Crazy for Cacao!

Mmmm...who reading this doesn't love themselves some chocolate every now and then???  As we said in the last post, there was more to come on our favorite raw food! So here it is!

Many people have heard of the cacao bean before. There have been many reports on the news and in numerous health magazines about the benefits of that small piece of chocolate every now and then - that extra dark 60% - 90% cacao piece of chocolate. But sadly, we have been misled that we are truly getting all of the benefits of cacao when we eat a piece of dark chocolate! These chocolates have actually been melted at blistering temperatures of up to 150 degrees Celsius - destroying almost all of the nutrients of the cacao bean! 

What exactly are some of these nutrients of the cacao bean that are being destroyed??? Well, the cacao bean has the most concentrated source of antioxidants than any other food and is exceptionally high in its magnesium and iron content. I must say, the following is just about the most staggering piece of information. Taken from FoodMatters.tv' "Raw cacao beans have an antioxidant (ORAC) score of 95,500. To put that into perspective, that is 14 times more flavonoids (antioxidants) than red wine and 21 times more than green tea.".....The list of nutritional benefits can go on and on...but I will just stop there.


So with that said, there is no doubt that cacao bean is one of the most beneficial superfoods on the planet! So then tell me - how does it make sense that we are urged to eat only "small" amounts of it in the form of a chocolate bar??? It doesn't! It makes no sense at all. Especially since as I said previously, most of the nutrients are absent after being melted at such high temperatures. Now, I'm not discouraging eating dark chocolate. If you are going for a sweet, by far, a dark piece of 90% cacao chocolate is a very good choice amongst the rest of the other sweets out there to choose from. But, in order to get the full benefits of this cacao bean, let me share the purest and most natural approach.

Certified organic raw cacao powder can be purchased at most health food stores. We choose to use the powdered form of the cacao bean, although cacao nibs are a good option too. We purchased our package of this superfood at Whole Foods. This raw cacao powder is cold pressed and crushed at very low temperatures (no more than 40 degrees Celsius) to preserve its nutrients. What is so nice about the powder is that it is easy to make smoothies with. Below is our favorite smoothie recipe.


(Makes 2)


small handful of ice cubes
2 tbsp of cacao powder
1 tbsp of organic raw coconut oil
1 1/2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1/2-1 cup of organic low-fat milk
1 tsp of cinnamon


Mix all ingredients in a blender and enjoy! It is a bit bitter, so if you would like to add some sweetness to it, you can use a bit of organic agave nectar.


There is also a absolutely delicious dessert recipe I will soon share with all of you using this cacao powder. And it is 100% GUILT FREE.....