Superfood Sunday | PURE, DARK CHOCOLATE: FOOD OF THE GODS

By Dominick H.

Superfood Sunday is a weekly series where project: CLEAN FOOD features the absolute best foods to nourish – and naturally heal – your body.  To help you start each week right, we reveal the one must-have food to add to your diet. Enjoy, and share your inspiration with us by tagging #projectCLEANFOOD on Instagram.

Pure Dark Chocolate. The brown deity itself. After a holiday season packed with sweets of all kinds, we're turning our attention to one of the best dessert-type foods for you there is. It may seem odd for you to think of chocolate of a superfood, but it is packed full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. So maybe we can forgive that Chocolate Santa you ate this weekend? Maybe.

Pure Dark Chocolate is not usually found in the brands that make your favorite candies, treats, chocolate milk, or hot chocolate mixes. Those chocolates are usually mixed with all sorts of preservatives and other chemicals in order to ensure its longevity on the shelves of supermarkets and local grocery stores. Dark Chocolate comes from the cocoa bean and is native to Africa and the Americas, and is also heavily cultivated in the Caribbean. It was cultivated by many Central and South American cultures dating as far back as the Olmecs in 1500 BC. The African nations mostly associated with cultivation of the crop include Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

This ever-so-powerful superfood is filled with iron, calcium, tons of antioxidants and a strong balanced amount of trace vitamins and minerals. According to the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, four scientific researchers from acclaimed universities came to the conclusion that Cocoa has a higher dose of antioxidants than your green tea, black tea, and red wine (J. Agric. Food Chem. 2003, 51, 7292−7295).

Dark chocolate has been long associated with boosting heart health, as well as lowering blood pressure. In addition, it also been known to increase blood flow in the entire body. And because dark chocolate has many trace vitamins and minerals, it firmly bonds to other proteins in the body, thereby creating a slew of super vitamins that are essential for the body's radiant health and vibrancy. Pretty amazing.

Many indigenous people across the world have long known chocolate to have a ton of mind and body benefits. These same people have used chocolate in many ritualistic gatherings of the sort as a means to increase their connections to nature and spirituality on all levels; it is often referred to as the Food of the Gods. In many ways, chocolate can behave like marijuana. It bonds to the same areas of the brain and stimulates many of the same faculties of the mind. Hence, this is one of the reasons why people can experience "chocolate highs". Dark chocolate has also been known to calm those experiencing vast amounts of stress. And we all know that stress is the leading cause of most ailments and diseases.

Chocolate–in its cleanest and purest form–can be consumed in small amounts on a daily basis. You can find it in powders, chocolate bars, nibs, and other dessert varieties. According to the medicine men of the Caribbean, chocolate consumed as a tea has been long known to increase sexual fortitude in both sexes. Talk about rock-n-roll. That said, it will definitely keep you happy. It will keep you strong. It will keep you healthy. And 9 times out of 10 when you feel strong, happy and healthy, it's a good possibility that you may begin to slow down the aging process. 

So bring a little chocolate into your life (key word: a little). Not that preservative and chemical-filled everyday milky stuff. But that clean, pure, and Powerful Dark Chocolate. Feel me?

And if you want our pick for a good Dark Chocolate addition to your life, look no further than Brooklyn, NY.