Difference between revisions of "Cacao"

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#Cracking and Winnowing: Post-roasting, the beans are cracked to separate the inner nib from the outer shell. Winnowing is the process of removing these cracked shells, leaving behind only the nibs. This is typically done using a combination of air flow and sieves.
#Cracking and Winnowing: Post-roasting, the beans are cracked to separate the inner nib from the outer shell. Winnowing is the process of removing these cracked shells, leaving behind only the nibs. This is typically done using a combination of air flow and sieves.
#Grinding: The nibs are then ground down. Initially, this produces a coarse paste as the fat (cocoa butter) within the nibs begins to melt. This paste is further refined until it's smooth. The result is a liquid called cocoa mass. This can then be poured into shaped containers for drying into "tablets".
#Grinding: The nibs are then ground down. Initially, this produces a coarse paste as the fat (cocoa butter) within the nibs begins to melt. This paste is further refined until it's smooth. The result is a liquid called cocoa mass. This can then be poured into shaped containers for drying into "tablets".
#*Grinding into paste is the most favorable way because it evenly distributes the oils of the cacao. This process is usually done when making chocolate bars.  
#*Grinding into paste is the most favorable way because it evenly distributes the oils of the cacao. This process is usually done when making chocolate bars. Typically wet grinders are used in this process.
#**To simply mix cocoa powder with coffee and other drinks the roasted cacao can simply be grounded directly into powder.
#**To simply mix cocoa powder with coffee and other drinks the roasted cacao can simply be grounded directly into powder. Regular coffee grinders can be used.


==Buy Ready to plant Cacao plants from Nurseries==
==Buy Ready to plant Cacao plants from Nurseries==

Revision as of 21:14, 13 September 2023

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Cacao.jpg
Fruits(pods) from the cacao tree

Where does cacao grow?

Cacao grows and bears fruit from sea level to higher elevation. However, cacao is best grown between 600 to 800 feet elevation. Needs ample rain annually or else a producer would need irrigation.

Cacao grows best in tropical countries and yields efficiently at temperatures of 20*C to 30*C (68*F to 86*F). However, it will produce pods even at temperatures of 32*C to 36*C (86*F to 97*F). At higher temperatures, cacao trees will just grow and would rarely produce pods.

How to grow Cacao

Cacao grows from seed. The seeds collected from the pod can be planted directly into the soil about half inch deep. You can also save the seeds to be planted another day by simply drying the seed. To plant the dried seed simply moisten it first (not soaked) overnight then plant directly into the soil. Or you can lay the seeds on a wet burlap sack under the shade. Within 48 hours the seeds will germinate. Then you gently plant the germinated seed into the soil.

You can also graft mature flowering twigs from old trees (scion) into a young cacao plant (about 3 to 6 months) old. You get faster results. Your cacao plant will bear fruits in less than one year or at the most 2 years. If you leave the plant alone the cacao plant will usually bear fruits within 2.5 to 3 years.

Cacao is a very sturdy tree. It will grow even with very little care.

Distance from each tree: A cacao plant can stand about about 6 feet tall at 3 years of age and occupy a diameter of 8 feet. My advice is to plant the cacao tight if you are planting from seeds. But if you paid good money for the seedlings plant them about 9 meters apart. If you grow you own seedlings from seeds, then it would be better to plant them 3 meters apart. Then as they are growing you can simply cull the bad ones. When they are about 6 years of age, you can finally cull the rest to have an orchard with cacao trees of 9 meters apart.

It is best to inter-crop your cacao trees. Bananas, palm, mango, and rubber trees are good to grow with the cacao trees. Cacao performs better under the shade of other trees. When the cacao trees are young (less than 10 years old) other plants can grow next to them. When the cacao tree is full grown and only about 5 to 6 meters apart many smaller plants are smothered from the thick crown of the cacao trees. (A full grown healthy cacao tree can have a crown that can be 4 to 6 meters in diameter.) Even bananas have a hard time surviving. That's why I recommend 9 meters. In the long run, the best inter-crop for cacaos are the RUBBER trees, MANGO trees, FALCATA trees(lumber), and even ILANG-ILANG trees(lumber). The cacao trees can survive and thrive under the crown of these large trees.

