Chocolate Is Healthy

You’ve probably come across various ways to consume raw chocolate. Most common are cacao nibs and raw chocolate bars. But have you tried raw chocolate powder?

Many people aren’t quite sure what to do with raw chocolate powder but it’s an incredibly versatile ingredient. It’s made from raw chocolate, and because of this, it doesn’t contain high levels of caffeine you find in processed chocolate powder. It’s typically vegan-friendly and organic, and a great source of minerals such as magnesium, copper, and calcium.  It’s also rich in antioxidants.

Raw chocolate powder should have a rich, smooth effect on any recipe. You can mix raw chocolate powder into smoothies, yogurt or ice cream. Use it to make a raw chocolate (or non-raw chocolate) cake, or raw chocolate bars
or truffles.

Look for raw chocolate powder made with premium cacao beans and grown with sustainable farming methods. You can buy raw chocolate powder in 1lb and 5lb bags at your local health food grocery store, or check out
Navitas Naturals Cacao Power Raw Powder at this online health food sellers.

This is an interesting discussion at The Chocolate Life about whether raw chocolate is healthier (or tastier) than roasted chocolate.   We’ve heard that roasting chocolate destroys some of its nutritional properties, but is that really true?   As far as taste, you wouldn’t eat raw coffee beans, and roasted chocolate can taste better than raw chocolate.

“Recently, at a San Francisco chocolate event, I overheard the people at the Xocai booth telling the public that the heathful anti-oxidants in chocolate are destroyed by roasting, which is clearly not the case when you look at ORAC ratings. However I would be very interested to hear any thoughts on actually how much of a change roasting makes, and any references to studies on this. Raw chocolate has not been cooked past 114 degreesF I believe, does it taste as good?……”

Raw chocolate, how raw is it really? – The Chocolate Life.

The Washington Post recently asked several nutrition experts what they see as the best ingredients to keep in your kitchen that will have positive long-term health effects.

The list include:

• fresh or frozen blueberries
• broccoli and other dark greens
• quinoa
• sardines
• and of course, cacao!

Here’s why cacao made the list of the most healthy foods to incorporate into your diet.

“You’ll often see dark chocolate turn up on “superfood” lists because it contains blood-pressure-lowering plant phenols and loads of antioxidants. Cacao, or raw chocolate, is even better because it lacks sugar and other additives. Though bitter, the whole beans or nibs can be eaten plain. In its powder form, cacao can be mixed into a smoothie or pancake batter, making it taste much like the guilty pleasure we all know and love.”

Nutrition experts recommend healthful must-haves for your kitchen – washingtonpost.com.

Did you know there are some foods that may help contribute to brain health and longevity? We came across this fabulous article about the top 5 foods for enhancing your mind and body.

In addition to cacao beans making the list, there was (in no particular order) wild salmon, matcha tea, the acai berry and blueberries and coffee beans.  Any surprises?  It’s important that you seek out the specific types of food recommend in this article.  For example, any old salmon will not have the same nutrients as wild salmon.

None of these things (no, not even raw chocolate) is a wonder food, but you’re well-served incorporating these foods into your diet.

Here’s what the study has to say about our friend, the cacao bean:

“What’s healthy is the cacao bean, minimally processed. This amazing, hedonistic bean is one of the world’s longest-revered foods (think ‘time of the Aztecs’ old) and has in recent years been shown to be a veritable powerhouse of cognitive enhancement, mood and bliss-enhancement (thanks in part to the Theobromine in cacao), antioxidants, flavonoids, catechins and many other brain & body-enhancing elements. In fact, chocolate has been very recently cited by some top health professionals and researchers to be THE single most exciting health food, and as more research continues to pour in, the more true this appears to be.”

The Top 5 Brain Health Foods

We found this killer list of delicious chocolate gifts including bars, truffles and even chocolate spa treatments.   While we can’t say that every item on this list is healthy, there are some wonderful options either on their own or to create a chocolate gift basket.

Here are a couple of our healthier chocolate favorites:

Alter Eco Dark Cacao Chocolate

“Alter-Eco is a San Francisco based gourmet food company that offers a full line of Fair Trade gourmet chocolate. The ingredients used in the chocolates are sourced from marginalized farming cooperatives in the global south – providing fair wages, direct trade and funding for community development, scholarships, women’s empowerment programs and more. The company offers a unique variety of chocolate bars crafted with passion by a master chocolatier in Switzerland from all natural ingredients and Fair Trade Certified ingredients. Alter-Eco’s Dark Cacao Chocolate blends a fine dark chocolate (73% cocoa) with crunchy nibs of roasted Organic cacao beans—the perfect balance of bitter and sweet! The chocolate is both Fair Trade Certified and USDA certified organic. To make this chocolate, Alter-Eco uses the finest ingredients harvested by the members of the El Ceibo cooperative located in the heart of the Bolivian Amazon who use sustainable farming methods that preserve the local agricultural biodiversity. www.altereco-usa.com

Navitas Naturals Make-Your-Own Organic Chocolate Superfood Kits

Navitas Naturals is making it easy for people to bring home the art of chocolate making with their innovative new Organic Superfood Chocolate Kits. Available in three delicious organic superfood varieties – Goji Berry, Cacao Nib and Goldenberry. Each fun and unique Kit creates 12 organic chocolates. Navitas Naturals Organic Superfood Chocolate Kits are full of healthy antioxidants, and these treats can be prepared in just minutes. In addition to the Kit ingredients, the only other items needed to complete the easy recipe are a knife, a small bowl, a large bowl and an ice cube tray. Each Organic Superfood Chocolate Kit contains raw: organic cacao butter, organic cacao powder, organic mesquite, organic lucuma, organic maca and the specific organic superfood which is featured in the chewy center of the chocolates (Goji Berry, Cacao nib, or Goldenberry).”

Chocolate Gifts – Chocolate Gift Guide for 2009.