“After water, cacao is the single healthiest substance you can put in your mouth. It can easily replace a number of psychiatric drugs for mood, plus it produces the same chemistry in the brain that occurs when we fall in love.”
– Chris Kilham (a.k.a., "The Medicine Hunter")
This is one of those quotes I truly believe, because the more I get into this wellness research, the more Cacao Chocolate pushed its way up to one of the "Kings of the Nutrition Hill".
And for me, Cacao is one my personal top four or five superfoods that is "head and shoulders" above all others, for health, wellness, and longevity….so I consume it everyday in my smoothies…………
Cacao, The Quick, Nutrition Science bla-bla-bla…….
Before you make Hershey Bars bars a staple in your diet, it's important to understand that the health benefits of chocolate are mainly due to its rich Flavanoid content. And the more chocolate is processed, the fewer Flavanoids it retains.
Fewer Flavanoids translates to less antioxidant content and less potential health benefits.
Raw chocolate is naturally rich in Flavanoids, which are natural nutrients with antioxidant properties; the same nutrients that make berries, grapes, and green tea health-promoting foods.
Food of the Gods? …..it just might be
The ancient Mayans knew a good thing when they saw it and worshiped the cocoa bean as an idol. The Aztecs also held the cocoa bean in high esteem, and their delightful story about its origins involves their creator and god of agriculture, Questzalcoatl.
They believed he traveled to earth on a beam of the morning star carrying a cocoa tree from Paradise, and that wisdom and power came from eating the fruit of the tree.
Cacao was so revered it was used as currency…….
……. as one European explorer noted of cacao beans that "that four cocoa beans could get you a pumpkin, 10 a rabbit and 100 would buy you a slave".
Columbus' son Ferdinand wrote about a Cacao bean encounter. He was struck by how much value the Native Americans placed on cacao beans, saying……..
……."They seemed to hold these almonds [referring to the cacao beans] at a great price; for when they were brought on board ship together with their goods, I observed that when any of these almonds fell, they all stooped to pick it up, as if an eye had fallen."
Flavanoid Power!!!
Flavonoids that are abundant in raw chocolate can protect your cells against damage by free radicals, which can help to prevent premature aging.
Flavonoids in raw chocolate are good for your heart, as they can help to prevent stickiness of platelets, which are cells that play an important role in blood clotting. Flavonoids can help your body produce nitric oxide, a compound that promotes a healthy cardiovascular system.
There is volumes more on Flavanoids on the web….take a look……..
Flavanoids….the latest craze
I'm sure we'll start hearing that word everywhere, just like antioxidants, Omega-3's, and all the other "latest crazes".
Flavanoids are heavy hitting antioxidants, that have since been credited with most of chocolate’s health benefits. Flavanols affect the way nitric oxide is produced in the body, helping blood vessels to relax, and thereby improving blood flow to the heart, the brain, and extremities.
The Bitter Truth……………..
Good news….flavanoids also may reduce inflammation, and the proliferation of dangerous free radicals produced in regular cell metabolism.
Bad news……at this stage, cocoa powder remains quite bitter. As a result, it’s often processed by treatment with alkali — most commonly sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda — to make it darker, less acidic, and easier to mix into beverages. Unfortunately, this 200-year-old method, also known as "Dutch-processing," has been shown to destroy the active flavanol content by as much as 80%.
Thus, the percentage of cacao contained in a piece of chocolate, whether it’s 60%, 70% or higher, is no indication of its flavanol content, argues Hollenberg in a 2007 editorial in the journal Circulation. He and other nutrition researchers have argued for labeling chocolate products with flavanol values instead.
Any living proof of Cacao Power? The Kuna Tribe in Panama
The Kuna Indians in Panama, who are immune to hypertension, live a good long time, do not gain excess weight, and seem to have less cardiovascular disease and cancer than most of the world, and lower cancer rates than their city-dwelling cousins. They drink 40+ oz of hot cacao/cocoa per day.
An interesting article on the Kuna and Cacao can be found here
Old School Cocoa
The word chocolate is said to derive from the Mayan xocolatl which meant bitter water.
The Kuna Indians drink largely homegrown, unprocessed cocoa powder, containing very high flavanol levels There’s a big difference between the cocoa the Kunas drink, and the cocoa and chocolate people usually purchase in a grocery or specialty store — mostly due to how it’s processed and its formulation. Cocoa beans grow as the seed of the berry-like fruit of the cacao tree, hand picked and shelled…….
