Juergen Botz:
> Hi folks... I'm new to the list.  I just signed up and was browsing
> the archives, and this topic struck my interest because just the day
> before I had seen a very interesting article on how chocolate (or
> more accurately, cocoa) is VERY healthful, and not only that, but
> consumed in large quantities by an extremely healthy tribe of
> natives in Panama!
> 
> The article is here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6430777.stm
> And no it's not the same BBC article that has been mentioned before
> in this topic (or if this one has I didn't see it.)
> 
> Ok, these Panamanian natives are not exactly paleo people... they
> appear to have been "hunter gardeners" like most primitive South
> American cultures.
> 
> And of course we're not talking about processed chocolate with all
> the sugar and hydrogenated fats here.
> 
> But then again, you /can/ buy minimally processed, unsweetened
> cocoa powder and invent some almost-paleo drink or foodstuff to
> make from it.

Again, cocoa/cacao itself can probably be considered Paleo because it is a
fruit seed, but even so, minimally processed, flavonoid-rich cocoa products
are rare in the U.S.  Mars, Inc. (which funded some of the studies) is
working on developing a line of flavonoid-rich products under the Cocoapro
brand, but according to the article below, there aren't any flavonoid-rich
cocoa powders widely available in stores yet.


Why Cocoa May Help Heart Health
Antioxidants Are Key -- and Not Always Saved in Cocoa Processing
By Miranda Hitti 
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20060118/why-cocoa-may-help-heart-hea
lth

"Don't Reach for a Mug Yet

Though several products already contain flavonoid-rich cocoa powder, a
flavonoid-rich cocoa drink isn't one of them yet, says Hollenberg.

He explains that cocoa's flavonoids taste bitter and often get destroyed to
make cocoa taste better. "It's all in the processing," he says."