Who doesn’t love the idea of chocolate as a health food. The health benefits of Cacao make it a nutritionally power house, and luckily for us, cacao is the ingredient that makes chocolate taste like chocolate.
The beneficial healthy nutrients of cacao are numerous, and is made up of over 300 different compounds. We usually think of berries when it comes to consuming our antioxidants, but cacao even trumps goji berries in the antioxidant department!
Cacao is abundant in polyphenols, flavonoids and catechins and contains high levels of important minerals including iron, chromium, manganese, anandamide and in particular magnesium.
All the beneficial compounds in Cacao help to lower blood pressure, support heart health, reduce fatty liver disease and even reduce UV damage from the sun.
What’s the difference between cacao and cocoa?
As a general rule, cacao refers to products that are cold pressed and therefore retain the unique nutritional properties. Cocoa is the result of roasting which changes the molecular structure and reduces the nutritional value.
Do They Fit My Diet?
- Paleo – yes
- Vegetarian – yes
- Vegan – yes
- Raw – yes
- Gluten Free – yes
- FODMAP Friendly – Yes
How To Use Cacao
- Make your own raw chocolates
- Hot chocolate drinks
- Add to smoothies
- Add nibs to muesli bar recipes for texture
Cacao Health Benefits
- High in antioxidants for anti-aging
- Supports heart health
- Lowers blood pressure
- Helps reduce UV damage
How Do I Use Cacao
Using raw cacao in your culinary creations gives you not only the nutritional benefits but the control of your chocolatey treats. As cacao is not sweet you get to add the type and amount of sweetener that is right for you.
Cacao Powder is easy and versatile to use. It has a rich chocolate flavour but is not sweet. Use to give a chocolate flavour to drinks, baking or desserts.
Cacao Butter is a solid white fat. Simply melt and flavour with cacao powder and sweetener for a real raw chocolate.
Cacao nibs are crunchy with a chocolate flavour but are not sweet. Add to desserts, baking, smoothies or even eat straight from the pack.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
What is Cacao?
Cacao products come from the tree Theobroma Cacao (theobroma meaning ‘food of the gods’ in greek). The tree produces fruit or pods which incases the fatty seeds.
The fruit are collected by hand and the seeds removed and put in bins to ferment. After fermentation the seeds are dried, usually by sun, and then crushed. These crushed seeds are known as Cacao nibs. The crushed beans then have the fat removed (Cacao butter) and the remaining substance or solids are ground into Cacao powder