The Bulletproof Executive - Bulletproof: the State of High Performance

Bulletproof® Upgraded™ Chocolate


Upgraded™ Chocolate Powder	Upgraded™ Cacao Butter
1 lb. price: $24	1 lb. price: $24

Have you been depriving yourself of chocolate because you’re trying to lose weight, feel better, and eat Bulletproof? Or maybe you’ve noticed that some expensive chocolate bars taste great but then you crash and feel jittery later. Or maybe you’ve had a lifelong love affair with dark chocolate like me.

Upgraded Chocolate Powder and Upgraded Cacao Butter are designed to be the highest quality chocolate products in existence. Where your chocolate comes from and how it’s created determine everything about how it will make you feel.

Eating dark chocolate has tons of benefits. People who eat high quality chocolate have lower markers of inflammation than those who eat regular chocolate (1). And people who consume the highest amounts of dark chocolate are 37% less likely to develop cardiovascular disease, and 27% less likely to suffer a stroke (2).

But there are risks. All chocolate is produced by fermentation, and 80% of South American chocolate sampled recently had mold contamination (3). 64% of the microbes that ferment chocolate create toxins called mycotoxins (4). These toxins make you feel weak, sick, and lethargic even at so-called “safe” levels approved for commodity chocolate.

For regular chocolate, the health benefits don’t outweigh the risks.

That’s why we made Upgraded Chocolate Powder and Upgraded Cacao Butter using an optimized process to create chocolate without the toxins that make chocolate such a common source of problems.

We start with rare, wild, hand-harvested South American cacao beans from a single small region at high elevation with rich volcanic soil. High elevations reduce the amount of mold in the environment. The trees are watered with pollution-free mountain stream water. We selected a heritage cacao species in the Arriba family from decades-old trees, some as old as 75 years. At no time do we use aggregators or wholesalers so there is no chance of low-quality hybrid species of cacao entering our supply chain. Experienced craftsmen harvest the ripe cacao pods and bring them to the nearby dedicated processing facility.

Unfermented chocolate is not edible, so we do ferment the chocolate. Our high altitude state of the art closed facility and single-source beans allow a short fermentation process with far less exposure to the types of toxic mold found in more humid African chocolate processing methods.

We maintain the delicate flavors and oils by quickly sun-drying the still-raw beans in mountain air. Then we grind the beans into a fine powder on custom artisan equipment dedicated exclusively to our chocolate. The beans are 100% organic, wild, kosher, and exceed fair trade standards (they’re also vegan, if you care).

Upgraded Chocolate Processing keeps 86% more beneficial compounds

Most chocolate products are processed using alkalization, spray/gas drying, and harsh solvents. Harsh processing can decrease the beneficial compounds in chocolate powder by 86-89% (5).

By gently harvesting the pods, keeping them raw, and using artisan equipment to crush the beans, Upgraded Chocolate products retain the antioxidant quality of chocolate all the way from the wilderness to your mouth.

The quality and flavor of chocolate is impacted by the fermentation and processing methods. Normally, there is very little control over what bacteria ferment the cocoa, which often produces unwanted flavors and bad batches (6).

Upgraded Chocolate products avoid this problem by using a dedicated, closed, single-source facility at high altitude in South America with a short fermentation process. There are simply fewer opportunities for the bad molds to enter the process. We store the beans in a climate-controlled facility.

The way cocoa beans are stored has a large impact on the different kinds of mold and fungi present on the beans (7). Improper storage, which is common in commodity beans, increases fungi levels (8).

Upgraded Chocolate Powder		Upgraded Cacao Butter
1 lb. bag price: $24		1 lb. bag price: $24

Why you should care about mycotoxins in your chocolate

There is good reason to believe that much of the world’s chocolate supply is contaminated with high levels of mold toxins.

A study in Brazil found that 98% of the regular brands of powdered, bitter, dark, milk and white chocolate were contaminated with ochratoxin A. 80% of all samples were tainted with some form of mold toxin. Powdered, bitter, and dark chocolate was higher in mycotoxins than most other forms, with powdered chocolate having the most. They were all especially high in aflatoxin and ochratoxin (9).

The problem starts because cacao trees are often infected with fungi and molds (10).

