HIGH MINERAL CONTENT
Containing iron, magnesium, copper, and manganese
POWER SOURCE OF ANTIOXIDNTS
Loaded with polyphenolsand flavanols
TASTY
Aside from the health benefits the stuff is delicious.
HISTORY
Historians have concluded that chocolate has been around for at least 2000 years.
The Aztec word “xocoatl,” is the origin of the word “chocolate” which referred to a bitter drink brewed from cacao beans.The seeds were known to also be used as a form of currency.
HEALTH BENEFITS
A 100-gram bar of dark chocolate with 70–85% cocoa contains:
· 67% of the RDI for iron
· 58% of the RDI for magnesium · 89% of the RDI for copper
· 98% of the RDI for manganese
In addition, it can also have of potassium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium (R).
Dark chocolate has an abundance of organic compounds that are biologically active and function as antioxidants. Some of these are flavanols, polyphenols, and catechins, among others.
A study showed that dark chocolate and cocoa had more antioxidant activity, (polyphenols and flavanols) than any of the other fruits tested Some of which included blueberries and acai berries (R).
SOURCE
Cocoa beans grow in pods on trees of the Theobroma cacao species. Some of the top producing countries are: Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Dominican Republic.
