Note: There is also a comparison review of all healthy chocolates that I've reviewed and that are sold through network marketing (aka MLM). Keep in mind, you can enjoy any of these chocolates without having to engage in the "income opportunity" aspect, but they do give you that option. Each of these also has its own review page, as do those dark chocolates sold in stores that I think surpass the "health value" of both Xocai(TM) and IsaDelight(TM) ... and are cheaper.
Tru Chocolate Review
Overall Rating: B- / B+
Summary:
A: Starting Grade.
B: Cooked as far as I know.
B: Organic.
B+: No Sugar. (Uses low glycemic xylitol, which offers many health benefits.)
B+: Herbs added to promote blood sugar balance.
B: Uses herbs to stimulate metabolism (something I don't believe in) and uses two proprietary extracts that I can't find much about.
B- / B+: Unique feature: keeps sweetness on tongue. Excellent feature for those who like the unique taste of Tru Chocolate, but a poor feature who don't like the aftertaste of xylitol.
To keep my reviews consistent for "apples to apples" comparisons, I use the same overall structure for each.
Cacao Content:
As alcohol sugar (xylitol) is listed at 3.5 grams per 8 gram serving, and there needs to be room for the proprietary herbal blend, my estimate is around 50% cacao content.
Having said that, the overall fat content (which comes from cocoa butter) is low and the ORAC score (see below) is high, so I also estimate that cocoa solids comprise a good deal of the cacao content, and this is where the antioxidants and other primary health benefits come from.
Organic:
Tru Chocolate is the only MLM chocolate I know of using organic cacao and lecithin ingredients. I find this highly important, since consumers are spending a good deal of money purchasing these chocolates as "healthy." Depending on their source, non-organic ingredients could compromise the value of any ORAC score, as some of the antioxidants may be used to "fight" the toxic residue of pesticides, etc.
Xylitol vs. Sugar:
Tru Chocolate is the ONLY MLM dark chocolate I know of that replaces sugar with a healthy alternative, namely xylitol. This is highly important, as sugar spikes blood sugar and can lead to a long list of health problems. Sugar is counter-intuitive in any product claiming to be "healthy." (Xocai uses fructose rather than sucrose, which is an improvement, but still spikes blood sugar more than 3 times as much as xylitol.)
Xylitol is a "sugar alcohol" (and may be listed this way on labels) that offers many health BENEFITS. The only possible health downside is that some people experience digestive issues with it, but as far as I know, this is quite rare.
The other issue with xylitol is that many people simply do not like the taste and/or aftertaste of chocolate made with xylitol, and this may make this chocolate hard to market. (I previously worked with this chocolate and sent out many samples to prospects. But they weren't happy with the taste, and indeed I had a hard time keeping anyone on the team. I no longer work with any MLM chocolates, as I'm involved with more potent, more affordable products that are in higher demand.)
I understand that some people will point to the "small amounts" of sugar in other chocolates. But it is a HUGE amount in terms of percentage (usually from 25% to 50% or more, although some bitter chocolates have relatively low amounts). There are better options than sugar for "healthy chocolates" to choose from.
Proprietary Formulas
In order to separate themselves from being "just another chocolate," most healthy chocolates sold through network marketing (MLM) add something extra to their chocolate to help market it. Tru Chocolate is no exception. The relative amount of such ingredients will typically be quite small compared to the chocolate content, so it's hard to know how far the benefits will go for any given person.
I can say from personal experience, however, that one of the ingredients in Tru Chocolate make for a unique experience, as described below. Tru Chocolate's proprietary herbal blend includes the following ingredients:
Momordica Charantia
This herb grows all over the tropical zones of the world and has been used for centuries to combat various human ailments, but to date has not been effectively marketed. In a controlled study, individuals with blood sugar levels above 140 mg/dl had the most significant reductions in blood sugar levels when using this herb; reductions varied from 28.4% to 37.7%.
Noni Fruit
The fruit of the Morinda Citrifolia, or "noni," was an important food source for the early French Polynesians. These early settlers wasted none of this highly-valued plant, and used it for nearly every medicinal purpose you can imagine. Today, it is used worldwide for its reported health benefits.
Citrus Extract
A sweetener derived from the seeds, pulp, and inner rinds of certified organic citrus fruits.
Ellagic Acid
This phenolic compound is a proven anti-carcinogen, anti-mutagen, anti-cancer initiator, and anti-bacterial found in many foods.
Green Tea Extract
A report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that green tea extract can lead to a significant increase in energy expenditure ("boosts the metabolism"), plus had a significant effect on fat oxidation.