Plant some tobacco too. Why tobacco? You can use the juice from the tobacco leaves to fight pod-borers, trunk-borers, and various fungi diseases. Cigarette butts works even better.

Yield per cacao tree

The yield per tree depends on the health, age and variety of the tree. A healthy 6 year old tree will yield you about 40 grams of dried seeds per pod. Not a lot. But if you have a healthy cacao tree, it will give you about 50 pods or more per year. That's an average of 2 kilos of dried beans per year. So if you inter-crop and only have about 400 cacao trees per hectare (normally there are 1,000 to 1,200 per hectare), your yield of dried seeds per year per hectare will be about 800 kilos. As of 2017 the price of dried cacao seeds in the Philippines is anywhere from 85 pesos to 120 per kilo. A hectare may yield you approximately 80,000.00 pesos per year. You really need to shop around.

Management: If you have 4 hectares planted with cacao and intercropped with other trees and plants and therefore has only about 400 trees per hectare as mentioned above, your yearly yield (2017 prices) will be about 160,000 pesos per year. But consider this, It does not take one person 8 hours a day to this job, 3 hours a day will suffice. The cacao business is a great generational business.

The 40 year old cacao tree (picture below) is growing in an elevation of only 30 feet above sea level at yearly average temperature of 30*C or 87*F, Zamboanga City, Philippines.
40 year Old Mature Cacao Tree with buds on Trunk.
40 year Old Mature Cacao Tree with pods on Trunk. Same tree just 60 days later.

A cacao tree can live to over 75 - 100 years and still keep yielding. Old cacao trees that do not yield much can be trimmed. Let one or two suckers grow low on the trunk (close to the ground). When the suckers are big enough, you can cut the old trunk. Your cacao live another 75 years. Cacao is indeed a multi-generational productive tree.

Grafting Cacao

  • Twigs from mature (fruit bearing) cacao trees can be used for grafting. These cut twigs are also called scions. These scions are grafted into the young cacao plants (about 3 to 6 months) old.
Whip and tongue grafting.jpg
Whip and tongue grafting 		Splice grafting.png
Splice grafting 		Cleft grafting.png
Cleft grafting

Cacao scion harvested by Mr. Louie Nova 2017.jpg
Mr. Louie Nova cutting new scions. Call him at +63-917-658-3722

Harvesting Cacao

As soon the Cacao fruit develops a streak of color in the indentation of its fruit it is a sign that the fruit is ready for harvest.

As cacao pods mature, they undergo a color change. The exact color at maturity varies with the variety. For example, pods that are green when immature might turn yellow or red when mature, and those that are red or purple when immature might turn orange or deep red when mature. Observing this color transformation is one of the most straightforward indicators of pod maturity.

Processing the cacao fruit

The cacao pod needs to be broken and the seeds inside collected. Drying the cacao seeds immediately yields poor quality chocolate. What to do with the empty pods: The empty pods can be collected into a heap and later broken down into mulch. Spread the mulch around the the base of the cacao tree. This helps conserve soil moisture, suppress weeds, and eventually contribute organic matter to the soil.

Processing the Seeds:

  1. Fermenting: It is best to first FERMENT the freshly harvested seeds. Fermentation will take about 7 days.
    • Prepare a plastic pail by drilling small holes at the bottom to allow the liquid to drain. Do not seal the pail tightly. Air must flow, so a simple cloth cover is enough, basically to prevent flies and dirt from going into the pail.
    • Keep another pail underneath the pail full of seeds. This pail will collect the JUICE of the cacao seeds. The juice that runs off and collected during the first day is usually really SWEET and can be consumed as a refreshing drink.
    • The juice can be turned to vinegar or alcohol. The pail where the seeds are kept must be turned daily.
  2. Drying: This is a critical step. The fermented beans must be dried to reduce their moisture content, which is typically around 60% post-fermentation, to around 6-7%.
    • Drying is usually done by spreading the beans out in a thin layer under the sun. It can take several days depending on the climate and weather. Beans need to be turned regularly to ensure even drying.
    • In areas with less reliable weather or for industrial operations, artificial dryers or drying tunnels might be used. Proper drying prevents mold growth during storage.
  3. Sorting and Cleaning: Once dried, beans are sorted to remove any that are of poor quality, broken, or have mold. They are also cleaned to remove any foreign materials, such as stones or twigs.
  4. Roasting: Roasting is another crucial step in flavor development. The beans are heated to temperatures usually between 250°F (120°C) and 350°F (175°C). The duration and temperature of roasting can vary based on the desired flavor profile and the characteristics of the beans. Roasting not only develops flavor but also sterilizes the beans and helps in removing the bean shells.
  5. Cracking and Winnowing: Post-roasting, the beans are cracked to separate the inner nib from the outer shell. Winnowing is the process of removing these cracked shells, leaving behind only the nibs. This is typically done using a combination of air flow and sieves.
  6. Grinding: The nibs are then ground down. Initially, this produces a coarse paste as the fat (cocoa butter) within the nibs begins to melt. This paste is further refined until it's smooth. The result is a liquid called cocoa mass. This can then be poured into shaped containers for drying into "tablets".
    • Grinding into paste is the most favorable way because it evenly distributes the oils of the cacao. This process is usually done when making chocolate bars. Typically wet grinders are used in this process.
      • To simply mix cocoa powder with coffee and other drinks the roasted cacao can simply be grounded directly into powder. Regular coffee grinders can be used.

