UPDATED January 4, 2009
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NOTES: This chart uses the manufacturer’s published price of a 30-day supply (or equivalent) whenever possible. Most manufacturers offer discounts on quantity purchases, so be sure to check for any specials that might be available. See our Coupons page for details.
2 comments January 4th, 2009
by Annmarie Kostyk
Chocolate is good for your heart! Surprised? Among its many healthy attributes, chocolate is rich in flavonoids, just like apples, cranberries, peanuts, onions, tea and red wine. Dr. Carl Keen’s research at the University of California Davis says that the best way to get benefits from the heart enhancing effects of chocolate are to consume cocoa powder and a moderate amount of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate gives the highest amount of chocolate solids in a bar and possesses the lowest percentage of both fat and sugar. Dark chocolate is a natural heart protector.
In comparing dark chocolate with red wine, both full of rich phenols for your heart, Dr. Andrew Waterhouse finds that one and a half ounces of dark chocolate is the equivalent of phenols found in a glass of red wine. You get similar results from cocoa powder which contains 75 percent the amount of phenols found in red wine. Chocolate protects the development of heart disease by oxidizing LDLs (bad cholesterol) which protects them from damaging artery walls and helps reduce the chance of heart disease.
Dr. Joe Vinson, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton says that one cup of black tea is the equivalent of antioxidants to one dark chocolate bar. Pennsylvania State’s nutrition department shows that even after elimination of other foods rich in flavonoids such as tea, coffee, onions, apples, wine, beans, soy, and apple and grape juices, both cocoa powder and dark chocolate has a significant effect on the LDL levels.
Don’t forget about the cocoa when you incorporate this incredible food into your diet. Studies are further supported by The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven, Amsterdam. The research studies how cocoa affected the mortality of 1,000 elderly Dutch male subjects. The men who consume the highest amount of cocoa had a 50 percent less chance risk of cardiovascular diseased than those consuming less cocoa. Researchers at Cornell University found that the highest antioxidant levels are in the hot chocolate. It is almost two times stronger than the red wine, two to three times stronger than green tea, and four to five times stronger than black tea. Avoid the extra sugar and calories found in hot chocolate by using skim or soy milk for regular milk and using an artificial sweetener. Another option is to use water and flavorings such as cloves, vanilla and a spot of honey the way the ancients liked to drink theirs. Cocoa can be consumed either hot or cold, but hot chocolate releases more antioxidants than cold chocolate.
Chocolate reduces blood pressure too! Dr. Dirk Taubert and his colleagues of the University Hospital of Cologne in Germany finds that dark chocolate consumption reduced the average systolic blood pressure by -2.9 and diastolic blood pressure by -1.9. There are no changes in the participants’ body weight, plasma levels or glucose. Hypertension declines from 86 percent to 68 percent. The participants in the white chocolate group have no changes in either the systolic or diastolic reading. The conclusion of this study shows that eating about 30 calories a day of dark chocolate can lower blood pressure without any side effects. How fantastic is that? Dark chocolate and cocoa can lessen your chance of cardiovascular disease through lower LDLs, bad cholesterol, bring more flavanols into your diet and lower your blood pressure.
Even though chocolate has a high fat content and most of that fat comes from saturated fat, chocolate is still good for your heart in healthy people with a balanced diet. It doesn’t raise cholesterol levels, actually helps decrease bad cholesterol and keeps those arteries running clear by thinning the blood. Cocoa and chocolate have the same life saving properties as an aspirin a day. To keep your diet balanced, the University of Michigan Integrative Medicine Department recommends up to seven ounces of dark chocolate per week averaging one ounce per day. Don’t forget, you can also get your servings from pure, unsweetened cocoa powder. So eat up! Dark chocolate and cocoa are considered a great addition to a balanced diet to help your heart.
Want to get 72% or 88% pure chocolate and help save endangered species at the same time? Make your next chocolate purchase from Endangered Species Chocolates. You’ll feel good about eating it on soooo many levels!
2 comments November 17th, 2008
This is the first of a series of articles on Red Berry Antioxidant Drinks and how they form the second major pillar of a successful natural health diet (the first pillar being green superfood drinks). Return here for more articles, product comparisons and tips on finding, buying and using red superfood drinks.
The best way to prevent free radical damage to your cells is with a diet rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are positively charged molecules that combine with negatively charged and oxidized free radicals — thus gaining the name anti-oxidants. Some of the most powerful antioxidants include the vitamins A, C, and E, beta-carotene, and the minerals Selenium, Zinc and Copper. Others include flavonoids, uric acid, plant-based phytochemicals, and co-enzyme Q-10. Many of the mineral elements, such as Zinc and Selenium are encountered in meats, nuts, fish, and grains. The beta-carotene and vitamin antioxidants (and some of the minerals) are commonly found in fruits and berries, especially those with dark colors.
Vitamin E is lipo-soluble, and acts directly on the cellular membranes, inhibiting oxidation. Vitamin C acts to neutralize free radicals by supplying electrons that disarm the free radicals and eliminate their detrimental effects. It also helps to protect vitamins A and E from oxidation, thus extending their effects in the system. Beta-carotene is technically a precursor to vitamin A. It works on certain types of free radicals and supports the production of vitamin A in the system.