After shelling and roasting…..
….the beans are ground into a suspension called cocoa liquor, made up of cocoa butter (fat) and solids. Pressing removes most of the cocoa butter, resulting in a hard, dry cake, which is ground into what we use as cocoa powder.
The traditional Kuna process….get fresh cacao beans, ferment and dry, grind them up….take a pot of water, add 8-10 banana to sweeten, add the ground up cacao/cocoa, strain, drink.
Sometimes, Mayan people added a few grains of black pepper…….
……..to add some taste. Once the powder is obtained, a little bit of water is poured from a calabash bowl to make a paste. The paste is mixed in a bowl of water consumed hot or cold and with or without sugar according to preference. It was very similar to the hot cocoa we know (minus the milk), but few us will fancy the bitter beverage made without a sweetener.
The Aztecs also consumed large quantities of xocolatl as a luxury drink. However their version was described as 'finely ground, soft, foamy, reddish, bitter with chili water, aromatic flowers, vanilla and wild bee honey,'….slightly more inviting than the Maya concoction!
Why can't I just eat a chocolate bar everyday?
Why?……
* questionable sweeteners and other added ingredients
* very expensive (real cacao bars can be over $8 a piece)
* amount of favanoids may be diminished through processing
* even bars that tout over 70% cacao may have little flavanoids
* there is always a tendency to gravitate to best price as opposed to best quality
* lower price means less Flavanoids
* less bitterness means less Flavanoids
* Hershey Bars means no flavanoids 🙁
I do occasionally grab one of quality cacao bars at Whole Foods when the mood hits me, since I consume so little sugars these days so I can take the hit, but it is something I do maybe once every 2-3 months. With smoothies, its very simple to get my Cacao benefits everyday.
Read my article on choosing Chocolate Bars
As always, my smoothies to the rescue…
……since real Cacao chocolate is very bitter. As I learned with many superfoods that I love, they may not taste so great on their own, so my solution is to throw them into my smoothies.
And trust me, I can make a smoothie that is so scrumptious and fruity and delicious, with sweeteners like Wild Raw Honey and Ripe Banana diced and frozen, it's like milkshake of pure heaven and health 🙂
The Mayans would be proud of me I think…….
above and below
Homemade Artisan Chocolate Raw Cacao, Lucuma and Goji Berries
Click photo above or below for recipe
Read Chris Kilham's , a.k.a., "The Medicine Hunter" Cacao article here
an article I wrote on a 110 year old's top 5 foods for his wellness, one of which is cacao, read article here
IMPORTANT: As I learned from a commenter below, a lot of cacao is being tested to have excessive lead and other toxins so be careful. Since I consume cacao every day, I'm going to have to address this for myself. I'll Keep readers posted, but you can see some of the results of popular brands from Natural News Cacao Testing here
(My Nativa Naturals Cacao obtained a grade of "B" from from the "Heavy Metals Verified Ratings Network", though I am going to switch to one of the companies that had a rating of "A" such as
Peruvian Cacao Nibs (Essential Living Foods) Rated A++
Balinese Cacao Nibs (Earth Circle Organics) Rated A++
100% Organic Cacao Nibs (Health Ranger Select) Rated A+
~stay healthy~
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10 Responses
I don't uderstand why you called Garden of Life protein powder out for containing cadmium, but praise cocoa, most of which also contains cadmium, and some also contains lead.
Ginger,
I’m mot sure what context you mean my “calling out”. Did you even read the article? The very first sentence I said “I got burned on this one”, in that I’m writing about my experience of something I was spending money on and putting in my body every day for 3 years, although is was labeled as raw and organic. But wrote that article for exactly the reasons I state in the article, because the product was independently tested to have it had excessive toxins. You need to contact Natural News and ask why they “called out” Garden of Life as you call it. If I discovered my cacao, turmeric, drinking water, maca, or anything else I put in my body every day had toxins in it, change brands, research a better alternative, and write it about it as well. A basic glance through my blow would make it obvious I do that all the time. I’m not ever sure where you are even going with this comment unless you like to argue back and forth over the web. I always tell my critics, “Go ahead and criticize, I welcome different opinions. But do you have anything positive to bring to the table. Any links or websites to share that we all can use for the betterment of health and wellness?” ……….or are you just criticizing?..
I wasn't arguing, I just wondered why cacao received such a glowing report when most of it appears to be no better than the rice that's contaminating the protein powder. There's lots of info to that effect out there.