Buy Ready to plant Cacao plants from Nurseries

Newly grafted cacao scions.jpg
Newly grafted cacao scions 		Cacao nursery ayala zamboanga.jpg
Well managed Cacao Nursery in Mercedes, Zamboanga City 		Cacao ready for planting.jpg
Cacao ready for planting

In Zamboanga City, Philippines there is a 2 hectare cacao nursery in the barangay of Mercedes. They have the ability to supply you with 500,000 plants at a time. These are grafted plants so your output is assured to be within 2 years of planting.

Contact: Mr. Louie Nova at +63-917-130-0280
or his facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/suta.kupas

News About Cacao

By Allen Abastillas

The Land Bank of the Philippines, Zamboanga del Sur branch based in Pagadian City has allocated P91 million funds for the Cacao Industry in the different parts of Zamboanga Peninsula.

Land Bank Manager for Zamboanga Del Sur, Raphael Apostol disclosed that the funding will be released thru loan programs of the bank to the Cacao Farmers, Growers and Producers in the region.

“We are already readying the release of these loans to qualified cacao farmers who have completed the application and necessary requirements” Apostol bared.

The categories of the loan fund program are the following: Farmers who plant, produce and process their cacao beans with fermentation and transparent dryer building; Cacao growers who established a cacao nursery with the equipment and water system to grow cacao seedlings and for sale to farmers, and Cacao beans producers, not necessarily a farmer, who put-up a buying station for fresh cacao and dried beans, farmers engaged in selling in the fermentation of cacao beans and farmers who have transparent dryer for cacao beans.

Apostol also said that Land Bank solely allocated the Cacao loans program to the Cacao Industry in the region because the bank wants to help and to make the cacao industry in the region a worldclass one.

He said that Davao City is one of the leading producers of quality cacao beans which supply the world market, most especially the United States.

The Land Bank also wants to uplift the livelihood and socio-economic condition of cacao farmers, growers and producers here in Zamboanga Peninsula.

He reiterated that it is also a public knowledge that there will be a shortage of 20,000,000 million metric tons of Cacao beans in the world market by 2020 because Indonesia and Malaysia cut-off their cacao trees and shifted to production of Palm oil.

The Africa cacao industry is also not moving forward because of the armed conflict and unstable peace and order in the area.

“Hence, we really need to help the Cacao industry in Zamboanga Peninsula since this product will be very much in demand in the world market.”

The Land Bank Manager stressed that our local cacao farmers and growers are productive and all they need is the much needed assistance from the government.

5 health benefits of eating chocolate

By Ceitanna Cooper

A nutritionist on chocolate's surprising health benefits

Scientific studies have shown that chocolate has the feel-good factor, thanks to a mix of mood-elevating chemicals, including caffeine, theobromine, tyrosine and tryptophan, and its delicious taste. It's important to opt for dark chocolate with a high cocoa solid content, where possible, as it offers more health benefits than milk chocolate, it is also lower in fat and contains antioxidants.

Did you know that small amounts of dark chocolate can boost your health, from improving your mood to helping stop a cough?

With the help of Ceitanna Cooper, Associate Nutritionist at AXA PPP healthcare, we've put together the top five health benefits of having chocolate (a few squares or a small bar) as part of a well-balanced diet.

