Cacao is a super food that is packed with Iron, Copper, Magnesium, Manganese and has more antioxidants than most foods. Raw cacao is also rich in Polyphenols, a type of antioxidant found in plants that act as reducing agents to protect the body’s tissues against oxidative stress and associated pathologies such as cancers, coronary heart disease and inflammation.
Chocolate, on the other hand, is a prepared food usually sweet that is made of roasted and ground cacao. Besides being a delightful treat for many, chocolate has been considered through history as an aphrodisiac food; a claim that scientist agree, at least to some degree. Research suggests that cacao might have some (limited) aphrodisiac qualities, mainly because of two of its main ingredients, Tryptophan, a building block of serotonin, a brain chemical involved in sexual arousal, and Phenylethylamine, a stimulant that is released in the brain when people fall in love (NY Times, 2006).
To take advantage of the nutritional benefits of cacao, try to eat it in its purest form. Have you ever tried Cacao Nibs (dried and fermented bits of cacao beans)? Cacao Nibs are delicious sprinkled over your smoothies, parfaits or breakfast bowls. You can also eat them straight out of the bag, or mix them with nuts and dried fruit. Another way to get the nutritional benefits of Cacao, is in the form of unsweetened cacao/cocoa powder. You can warm yourself up with a cup of cacao powder hot chocolate, make a banana-cacao smoothie, or bake your own treats with it. When selecting a nutritious good-quality chocolate bar, one thing you should always look for is the cacao percentage. We recommend going for a bar that has 70% cacao or higher, and to limit your consumption of Milk Chocolate, since it only has to have a minimum of 10% cacao. Also, be very wary of other added ingredients and aim for an all-chocolate bar, avoiding candy bars (advertised as chocolate bars) that have caramel, rice crisps, nugget, HFCS, or cookies added. Finally, a little bit goes a long way and there is no need to over-indulge with chocolate. 1 to 2 oz per day or a few times per week, will be more than enough.
