RAW CACAO
Who loves chocolate?
Almost everyone would've started salivating just at the thought!
Chocolate is a long-loved treat through many cultures, but what many don't realise is that the raw form of chocolate, derived from the cacao bean, is actually a health promoting wonder food! This is great news right?!
Ok, let's start off with the pronunciation..
You may have seen two words floating around; "cocoa" and "cacao" - with the 'A' and 'O' swapped around. Cocoa is pronounced COKE-KO (most of us know that one) and cacao is pronounced KAK-KOW. When you get down to the nitty gritty, they actually mean the same thing. HOWEVER, in modern society we have generally adopted the term cacao" (which is closer to how the Mayans would have pronounced it) when we are referring to the RAW FORM of the Theobroma cacao bean. "Cocoa" on the other hand, is a term usually reserved for the ROASTED chocolate beans that have been heavily processed, refined and heat treated (destroying all of the goodness!). So raw cacao is obviously the topic here on my health blog!
Cacao can be purchased in many forms, from the straight up beans, to the nibs (little pieces of the hard shell that surrounds the bean, often used in recipes to add a little crunch) to the raw cacao powder that is the most commonly used form (you'll see it pop up in many wonderful healthy recipes). The powder is made from the raw beans that are crushed and dehydrated under about 40degrees Celsius. When foods are dehydrated under this temperature, none of the beneficial enzymes are destroyed by heat so it is still officially counted as a "raw" product.
So what about the health benefits?
My goodness there's A LOT to say about cacao! I'll try to keep it super simple and perhaps I'll elaborate in another post one day.
CACAO NATURALLY CONTAINS:
•A high amount of antioxidants - these little guys "mop up" damage done by chemicals and toxins in your body, food and environment ..so the more antioxidants you have, the better!!
•Magnesium - this is a "super mineral" that we use for over 300 different chemical reactions in the body. Most importantly, we use it for relaxation of our muscle fibres and nervous system (and therefore helps promote a good night's sleep and is also great for muscle cramping) and it's used to make hormones that enhance our mood and state of mind- who wouldn't want that?! Our body uses up our stores when we are stressed, and most people don't get enough from their diet to start with. So chances are you're deficient in magnesium.
•Calcium
•Iron - Hey ladies, do you often crave chocolate at "that time of the month"? Iron is lost during this time and a good quality chocolate (made from cacao) can help to restore the balance (along with other iron-rich foods of course!) The magnesium content can also help ease cramping. Iron is used in the body for other important things than just your red blood cells.. but more on this later.
•Zinc
•Chromium - This is a mineral that helps to maintain balanced blood sugar levels, so in this way it can help ease cravings for sugary foods.
•Potassium
•Sulphur - Sulphur is important for the proper functioning of the liver's detoxifying processes. The liver is your detox organ so learn to love your liver!
•Copper
•Manganese
•Essential fatty acids
•Protein
•Fibre
•Theobromine - this is the gentle stimulant found in cacao that gives you a little energy boost while giving your mood a little kick too :-)
Along with these nutrients, there are many other therapeutics constituents present in cacao.
CACAO BEEN SHOWN TO:
•Improve mood
•Increase blood circulation
•Protect the heart and cardiovascular system
•Improve digestion and liver function
•Lower blood pressure
•Be anti-inflammatory
•Reduce stress hormones
•Increase physical endurance and stamina
Of course, the DOSAGE is important with any food or medicine.
You can overdo it. A dose of cacao every day is certainly beneficial, just don't go eating a whole family-sized block of chocolate to yourself in one sitting!
I choose to keep a bag of cacao powder in my pantry.
Here are some of the ways I use cacao:
•I put a spoonful on my oats if I'm in the mood for a chocolate flavoured breakfast (with all the benefits!)
•I put a tablespoon in my superfood smoothies
•I make sugar-free hot chocolates with a tablespoon of cacao, hot water, a little bit of milk (you could use cow's milk or any nut-milk of your choice) and stevia as the sweetener. This is wonderful on a wintery night, or as 'dessert' if I'm in the mood for something sweet after dinner.
•For homemade raw chocolates or any other raw wholefood recipes that call for it.
So there's my rather quick rundown on cacao!
Are you excited yet?
I'm sure you'll find it popping up in many of the recipes I'll post - so I suggest popping down to your local health food store (or you may even find it in the grocery store these days) and grabbing a bag to keep in the cupboard :-)
Almost everyone would've started salivating just at the thought!
