasty, exotic Valentine that will disappear quickly, but remain in your loved one's memory for a long time to come.

Top Chocolate Brands For Your Sweetheart on Valentine's Day

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