Fabenol(R)
This is a proprietary extract of kidney beans that has been shown to block sugar absorption. It may help to promote healthy blood sugar levels and overall body composition. Also, see below.
Bioprene(R)
This is a proprietary extract of black pepper or long pepper. It may help to boost metabolism and improve the body's use of nutrients.
Unique Experience
This is not part of my standard review template, but this is an important matter to discuss when reviewing Tru Chocolate.
Because of the Fabenol, it's worth mentioning that Tru Chocolate provides for a UNIQUE EXPERIENCE. After eating the chocolate, it's ideal to follow it with a big glass of water. This helps with weight loss efforts and -- because water is essential in every body process -- is healthy regardless of weight loss efforts. And when you drink the water, get ready for a surprise: the water will taste SWEET for up to 20 minutes after the chocolate is gone!
So although you're only eating a small piece of chocolate (their serving size is the smallest of any MLM chocolate reviewed), the TASTE will last a long time, so it feels like you get a lot of chocolate for the price.
Taste
Tru Chocolate has a sweet, dark chocolate flavor with the distinct flavor of the xylitol, which I found that many people don't care for. Some, on the other hand, love it. I enjoyed it quite a lot at some times, and enjoyed it less at others. But I'm also used to using healthy sugar substitutes and my taste is somewhat adapted to it.
Magnesium
Any quality dark chocolate should represent a good source of magnesium, so this isn't a KEY item to consider, but it's worth noting because magnesium plays so many important roles in our health, and most people only get 50% of the recommended amount.
At 40 mg (10% of the recommended daily value) of magnesium, Tru Chocolate contains more per serving than any other MLM chocolate reviewed. (And the Tru Chocolate serving is smaller than the others.)
I will note that the Tru Chocolate package currently lists just 4 mg of magnesium, but this seems to be a typo, and I have informed the company but I don't know if this change has been made.
ORAC Scores
If you've read my page on ORAC scores, you know that this topic can be misleading. Experts recommend that we get up to 5000 ORAC units in a day, and that anything more may be redundant. Those promoting ORAC scores will probably argue against this.
At just over 3000 ORAC units, a serving of Tru Chocolate and Xocai(TM) Nuggets are just about identical; IsaDelight(TM) contains closer to 6000 units; and Xocai Power Squares contain over 10,000 per serving. (The extra ORAC units may be beneficial since these chocolates are not organic, as mentioned above.)
Gram for gram, however, the numbers are quite different. By the gram, ORAC comparisons are as follows:
Tru Chocolate: 380
Xocai Nuggets: 260
Xocai Power Squares: 600
IsaDelight: 530
Fat, Calories, and Sugar
For all the benefits that Tru Chocolate provides, one serving of this chocolate is actually smaller than any of the others. As mentioned above, however, because the taste sticks with you through a whole glass of water (it can actually reside on your tongue for up to 20 minutes), it seems that it is a bigger serving.
Between ingredients and serving size, it offers lower fat levels (3 grams, 0 saturated), fewer calories (36), and less sugar (NONE!) than all other MLM chocolates reviewed.
(To be more precise, there is a tiny amount of natural sugar in cacao, and this probably makes up a tiny percentage of Tru Chocolate by weight. But this totals less than half a gram, and thus no sugar is listed on the label. There is certainly no processed sugar added to Tru Chocolate.)
BOTTOM LINE
The fact that Tru Chocolate isn't "raw" puts it -- in that regard -- in line with most chocolates. Very few are truly raw, and Xocai is the closest of the MLM bunch to this category. Because of this, it's possible that Xocai provides the most benefits from the actual cacao.
The biggest pluses for Tru Chocolate are that it's organic and it uses xylitol in place of sugar. These can put anyone at ease when eating it, as it can actually be GOOD for the teeth and for issues like candida. However, this xylitol gives it a unique flavor that some people will have to get used to. Not everyone will like the flavor.
I also have to be picky on these matters: I don't love anything that stimulates metabolism (if it's broken, you don't want to speed it up; you want to fix it). And there are two proprietary extracts that are hard to know much about. So I can't put my stamp of approval on them.
All in all, I like this chocolate, especially because it's UNIQUE. Too often, products sold through MLM are priced too high when compared to similar products sold through retail settings. But with Tru Chocolate, there is no similar product, so if you like the taste and want to spend big bucks on chocolate each month (as you will with any MLM chocolate), then this is a nice choice to make.