1. It can cheer you up

The taste, smell and texture of chocolate stimulates feel-good areas of the brain. Chocolate also contains tryptophan, an essential amino acid that stimulates production of serotonin, the brain's natural anti-depressant. Experts equate the feelings it induces to those we experience when we fall in love.

2. Helps heart health

Eating chocolate can lower blood pressure, thin the blood (reducing stroke risk) and have an anti-inflammatory effect. Ceitanna Cooper says this is due to chocolate's high content of chemicals called flavonoids. "Flavonoids also seem to stimulate the body to make more nitric oxide, which helps to widen and relax blood vessels, which may help to lower blood pressure," says Ceitanna.

3. Protects your arteries

Flavonoids in chocolate also help to stop LDL (dubbed the bad) cholesterol from oxidising, helping to prevent the furring up of arteries. Flavonoids contain more than 50% of an unusual type of saturated fat called stearic acid, present in cocoa butter, that doesn't' raise bad cholesterol and may even increase levels of the protective good cholesterol.

4. Calms coughs

Chocolate also contains a chemical called theobromine, which has been shown to suppress coughing by acting on the vagus nerve, which carries messages from the central nervous system to the brain.

5. Brain benefits

A chemical called epicatechin - found in cocoa and green tea - may also help protect the brain against the formation of sticky proteins or amyloid plaques which develop in Alzheimer's disease.

"We all know that too much sugary or fatty food can contribute to obesity and other health problems, but the good news for chocolate lovers is that small amounts can also have some health benefits. So there's no need to feel guilty about indulging your cravings now and then, as long as it's part of a well-balanced diet." What sort of chocolate is best?

Generally, the darker the chocolate (look for 70% and above cocoa), the higher the flavonoid content. Flavonoids are found in foods like broccoli, onions, fruit, as well as tea, and may help protect people against some types of cancer and heart disease.

Ceitanna Cooper says: "It's most likely that you get more flavonoids in a dark chocolate that lists cocoa beans, cacao, chocolate liquor or cocoa mass on its ingredients list, so check the label. Milk chocolate tends to have very few flavonoids and white chocolate has none."

Does chocolate make a good snack?

Surprisingly, dark chocolate is classified as 'low GI' food, which means a small bar makes a suitable snack between meals as it doesn't cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels after being eaten. This is because the fat that it contains slows down the absorption of the sugar.

The caffeine content of chocolate has also been shown to help boost concentration and energy temporarily. But if you're curbing your caffeine intake then be sure to remember that chocolate counts as a caffeinated product!

Before you rush off to grab the nearest chocolate bar, it's best if you regard it as a 'treat', rather than a health food. If you eat it in small amounts, alongside a healthy, balanced diet, it shouldn't contribute to weight gain and it will certainly not do you any harm.



What Is Raw Cacao?: Health Benefits, Recipes And Why It’s Better For You Than Dark Chocolate

By Brogan Driscoll

If you’ve got a penchant for chocolate-y goodness, but don’t want to load up on processed food or sugar then cacao might be just the ticket (especially around Easter time).

Cacao is the raw, unprocessed chocolate superfood on everyone’s lips. Unlike your regular chocolate bar (or easter egg), raw cacao is supercharged with magnesium and flavanoids, which makes it good for you inside and out.

While it tastes slightly different to everyday chocolate (it’s less sweet for starters), it is great in smoothies or desserts. If you’re missing the sweetness however, why not try adding a little natural sweetener such as honey or combining it with fruits?

What Is Cacao?

Although they cacao and cocoa are very similar (they look almost identical, are practically spelled the same, and both both come from the Theobroma cacao tree) they are not be confused with one another.

Think of cacao as the healthier relative of cocoa: raw cacao is made by cold-pressing unroasted cocoa beans, which preserves the beans nutritional content; cocoa is heavily processed, roasted at high temperatures and has a lot of sugar added to it, which almost zaps away the health benefits.

Cacao’s superfood powers are so strong that it was once used as currency.

“It was once considered ‘food of the gods’ by the Mayans and the Aztecs making it as valuable as money,” explains registered holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy, writing on HuffPost Canada.

Health Benefits

Cacao beans are rich in a number of essential minerals, including magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese.

