Raw, Organic Healthy Cacao

Everyone loves chocolate. Men, women, children, even dogs love chocolate. The problem with most chocolate that we have available to us is that it’s over-processed and really isn’t anything like the cacao from which it comes. Plus its had a lot of equally over-processed sugar added to it.

Raw cacao still affects our neurological systems in the same way that the over-processed chocolate we get does. That part has not been lost. Cacao is distantly related to cocaine, but doesn’t have the heavily addictive and negative metabolism effects that coca does. Cacao, rather, only lightly induces the neurotransmitters that cause us to feel contented or euphoric.

Cacao also has great health benefits besides its calming and even stress relieving effects. Cacao is most often found as chocolate, but not the commercial milk or sugared dark chocolates you usually find the store. Instead, it is found in artisan chocolates, usually as very dark and unsugared treats.

Raw cacao contains antioxidants, beloved for their anti-aging properties that benefit skin, eyes, nails and more. The very name “Cacao” means “Food of the Gods.” There are over 300 compounds in cacao, including magnesium which primarily what makes it so calming.

Cacao also contains traces of phenylethylamine (PEA), an adrenal chemical that our bodies naturally create when excited, which explains some of the metabolism-enhancement briefly felt when you’ve eaten it. This short increase in metabolism, while small, enhances the well-being effects of cacao.

Anandamide is also in cacao and is another “alert” chemical that increases metabolism and temporarily raises blood sugar levels. This ads to the PEA effects and both work to benefit the longer-term effects of the magnesium in cacao. Some would be interested in knowing that while the effects of anandamide are similar to amphetamines (but not related), the chemical is closely related to the THC that is the active ingredient in marijuana.

The bad news for some is that in order to use cacao to get the same “high” you get from a few hits of marijuana, you would have to consume about twenty-five pounds of cacao.

The most controversial thing found in cacao, interestingly enough, is the thing that makes it most like coffee: theobromine. This is one of the more concentrated elements in cacao (making up about 1-2% of the bean) and it works almost exactly like caffeine does, but at only about 25% of caffeine’s efficiency.

Compared to caffeine, however, cacao is much safer and has few ill effects when eaten in normal quantities. Dark chocolate derived from cacao at the size of the average chocolate bar (50 grams of cacao) has about 1/ 4 of the effects of a cup of coffee. In fact, it’s roughly equal to decaf.

Another thing to be aware of if you plan to use cacao as a supplement is its interference with your body’s calcium absorption. It contains oxalic acid, which can block the body’s ability to absorb calcium. Its not alone in this, as spinach, rhubarb, black pepper, and other foods also contain oxalic acid.

Many people replace their morning coffee with a raw cacao drink made from cacao powder, similar to hot cocoa, but not as sweet. In moderation, cacao is a great supplement to ad many antioxidants, beneficial mood raising, and more to your life.

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