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Steampunk Dark Chocolate Swarovski crystal earrings $13.95 |
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NIKE DUNK MID PREMIUM SB DARK CHOCOLATE BROWN Sz 8.5 $80.00 |
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Mens Hanes Premium Cotton Fleece Crew Sweatshirt – B160 $15.99 |
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Mens Hanes Premium Cotton Fleece Crew Sweatshirt – B160 $15.99 |
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Mens Hanes Premium Cotton Fleece Crew Sweatshirt – B160 $15.99 |
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Mens Hanes Premium Cotton Fleece Crew Sweatshirt – B160 $15.99 |
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Mens Hanes Premium Cotton Fleece Crew Sweatshirt – B160 $15.99 |
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Mens Hanes Premium Cotton Fleece Crew Sweatshirt – B160 $15.99 |
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Theory Dark Chocolate Brown Velvet slacks Pants New! 6 $55.99 |
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50 Dark Chocolate Condomi condoms (FREE shipping) $14.63 |
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Md~ Luxury Lookout I Dog Pet Booster Car Seat Carrier $149.95 |
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Nature Valley Trail Mix Bars Dark Chocolate & Nut 7.4oz $5.75 |
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3 Men’s Hanes Beefy-T w/Pocket 6.1 oz 5190 $20.99 |
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3 Men’s Hanes Beefy-T w/Pocket 6.1 oz 5190 $20.99 |
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3 Men’s Hanes Beefy-T w/Pocket 6.1 oz 5190 $20.99 |
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3 Men’s Hanes Beefy-T w/Pocket 6.1 oz 5190 $20.99 |
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3 Men’s Hanes Beefy-T w/Pocket 6.1 oz 5190 $20.99 |
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Nature Valley Dark Chocolate Peanut Almond Granola Bars $5.75 |
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Cote D’Or Dark Chocolate 45% 400g 2 x 200g bars Large $12.31 |
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Cote D’Or Dark Chocolate 54% 400g 2 x 200g bars Large $12.31 |
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DARK CHOCOLATE Soy Wax Scented Jar Candle LARGE $8.50 |
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DARK CHOCOLATE BROWN Thong Dancer Panties Vegas Panty L $4.00 |
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Verizon New LG Chocolate 2 Vx8550 Dark Blue 8550 Phone $75.89 |
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Dark Chocolate Faux-Fur Winter Coat $45.00 |
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12 MaryJane’s High Attitude Chocolate Beyond Dark 1.25 $24.99 |
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South Shore Furniture, Smart Basics Collection, Night Stand, Chocolate $34.99 This tastefully designed rich, dark chocolate contemporary collection exudes casual warmth mixed with a hint of drama that will spice up any bedroom ensemble. All items in this collection, aside from the headboard, are enhanced by matte chrome accents and a subtle arch design on the base. Made from engineered wood products, these pieces coordinate with other furniture in the chocolate bedroom furn… |
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Cafe Escapes Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa KCups, K-Cups for Keurig Brewers, 12 pack $9.95 Cafe Escapes Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa are rich and creamy K-Cups for your daily enjoyment. The box contains 12 K-Cups…. |
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South Shore Furniture Cakao Collection Full Mates Bed, Chocolate $239.99 Featuring simple yet refined styling, the sleek lines of the Cakao collection will imbue your room with a vibrant, contemporary aura, while providing you with all the storage space your heart desires. The absence of a kickplate affords the cabinets a distinctively airy allure. Dimension: 76″W x 59.25″D x 13.75″H Finish: Endless Chocolate Material: Engineered Wood Full Size Mates Bed Co… |
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Death, Taxes… and Chocolate! $19.95 Based mostly on a true story, what do a holistic doctor, teacher, turkey farmer, Mayor, sea captain and ex-CIA agent in Coastal Carolina have in common? Death, Taxes… and Chocolate! – a dark (chocolate) comedy, romance, spoof, docudrama, autobiography and fantasy about six witty, socially and environmentally conscious friends who decide to take their destiny in their own hands as they face the p… |
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Chocolate – Deep Dark Secrets $6.44 … |
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Dark Chocolate Cuties Dark Chocolate Cuties… |
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Island Gypsy $7.15 This debut album of Dark Chocolate features Kim Stone (Spyro Gyra, The Rippingtons), Aaron Stone, Alan Steinberger (March of the Penguins), Ronnie Ray Padilla, Nico Georis, and Clay Henry in this Caribbean-flavored set that will inspire spontaneous dance. These established side men and A-list session players create a new sound that provides a few familiar themes, but stretches outside preconceived… |
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Unwrapped $4.49 … |
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Roadsinger (Deluxe Edition) Deluxe edition includes “Boots & Sand” music video! Track listing: 1. Welcome Home 2. Thinking ‘Bout You 3. Everytime I Dream 4. The Rain 5. World O’ Darkness 6. To Be What You 7. This Glass World 8. Roadsinger 9. All Kinds Of Roses 10. Dream On (Until…) 11. Shamsia… |
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iPhone 1st Generation Running/Jogging/Gym/Sports Armband – Black & Tan $0.01 New Deluxe Armband. Exercise your right to a great soundtrack with this ultimate workout duo: an iPhone / iPod Touch Sport Band with Case. This durable, lightweight armband case keeps your iPod secure and protected. Unique design allows easy access to all functions without having to remove the skin. Multiple layers of padding offer the best in protection. Adjustable Velcro Armband gives you the ve… |
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Bailey Two-tone Mocha Dark Chocolate Loveseat $354.99 Enhance your home decor with this elegant Bailey love seatStylish living room furniture features contemporary stylingComfortable chair has a tight seat back with flared arms |
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Jem Dark Chocolate TV Console/ Media Cabinet $440.49 Add contemporary appeal to your TV room with a Jem TV console/media cabinetLiving room furniture is ideal for displaying flat panel TVsEntertainment center features a rich chocolate finish and functional design |
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Dark Chocolate Jute Roman Shade (27 in. x 64 in.) $21.99 Roman-style shade is crafted of natural dyed jute to give your home decor an elegant lookWindow treatment gently filters the light for a warm and casual feelShade features a contrasting stripe for enhanced detail |
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Dark Chocolate Jute Roman Shade (34 in. x 64 in.) $24.99 Roman-style shade is crafted of natural dyed jute to give your home decor an elegant lookWindow treatment gently filters the light for a warm and casual feelShade features a contrasting stripe for enhanced detail |
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Dark Chocolate Jute Roman Shade (48 in. x 64 in.) $33.99 Give any room in your home an elegant look with Roman-style shadesVertical blinds measure 48 inches wide x 64 inches longWindow treatment is constructed of natural-dyed jute |
Healthy Dark Chocolate and Your Diabetic Health — Part 2
In part 1 of this 2 part series exploring the potential health benefits of organic dark chocolate for the current or pre-diabetic, we focused on the very high concentrations of ‘flavanols’ in cocoa and their positive effect for a healthy cardiovascular system. We will now look at several specific studies and their results relating to diabetes control.