Roasting moldy beans destroys almost all of the actual fungi, but it doesn’t destroy all of the toxins already produced by the fungi (if it did, I wouldn’t have needed to create Upgraded Chocolate!) (11).

Ochratoxin A in Chocolate (12):
Powdered Chocolate = 0.39 micrograms per kilogram
Bitter Chocolate = 0.34 micrograms per kilogram
Dark Chocolate = 0.31 micrograms per kilogram.

Aflatoxin in Chocolate (12):
Powdered Chocolate = 0.53
Bitter Chocolate = 0.66
Dark Chocolate = 0.43

The safe upper limit of ochratoxin A is around 4-5 ng/kg of body weight per day, although it can be as low as 0.2 ng/kg per day according to different estimates from animal research. Most sources also urge ochratoxin A exposure be reduced to the bare minimum (13). According to the USDA, no food for human consumption should have more than 20 parts per billion of aflatoxin (14). If a 150-pound person were to eat 60 grams of average chocolate contaminated with ochratoxin A, they would have consumed 15% of their total daily limit of ochratoxin A, and 26% of their total daily limit of aflatoxin.

Another study found processed cocoa to contain 48 ng/g of ochratoxin A (15). If a 150-pound person were to eat 60 grams of this highly contaminated chocolate, they would be consuming 42 times the safe upper limit of ochratoxin A.

All of these estimates are assuming you aren’t exposed to any other forms of mold during the day. Mold is found in all sorts of foods, and even in your environment, which is why it’s important to limit your exposure to mold as much as possible. These numbers are also based on the current “safe” upper limit of mold exposure, which isn’t necessarily a good standard for people who want to do everything possible to perform their best. The Bulletproof stance is to limit these toxins to the bare minimum.

The science is very clear: commodity cocoa beans processed in sub optimal conditions are often high in mold toxins. Upgraded Chocolate Powder and Cacao Butter use only the finest production methods to minimize mold and fungi formation to keep your mind and body sharp.

You may be wondering, “why not just eat milk chocolate and white chocolate if they’re lower in mycotoxins?” The answer is that they’re also devoid of almost any of chocolate’s health benefit, and they still have more toxins than Upgraded Chocolate products.

Why Upgraded Chocolate Powder is an amazing superfood

Inflammation is a major contributor to almost every disease. Upgraded Chocolate Powder is packed with antioxidants and compounds that reduce inflammation.

Cocoa has a greater antioxidant capacity than black tea, green tea, and red wine (16). Cocoa also has more antioxidants than “super-fruits” like Acai, pomegranate, and blueberry (17). When you eat dark chocolate, there is an immediate boost in your blood antioxidant levels (18). People who eat high quality chocolate have lower markers of inflammation than those who eat regular chocolate (19). And, as mentioned above, people who consume the highest amounts of dark chocolate are far less likely to develop cardiovascular disease or suffer stroke (2).

Upgraded Chocolate Powder is a potent way to help inflammation and make you more resilient.

Why Upgraded Chocolate Powder bulletproofs your heart

Your heart is one of the organs most affected by inflammation, and dark chocolate is just as good for your heart as it is for Valentine’s Day.

Dark chocolate is better than a placebo at reducing blood pressure (20). Eating dark chocolate directly improves heart and vascular function (21). Chocolate powder lowers the amount of oxidized LDL cholesterol in your blood, which is a major contributor to heart disease and atherosclerosis (22). Dark chocolate even protects against some of the negative effects of smoking (23).

Upgraded Chocolate Powder shields your heart from disease and keeps your blood flowing so you can be and do more.

Upgraded Chocolate Powder		Upgraded Cacao Butter
1 lb. bag price: $24		1 lb. bag price: $24

Why milk and white chocolate isn’t as good as Upgraded Chocolate

There is not, and never will be, a milk or white chocolate version of Upgraded Chocolate Powder. To get the benefits of chocolate, it needs to be a high quality dark variety. Milk and white chocolate are junk food.

In fact, milk and white chocolate cancels out some of the benefits of high quality chocolate powder. Consuming milk with chocolate or eating milk chocolate reduces the flavonoid absorption from the chocolate powder. This largely negates any benefit that you might get from eating dark chocolate (24).

Compared to white chocolate, dark chocolate reduces insulin resistance, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol. It also improves blood flow (25). Milk and white chocolate are also high in sugar, which limits the safe amount you can eat.

