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Different chocolate cacao forms |
Yes, you read that right. There actually is such a thing as
healthy chocolate and it is called
cacao. This is the name
for the bean from which the main components of chocolate occur, however, over
time people found it difficult to pronounce cacao so changed it to cocoa which
is the more familiar term.
Cacao is used to refer to the
unrefined,
unadulterated version of chocolate, which is the raw material from the cacao
bean.
Cacao can be found in many health food stores mainly in the form of cacao nibs
which are bits of the bean simply chopped up into rough pieces, the other form
is a powder. Both forms are much stronger in flavour and bitterness than
regular chocolate as they do not have anything added (e.g. sugar, milk) but can
still be used in certain ways to give a chocolatey taste to food with the
bonus of added health benefits.
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Healthy homemade chocolates |
Cacao Benefits
Ok, so this is the interesting part. Raw cacao really is
good for you, just think of how many times you’ve heard that dark chocolate of
70% cocoa solids or more is healthy. So if 70% chocolate that’s been heated and
had sugar & milk added to it is good for us, imagine what the unadulterated
stuff can do!
Cacao contains high levels of polyphenols
(antioxidant molecules) such as
flavanols and catechins, these compounds can also be found in green tea. See
here for more info.
These
polyphenols are strong antioxidants which means they neutralise oxygen free
radicals (molecules in the body that cause damage) and cacao does this even
better than blueberries which are always in the media for the same reason. Recently, it has also been found that good
bacteria in the gut convert cacao into anti-inflammatory molecules which aid in
heart health and prevent the bad type of cholesterol from becoming oxidised
which further prevents inflammation.
See here
It is also high in
potassium, magnesium and promotes nitric oxide production, all of which induce dilating
blood vessels, thus lowering blood pressure.
link A,
link B
Another heart healthy benefit is
that it can slightly lower the amount of LDL cholesterol (bad kind) and increases the HDL
cholesterol (good kind).
Link- cholesterol
Cacao may also increase serotonin levels which make us feel better and may be
part of the reason why so many people consider it a mood booster or pick-me-up!
There are also more nutrients that this chocolatey goodness provides such as
riboflavin, carotenes, manganese, copper, phosphorous, iron and chromium which
aids in balancing blood sugar levels!
One of my favourite recipes is to use a teaspoon of cacao powder in a banana, nut butter smoothie, I also like to add seeds to give it a bit more body. The sweetness of the banana really compliments the cacao without it being too bitter, similar smoothie recipes include:
1 banana
1 teaspoon each cacao & (optional) maca powder
1/2 tspn each of ginger & cinnamon
approx 200ml milk
5/6 walnuts
or
1 pear
1 small orange
optional: 1/2 banana if you want it sweeter
1 teaspoon cacao powder
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My chocolate brownie protein porridge |
200ml any milk
spinach (optional)
The orange and chocolate flavour blend together very well in this one!
I also sprinkle cacao nibs on top of porridge with nut butter or onto yogurt with granola, this will add a satisfying crunch to the meal.
Cacao butter is also available to buy and is the fat extracted from the bean but can be used with cacao powder and a sweetener like honey to make your own raw chocolate, just try not to overheat the mixture as heat tends to destroy many of the beneficial compounds.
So you see, provided you choose the
right kind, you can
indulge in chocolate (cacao) flavoured treats without feeling guilty and it can
actually be good for you too, just remember to keep the heat to a minimum and
preferably without the refined sugars & chemicals.
Note: Some brands sell cacao powder that has been in the heat over 42C therefore
technically isn't deemed "raw" but as long as it has not been harshly heated/processed/had sugar etc added to it then it's still far more beneficial than regular chocolate therefore you can pay a little less by buyng these brands, raw foodies however, will appreciate you buying them specified "raw" cacao.
For the brownie protein porridge go here
For the chocolate orange hearts go here
Happy cacao concocting!
Siobhan xx
Labels: Health, snack