By introducing a consistent, high quality source of the flavanols found in dark chocolate, insulin function is improved, blood sugar is better controlled, blood pressure is lowered, and the threat of blood sugar build up and pre-diabetes is lessened.
A recent study at the University of L’Aquila in Italy confirmed these vascular effects. Over a 15 day period, 15 healthy test subjects were given 100g of a typical dark chocolate, (with 500 mg of flavonoids), and 15 others were given 100g of white chocolate (which has NO measurable flavonoids).
After a 7 day washout period following the first test, the groups were reversed and tested for another 15 days. At the end of each period, oral glucose tolerance tests were performed to calculate the insulin resistance and the quantitative insulin sensitivity. Systolic blood pressure was also checked.
Davide Grassi published the results in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition”:
“Dark, but not white, chocolate decreases blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity in healthy persons.”
“Nitric oxide bioavailability deeply influences insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and vascular tone.”
“These findings indicate that dark chocolate may exert a protective action on the vascular endothelium also by improving insulin sensitivity”.
A sidebar of note for current or pre-diabetics.
Obesity is a known risk factor for insulin resistance. Cocoa powder (the origin of dark chocolate) has been proven to be an effective appetite suppressant. A check of the ingredients on the label of many of the popular diet supplements will list cocoa powder high on the list.
So, a portion of good quality dark chocolate before a meal will not only provide your vascular system with a needed antioxidant boost, but you may also gain benefit against the ‘battle of the bulge’.
Another healthy dark chocolate fact for diabetics is the type of fat contained in cocoa.
Two thirds of the fats in dark chocolate are ‘heart healthy’. A study published in “Free Radical Biology Medicine” found that dark chocolate “actually increased HDL (good cholesterol) concentrations and reduced the oxidation of the total cholesterol”.
Where do you find ‘quality’ Healthy Dark Chocolate?
MXI Corporation’s “Xocai” dark chocolate products are independently tested and have the highest antioxidant ratings. (Using the United States Department of Agriculture’s Standardized Antioxidant Value System)
They use an exclusive, patented, cold pressed process that eliminates the ROASTING procedure, and significantly increases antioxidant retention. Of note to diabetics, their products are supplemented with acai berries and blueberries (both with very high antioxidant concentrations), and sweetened with low glycemic, natural ingredients (no raw sugars).
Dagoba dark chocolate products are also an excellent choice. Like Xocai, they are all organic, and while roasted, they are sweetened with unrefined cane sugar, not processed white sugar. As a comparison, a Hershey’s “Healthy” Special Dark Chocolate bar tips the scales at 21 grams of sugar, while Dagoba has only 4 grams.
South Beach Diet offers dark chocolate products that are low on sugar content and have a high percentage of cocoa powder. These products are combined with other healthy natural ingredients to increase their nutritional value.
Most quality, organic, healthy dark chocolate is available only on the Internet. This allows consumers worldwide to shop and compare a variety of these delicious, nutritious products. This also allows the home based entrepreneur the opportunity to take advantage of this highly desirable, rapidly expanding, international market.
If you don’t have the time or patience to shop online, then dark chocolate straight from the store shelves is still an option.
However, it is suggested that you check the ingredient list of the various products available, and select one that has cocoa or cocoa powder listed as the first ingredient. Unfortunately, many dark chocolate products that you will find have ’sugar’ listed as the primary ingredient.
Enjoy your healthy dark chocolate in moderation, and, if diabetic, even with this encouraging information regarding antioxidants and healthy dark chocolate, please continue to monitor your personal situation and, if indicated, consult with your physician.
About the Author
The author lives in beautiful Hilo, Hawaii, and became intrigued with the subject of Chocolate being referred to as “Healthy”. For more information regarding what constitutes “HEALTHY” Chocolate, download the author’s FREE report, “Healthy Dark Chocolate For Life”
Dark Chocolate Reviewed