Co-Enzyme Q-10 is essential in the conversion of food into energy — a process that occurs in the cells. Supplementing CoQ-10 helps the cells convert energy, making them stronger and more protected against free radicals. Flavonoids also act on the body’s cells, helping to regulate many cell functions. They are also known to seek out and eliminate free radicals, especially in “active” cells. As such, are an important part of the body’s immune system. They also sustain the effects of enzymes, including co-enzyme Q-10 and they stimulate the “genetic expression” within the cells, which is a way of saying that they “pump up the volume!”
As you can see, these different antioxidants work together to fight oxidation and it’s important that you get a combination of all of these substances in your diet. One of the best and easiest ways to do that is with a red antioxidant drink.
Vitamin E is found in abundance in wheat germ, dark colored vegetables, avocado, soybean oil, nuts, egg yokes, brown rice, cottonseed oil, grape seed oil, chicken and turkey, apples, and peaches. Vitamin C, as most people know, is encountered in citrus fruit but also in legumes and dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, parsley, etc.). Tomatoes have plenty of vitamin C, along with cabbage, green peppers and garlic. Here are five of the best sources:
Co-enzyme Q-10 is found in oily fish like sardines, salmon and tuna. It’s also encountered in broccoli, spinach and sesame seeds and peanuts. Flavonoids can be found in green tea, dark chocolate, red wine and red fruits.
Given the variety of antioxidants and the many different foods in which they are encountered, how does a person get a wide variety of these elements on a daily basis? The easiest way is with a red antioxidant berry juice. Just as a green superfood drink is the best way to get food nutrients, a red drink is the best way to get the antioxidants. All healthy diets should include a green drink and a red drink to provide a wide range of health benefits.
Finding red antioxidant berry drinks is not difficult. It’s an exploding category in the health food business. Some drinks focus on a single fruit, such as pomegranate, acai, black currant or blueberry. All of these are great berries and full of antioxidants. Personally, I look for a mixture of berries in my red drink and when I taste it, I measure that dry, tannon taste in the back of my mouth. The more of this the better! A red drink should taste thick, strong, slightly bitter, slightly sour and very dry.
In my next article in this series, I’ll look at a variety of red antioxidant drinks and offer some comparisons. I’ll also talk about ORAC values…the official measurement of antioxidant power.
3 comments March 22nd, 2008
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the latest buzz in the natural health world, you’ve certainly heard about the new super-juice coming from Hawaii, Tahiti and other tropical regions. Like many natural products that have received a lot of attention for their health benefits (and claims), Noni has been the subject of a lot of controversy, including a series of FDA warnings regarding health claims made about the juice.
So what’s the truth about the juice? Noni comes from a tropical fruit common to Hawaii and has been used for centuries by native populations on the islands. It is rich in carbohydrates, calcium, vitamin C, and sodium. It is full of polysaccharides, which are known to have antibacterial, anti-tumor and anticancer effects. They also stimulate the immune system. Noni also has a compound, known as skopoletin, which studies show is an antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antihistamine. It also helps regulate blood pressure and is a calmative substance, good for combating stress and aiding sleep. Noni is a dark purple fruit and all fruit of this color is known to have high quantities of flavonoid antioxidants. Noni is no exception. These antioxidants are excellent for combating free radicals and boosting cellular health.
Does that sound too good to be true? Of course not. Blueberries are every bit as wonderful and maybe more so. There’s nothing all that special about Noni juice, except that it’s new to the market. Noni is just another great fruit of the dark purple variety with some special qualities of its own.
Are people making false claims about it? Well, yes, probably. When anything catches fire like Noni has, some people just want to get rich by selling it. In the fever of money grubbing and promoting, they will often make exaggerated claims. The FDA is particularly fond of hammering companies that step over the line with natural nutritional products. Don’t worry that most pharmaceutical drugs cause horrific side effects and often don’t cure the problems they are promoted to cure. That’s part of our accepted health care system. But make claims that a fruit or plant may have curative powers and the FDA is all over you for making false claims. If you say that apple juice can cure digestive problems or help restore liver health…and if you say that on the apple juice literature you use to sell the juice, then the FDA will make you put apple juice through standard drug tests like any pharmaceutical drug.
The bottom line? Noni juice is healthy and provides some great vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. But don’t be taken in by exaggerated claims, exorbitant prices, or money-making schemes. Any berry juice made with dark purple berries will offer as much or more than Noni juice, so pay accordingly and drink to your health (financial and otherwise).
Noni fruit photo byhttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Marshman
March 9th, 2007
Antioxidants are not just for older adults trying to slow the aging process. Antioxidants combat the negative effects of oxidation in your system — a chemical process that occurs when your body converts food into energy. The negative effects include the production of free radicals, electrons that fly off of atoms and into cell walls, causing diminished cell functioning which leads to aging, sickness, heart disease, and countless types of ailments. If you smoke, drink, eat too much, or consume or breathe harmful toxins (such as those in many food products and household chemicals), you increase the amount of free radicals and speed up the damage they do.
Antioxidants buffer the cell walls from free radicals and even inhibit the creation of certain free radicals. Used in combination, they are perhaps the single most important natural cure in existence. Everyone should increase their intake of antioxidants! Here’s how:
1 comment September 7th, 2006
