A brief history of chocolate
The enormous health benefits derived from the Cocao plant is no secret. Among the earliest people to discover the health benefits of chocolate were the Maya and their predecessors, the Olmec culture, in approximately 1,500 B.C. These ancient peoples in the Americas used the chocolate bean as the main ingredient in a bitter beverage revered for its nourishing qualities and ability to boost energy and stamina. It was also used to treat stomach and intestinal complaints, infections, fever and coughs.
Until the 1500s, no one outside of the New World knew anything at all about chocolate. It wasn’t until Hernán Cortés conquered Mexico in 1521 that the Spanish began to learn about the delicious flavor of chocolate. Cortés described it as a “divine drink” that “builds up resistance and fights fatigue.
Eventually, chocolate beverages gained popularity among European aristocrats and remained a status symbol for the wealthy until the chocolate candies were first mass-produced for the public in the nineteenth century. As late as the 1600s, the drink was still advertised as a health elixir in England.
The new, sweeter chocolate concoctions were brought back to the Americans by European settlers. As time passed Chocolate makers created processing methods that basically turned chocolate into a junk food.
Why a Home Chocolate Business? Why right now?
Nine out of ten people love chocolate! In fact many people say they cannot live without it. Chocolate sales represent a huge and growing market. Healthy Dark Chocolate is a fantastic segment to this market. Multiple trends are converging to create a huge opportunity - baby
boomers, an increased focus on health, home business explosion, medical
research, media attention and more. The facts are pointing towards a huge opportunity for people like yourself that are looking for a way to find a great product that you can market from home and earn a substantial income. Xocai Healthy Chocolate products offer you this chance by covering all the trends.
There is a lot of talk about the business opportunities regarding Chocolate!
With all the Home Based Business opportunities you hear about, it is overwhelming trying to decide which ones are legit and which ones are hype. You should not fall for any get rich quick schemes you see on the Internet. The latest, greatest product probably won't be around in a few years, and most of the really big products are oversaturated with aspiring entrepreneurs, fighting it out in a shrinking sellers market. Wouldn't it be nice to get involved with a product 9 out of 10 people eat, and work with a solid company, with a superior product?
Entrepreneur Magazine put Chocolate on their list of the Top 10
Business Trends. In 2006 Dark Chocolate sales rose 30%. Many experts
expect that number to grow exponentially as more and more people learn
about the scientific evidence surrounding dark chocolate.
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ProductScan one of the top-rated trend-tracking organizations, writes that the top 4 trends for health and wellness products are:
Chocolate, Acai Berry, Omega fatty acids and Antioxidants. Xocai offers all 4 of these growing trends in one fabulous product line.
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See What they are saying about Xocai Dark Chocolate in the News
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Why Xocai! Good Chocolate vs Bad Chocolate
Over the centuries, chocolate has come full circle. Most of the modern world currently views chocolate as a tasty but quite unhealthy indulgence meant for only occasional consumption. But health-conscious consumers are now learning that dark chocolate, devoid of some of the unhealthful ingredients usually paired with it in confectionary products, possesses some impressive health properties.
Scientists are rediscovering what ancient Mesoamericans knew centuries ago: chocolate can be very good for you. It may have been cultivated for over two thousand years, but in the last five years science has finally begun to discover the actual health benefits of cocoa. Research is just beginning and is especially promising in the area of phytonutrients, polyphenols, and flavonoids.
However, not all chocolate is created equal. Most candy bars and chocolate foods commonly found in grocery stores are not what you’re looking for. These are typically high in refined (white) sugar, milk fats, and hydrogenated oils—ingredients that replace the truly healthful nutrients found in cocoa.
It’s important to remember that what makes chocolate healthy is the chocolate itself—that is, the pure cocoa that comes from the bean of the cacao plant. Studies confirm that the chocolate products with the highest levels of polyphenols and procyanidins should contain at least 70 percent pure cocoa powder. What this means is that, while it’s not necessarily bad to have “milk” chocolate, which contains a higher percentage of cream or milk, the more pure cocoa the chocolate contains, the more beneficial it will be. Bitter is better.
Also, many chocolate confections are processed using a procedure known as “Dutching,” which neutralizes the chocolate’s acidic flavor and modifies its color by adding alkali-potash to the cocoa nibs before roasting. However, this alkalinization process also removes most of the chocolate’s natural polyphenols. Another process commonly used by confectioners that can damage cocoa’s healthy nutrients is roasting: when chocolate is prepared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, its antioxidant compounds are destroyed.
MXI's proprietary, patented "cold-press" process provides a unique advantage in the marketplace. No one else in the marketplace has what they have...not even close.
Their exclusive process preserves the powerful nutritional elements of the raw cacao without sacrificing the taste, texture or sensory experience of gourmet chocolate. This proprietary process coupled with their proprietary formulation of Acai berry, blueberry and low-glycemic sweeteners, has allowed Xocai to do the unimaginable - create a health food in the form of real Belgium gourmet chocolate.
The bottom line: Chocolate products formulated without the added fat, wax, fillers, caffeine, preservatives and high-sugar content found in other chocolates. The result is real food nutrition instead of candy.