The Kuna Indians are an indigenous tribe off the coast of Panama. Harvard professor Norman Hollenberg, M.D., has studied the health trends of the Kuna Indians for more than 20 years. He discovered that the Kuna show extremely low occurrences of stroke, cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Dementia among the tribe members is almost nonexistent. Their secret? The Kuna have each been drinking up to 40 cups of fresh cocoa a week for centuries.
Organic cocoa is one of the best foods to promote your heart health.
Photo by Nestlé/Courtesy Flickr
Cocoa is highly beneficial for heart health. The plant is a major source of catechins, which are chemicals that promote circulation, ease blood pressure and support overall cardiovascular function. Catechins are also thought to lower the risk of heart disease, protect against some cancers and even assist in weight loss.
Still, many forms of cocoa available on the market have added sugar or fat, making it difficult to consume more cocoa without worrying about the extra calories you are consuming at the same time. That’s the puzzle one company set its sights to solve.
In partnership with The Kuna Institute, CocoaWell has created cocoa supplement capsules that provide you with the recommended daily intake of cocoa without the sugar, fat and unneeded calories. One 450 mg capsule of CocoaWell cocoa provides the catechin equivalent of 49 apples, eight bars of dark chocolate, or 1.5 cups of green tea.
Photo courtesy CocoaWell
CocoaWell’s cocoa supplements are produced using raw, non-genetically modified beans harvested without the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or synthetic fertilizers. The company is also dedicated to fair trade cocoa. (A portion of CocoaWell’s revenue will be donated to The Kuna Institute to assist them in their mission of replanting of cacao trees and promoting farmers’ rights.)
Just remember that no supplements can replace a balanced diet and an active lifestyle. Still, to give your heart that extra boost, cocoa supplements are a great way to go.