Ginger,
Well, if staying on point and talking about health and wellness, this whole subject is going to be my next “Eat Smart” article. I was calling it “Natural Foods, The Dirty Little Secret”. Basically, the article is exposing how so many so called natural products are testing out to be full of toxins. For me I have only been paying attention on a certain level, but like i said before, I’ve gotten burned a couple of time myself. But everything is a process. Since this is the level I am now at with my own products, I’m gonna dive into how to approach it. With any of these products, a person can “get burned” if they are just grabbing a pretty package off the shelf.
….and my bad if I jumped the gun and thought you were arguing, you won’t believe how I have to spend half my time with people trolling over the web, seemingly arguing for no reason…..sigh.
Anyhooz, keep and eye out for that article, I do think this a very important issue, it’s actually got me a little paranoid, and [a little] paranoia is a good thing.
Hey Doug,
I'm glad that you've looked into the cacao issue. I'd bought a pricy bag of it from Whole Foods and had begun adding it to smoothies (which included rice protein), when I came across information that made me question my consumption of both products. I'm now stuck with no acceptable protein powder, as neither soy or whey agree with my body, I hate the taste of hemp, pea, and the other random alternatives. Makes it hard for a non-meat eater who works out to get enough protein in her diet! I came across your blog while searching for an acceptable supplement. Let me know if you find one…
Ginger
Ginger,
I feel like an idiot for “blowing a gasket” and accusing you of arguing, but those kind of comments are those which help me and other readers, cause I welcome critical information. (I’m not about making money, note no ads in my site, I’m all about putting some quality nutrients into the body). Someone pointed out the Garden of Life Protein was the most toxic tested product out there so that’s why I laid into them. So far as Cacao, I consume it every day, and I’m at that lever with this subject where I have to go take a look at everything I’m taking in every day, especially since I’m still shell shocked by garden of life.
I actually had to stop work at my job and do some quick research, and I added more info to teh bottom of the cacao article…….here it is
IMPORTANT: As I learned from a commenter below, a lot of cacao is being tested to have excessive lead and other toxins so be careful. Since I consume cacao every day, I’m going to have to address this for myself. I’ll Keep readers posted, but you can see some of the results of popular brands from Natural News Cacao Testing here
(My Nativa Naturals Cacao obtained a grade of “B” from the “Heavy Metals Verified Ratings Network”, though I am going to switch to one of the companies that had a rating of “A” such as
Peruvian Cacao Nibs (Essential Living Foods) Rated A+
Balinese Cacao Nibs (Earth Circle Organics) Rated A+
100% Organic Cacao Nibs (Health Ranger Select) Rated A+
….so in the end you have been a help to me, not just with cacao, but I gotta go through everything in my daily smoothies, and I may have to cut some of my favorites loose, and trust me, I catch somebody slacking I will lay into them just like with Garden of Life
Ginger
check your email at ginger.lange, I sent you a detailed note on Protein Powders, it might help, let me know if you don’t get it………………….
Not all cocoa contains Cadmium (the toxic component in cocoa)! Only cacao that has been roasted first and then treated with alkai in the process contains cadmium!
This is where some of the bitterness comes from, but some is due to the flavanols (the good stuff in raw cacao). If you try pure cacao or not dutched cacao powder you will feel the difference in taste: so intense but not bitter!
The only company I found that produce 100% Pure Cacao (their beans are not roasted, nor do they sparate the cacao butter and oils from the cacao mass. This results in a 100% pure, raw cacao bar that has an intense cacao taste and amazing great benefits!
Their website is http://www.arawakpurecacao.com, they pride themselves with a 2000 years old Mayan recipe and their Story and Benefits page are very interesting.
That's why i went on a search and found a company that uses wild nonfermented criollo beans never heated above 88F from pod to bar .
This saves all enzymes and also 90% of the flavonoids .
they use soundwaves to kill bacteria and parasites so …. they print their flavonoid content on their chocolate that is about >800mg flavonoids at only 10 gr square …. so one a day is enough to stay healthy in your body and brain.
great article !!
Greetings Peter Langelaar
instagram @mrchocobean
From Nova above: "Not all cocoa contains Cadmium (the toxic component in cocoa)! Only cacao that has been roasted first and then treated with alkai in the process contains cadmium!"
Unfortunately this is not true. The cadmium comes from the soil it grows in and since the cacao plant needs a lot of zine, it will uptake the cadmium if zinc is lacking.