“There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate.” – Linda Grayson
- Beans
- Powder
- Butter
- Nibs
- Paste
Cacao (chocolate) is one of the most delicious and healthy super foods that exist. It is beneficial with PMS symptoms, good for metabolizing glucose, keeping the heart healthy, easing depression and it also helps as a delivery agent for many other super-foods like mushrooms, goji berries and spirulina. In addition to supporting cardiac health and lifting moods, cacao is well-known to east symptoms of PMS, enhance glucose metabolism and may even help prevent colon cancer.
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” – Charles M. Schulz.
In it’s most natural form cacao is a seed. Everything chocolate comes from a seed and is called cocoa beans. Chocolate does not have sugar or dairy not unless you add it. If you want a delicious, high energy weight loss food; chocolate is your bean!
What is in chocolate and what it does
Magnesium – #1 source of
heart, brain, muscle cramping, elimination, alkaline, bone strength
Iron
blood
Chromium
balances blood sugar
Copper
blood, immunity
Manganese
blood
Vitamin C
Zinc
immunity, liver, pancreas, skin
Omega-6 Fatty Acids
(healthy unless chocolate is cooked…then it is a trans fat)
Phenylethlamine
focus, alertness, appetite suppressant
Anandamide
endorphin (same as what is released after exercising)
Tryptophan
mood enhancing,
Seratonin
stress defense (feel good)
Fiber
elimination
Methylxantines
antibacterial, cardiovascular
Oxalic Acid
(when cooked is bad for the kidneys)
There are also many good reasons to eat chocolate only when raw. The oxalic acid and omega 6 fatty acids become problematic (trans fat and oxalates). There are a lot of delicious ways to use raw cacao. You can buy nibs, powder and cacao butter. One of the special qualities cacao has for is to hide the flavor of foods that don’t taste so great. You can eat spirulina with cacao and never even taste it.
One of my favorite foods with raw cacao is so easy and healthy and delicious that you won’t believe it! This protein immunity pudding can be added to or subtracted from and you can’t mess it up (something easy exactly what you need in the kitchen). It’s too good for me not to share so here it is:
Chocolate Protein Immunity Pudding
Ingredients Needed:
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 little chunk of cocoa butter
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 3 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 1 tsp reishi mushroom
- 1 tsp chaga mushrooms
- 1 tbsp spirulina
- 1 handful of spinach
- 1 handful frozen strawberries
- 1 handful goji berries
- a very small pinch of raw vanilla
Preparation:
In mixer soak chia seeds with coconut milk for 30 minutes then add in the rest and blend
Sprinkle with cocoa nibs or bee pollen…
IT IS YUMMY and so healthy.
You can also make maca bars that Brendan Brazier put out as a recipe for Mother’s day. Those are one of my favorite treats! Raw cacao, maca, maple syrup, macadamia nuts, coconut….yummmmm. They make a delicious (and good for you!) treat.
You can make protein bars with raw cacao and hemp protein and a few other wonderful ingredients including coconut oil.
There are so many raw goodies you can make with cacao that are really healthy. The one feeling I think I can say that I consistently get when eating chocolate is “decadence”, frivolous and lovely indulgence of the sweetest and healthiest kind. I make smoothies with cacao, coconut milk, banana, spinach and that is it. It is healthy as can be and it tastes delicious!
David Wolfe’s established recommended moderate daily intake is 1 cacao bean per 11-17 pounds of body weight. If you weigh 150 pounds you would eat about 10 cacao beans a day.
What is your favorite chocolate food? Please share!