Chocolate is a long-loved treat through many cultures, but what many don't realise is that the raw form of chocolate, derived from the cacao bean, is actually a health promoting wonder food! This is great news right?!
Ok, let's start off with the pronunciation..
You may have seen two words floating around; "cocoa" and "cacao" - with the 'A' and 'O' swapped around. Cocoa is pronounced COKE-KO (most of us know that one) and cacao is pronounced KAK-KOW. When you get down to the nitty gritty, they actually mean the same thing. HOWEVER, in modern society we have generally adopted the term cacao" (which is closer to how the Mayans would have pronounced it) when we are referring to the RAW FORM of the Theobroma cacao bean. "Cocoa" on the other hand, is a term usually reserved for the ROASTED chocolate beans that have been heavily processed, refined and heat treated (destroying all of the goodness!). So raw cacao is obviously the topic here on my health blog!
Cacao can be purchased in many forms, from the straight up beans, to the nibs (little pieces of the hard shell that surrounds the bean, often used in recipes to add a little crunch) to the raw cacao powder that is the most commonly used form (you'll see it pop up in many wonderful healthy recipes). The powder is made from the raw beans that are crushed and dehydrated under about 40degrees Celsius. When foods are dehydrated under this temperature, none of the beneficial enzymes are destroyed by heat so it is still officially counted as a "raw" product.
So what about the health benefits?
My goodness there's A LOT to say about cacao! I'll try to keep it super simple and perhaps I'll elaborate in another post one day.
CACAO NATURALLY CONTAINS:
•A high amount of antioxidants - these little guys "mop up" damage done by chemicals and toxins in your body, food and environment ..so the more antioxidants you have, the better!!
•Magnesium - this is a "super mineral" that we use for over 300 different chemical reactions in the body. Most importantly, we use it for relaxation of our muscle fibres and nervous system (and therefore helps promote a good night's sleep and is also great for muscle cramping) and it's used to make hormones that enhance our mood and state of mind- who wouldn't want that?! Our body uses up our stores when we are stressed, and most people don't get enough from their diet to start with. So chances are you're deficient in magnesium.
•Calcium
•Iron - Hey ladies, do you often crave chocolate at "that time of the month"? Iron is lost during this time and a good quality chocolate (made from cacao) can help to restore the balance (along with other iron-rich foods of course!) The magnesium content can also help ease cramping. Iron is used in the body for other important things than just your red blood cells.. but more on this later.
•Zinc
•Chromium - This is a mineral that helps to maintain balanced blood sugar levels, so in this way it can help ease cravings for sugary foods.
•Potassium
•Sulphur - Sulphur is important for the proper functioning of the liver's detoxifying processes. The liver is your detox organ so learn to love your liver!
•Copper
•Manganese
•Essential fatty acids
•Protein
•Fibre
•Theobromine - this is the gentle stimulant found in cacao that gives you a little energy boost while giving your mood a little kick too :-)
Along with these nutrients, there are many other therapeutics constituents present in cacao.
CACAO BEEN SHOWN TO:
•Improve mood
•Increase blood circulation
•Protect the heart and cardiovascular system
•Improve digestion and liver function
•Lower blood pressure
•Be anti-inflammatory
•Reduce stress hormones
•Increase physical endurance and stamina
Of course, the DOSAGE is important with any food or medicine.
You can overdo it. A dose of cacao every day is certainly beneficial, just don't go eating a whole family-sized block of chocolate to yourself in one sitting!
I choose to keep a bag of cacao powder in my pantry.
Here are some of the ways I use cacao:
•I put a spoonful on my oats if I'm in the mood for a chocolate flavoured breakfast (with all the benefits!)
•I put a tablespoon in my superfood smoothies
•I make sugar-free hot chocolates with a tablespoon of cacao, hot water, a little bit of milk (you could use cow's milk or any nut-milk of your choice) and stevia as the sweetener. This is wonderful on a wintery night, or as 'dessert' if I'm in the mood for something sweet after dinner.
•For homemade raw chocolates or any other raw wholefood recipes that call for it.
So there's my rather quick rundown on cacao!
Are you excited yet?
I'm sure you'll find it popping up in many of the recipes I'll post - so I suggest popping down to your local health food store (or you may even find it in the grocery store these days) and grabbing a bag to keep in the cupboard :-)
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