White and milk chocolate are not Bulletproof, because they have no benefit and are high-risk foods.

Why cocoa fiber is good for your gut

Fiber is overrated, but your gut bacteria need to eat something. Fiber from wheat and other grains hurts your gut, but the right kind of fiber can be good for your gut bacteria (26)

Upgraded Chocolate Powder has the kind of fiber that heals your gut. Rats that consume cocoa fiber have a reduction in blood pressure and achieve a healthier weight than rats not fed cocoa fiber (27). Consuming cocoa fiber improves bowel movements in people too (28). The soluble fiber in Upgraded Chocolate Powder feeds the good bacteria in your gut, which makes your entire body work better.

Is your chocolate making you dumb and infertile?

Lead (the metal) is a toxin that decreases brain function, damages your heart, and attacks your reproductive system (29). People who are exposed to lead at an early age have smaller brains than the average population (30).

Believe it or not, much of the world’s cocoa supply is contaminated with lead. This contamination occurs mainly during shipment and processing where the cocoa is exposed to fumes from engines burning leaded gasoline (31).

Upgraded Chocolate Powder is processed, stored, and packaged using extremely careful methods to eliminate the risk of lead and other heavy metal contamination. Our beans never see the inside of container ships in giant burlap bags the way commodity beans do. This ensures you can enjoy your chocolate without the risk of brain or sex organ damage.

Why Upgraded Chocolate Powder is better with Upgraded Cacao Butter

Upgraded Cacao Butter is harvested in the same way from the same trees as Upgraded Chocolate Powder. It’s never heated, so it’s a completely raw food (and yes, it’s even vegan).

Not only does Upgraded Cacao Butter taste amazing, it has the kind of fats that make you healthier. 61% of the fats in Upgraded Cacao Butter are the safe, saturated kind that do not oxidize easily. Only 4% of the fats are the easily damaged polyunsaturated kind, but these are protected by the antioxidants in chocolate. The remaining 35% of fat is monounsaturated fat, the kind found mostly in olives and avocados.

33% of the fat in Upgraded Cacao Butter is a healthy fat called stearic acid. Stearic acid decreases your risk of thrombotic injury and improves blood lipids (32). Stearic acid also improves your total cholesterol to HDL ratio a tiny bit (33).

32% of the fat in Upgraded Cacao Butter is oleic acid, which is believed to reduce blood pressure (34).

Upgraded Cacao Butter is also a good source of vitamin K (35).

Upgraded Cacao Butter is filled with safe, healing fats that protect your body from inflammation and shield your organs from damage.

Upgraded Chocolate Powder + Upgraded Cacao Butter = Upgraded Chocolate

You can mix Upgraded Chocolate Powder and Upgraded Cacao Butter together at very low heat to make your own Bulletproof Chocolate bars or even fudge. The more powder you add, the more it resembles chocolate. The more Cacao Butter you add, the more it resembles fudge. To create that irresistible creamy flavor, we recommend adding Upgraded Vanilla, and if you’d like it sweet, you can add erythritol or raw honey to taste.

To make delicious hot chocolate, blend Upgraded Chocolate Powder and Upgraded Cacao Butter in 1-2 cups hot water with erythritol or raw honey and grass-fed butter or ghee, or coconut cream.

Last but not least, you have not truly lived until you’ve blended Upgraded Cacao Butter into your morning cup of Bulletproof Coffee. It adds a delectable hint of satisfying chocolate taste—and if you want a full-fledged mocha, you can blend in some Upgraded Chocolate Powder, too.

Upgraded Chocolate Powder		Upgraded Cacao Butter
1 lb. bag price: $24		1 lb. bag price: $24

Sources

The Bulletproof Executive

Upgraded™ and Bulletproof® are trademarks/service marks of Better Baby LLC. Other trademarks and service marks appearing on this site may be owned by Better Baby LLC or by other parties including third parties not affiliated with Better Baby LLC.

Affiliate Program | Contact Us | Site Map

Articles and information on this website may not be copied, reprinted, or redistributed without written permission (but we like to give written permission!)

Disclosures:
cmp.ly/4 | cmp.ly/5

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dave Asprey, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who may retain copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dave Asprey and his community. Dave Asprey encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. See our terms of service and privacy policy and full disclaimer.