Tipper Lewis, head herbalist at Neal’s Yard Remedies, tells HuffPost UK Lifestyle: “Cacao seems to be the number one source of magnesium of any food. Magnesium balances brain chemistry, builds strong bones, and helps regulate heartbeat and blood pressure.”

Such high antioxidant levels supports the cardiovascular and nervous system, by preventing free radicals from forming.

“Cacao also has more antioxidant flavonoids than any food tested so far, including blueberries, red wine, and black and green teas,” adds Tipper. “In fact, it has up to four times the quantity of antioxidants found in green tea.”

And it’s not just beneficial to health, cacao also contains the beauty mineral “sulfur”.

“Sulfur builds strong nails and hair, promotes beautiful skin, and detoxifies the liver,” says Lewis.

It is not only good for the health, but is mood-boosting.

“Cacao raises the level of serotonin in the brain; thus acting as an anti-depressant, helping to reduce PMS symptoms, and promoting a sense of well-being,” explains Lewis.

“It also stimulates the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasurable sensation similar to the “runner’s high” a jogger feels after running several miles.”

How To Eat It

Add to smoothies, teas, desserts, raw food bars or any dish that calls for the delicious flavor of chocolate. Use for all types of sweet baking, or try mixing with other superfood ingredients as part of a nutritious smoothie blend.

“It adds a sweet taste without added sugar. Add one teaspoon to your smoothie along with your favourite ingredients,”

Is cacao good or bad for you?

(bodyandsoul.com.au)

Cacao is full of health benefits and is a healthy option when it comes to indulgence, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

Raw, powdered cacao is full of flavonoids, which act as natural antioxidants.

Antioxidants protect the body from ageing and disease caused by free radicals. Raw cacao contains up to four times the antioxidants of traditional cacao powder, and has the highest antioxidant value of all the natural foods in the world.

Scientists from Cornell University in the US recently discovered that raw cacao contains nearly twice the antioxidant content of red wine, and up to three times the antioxidant content of green tea.

The flavonoids in cacao can prevent fat-like substances in the bloodstream from oxidising and clogging the arteries, and cacao has also been found to help regulate blood pressure and reduce cholesterol while building the immune system.

The cacao bean is also rich in magnesium, an energy mineral and vital electrolyte, which is associated with calming the body's nervous system.

The super-food is also a great source of sulfur which is associated with strong nails, shiny hair and a healthy liver and pancreas, and drinking a cup of hot cacao before meals can diminish your appetite by helping the body tune in to its natural appetite. According to Dr Gabriel Cousens, this is due to cacao's mono-amine oxidase enzyme inhibitors (MAO inhibitors), which are associated with weight loss and maintenance.

However, can have too much of a good thing. Cacao is very powerful on the central nervous system and over-indulging can interfere with calcium retention. Don't consume more than 40 grams (or four to six heaped teaspoons) of raw cacao a day, and like anything, enjoy in moderation. A healthy diet is a varied one.

6 Top Health Benefits of Chocolate and Cacao

By Rachael Braun

Real, dark chocolate and cacao contain numerous natural compounds offering a myriad of health benefits. No wonder that chocolate has long been known as “Food of the Gods” due to its many health-enhancing qualities.

What’s the difference between cocoa and cacao? Cacao is the bean from the plant in its raw, unprocessed state. It becomes cocoa once roasted and processed. While dark chocolate still retains a lot of nutritional benefits, only cacao nibs can rightly claim superfood status. Here are the top reasons to enjoy this well-loved food.

Vitamins & minerals

Cacao and dark chocolate supply potassium, calcium, vitamin C, iron and copper. Chocolate and cacao are also rich in iron and magnesium.

Antioxidants

Cacao and dark chocolate contain some of the same antioxidant compounds found in grains, fruits, veggies and nuts. Their antioxidant levels rival those of blueberries and acai berries. Cacao and dark chocolate surpass the antioxidant qualities of red wine and green tea. Antioxidants are generally valued for their anti-aging benefits.

Heart health

The magnesium, vitamin E and copper in cacao and dark chocolate may be helpful in preventing heart disease. Magnesium increases and promotes heart function and keeps blood flowing better; copper allows blood cells to receive oxygen.

Fighting illness

Unsweetened cacao is especially good for those with diabetes or sensitivities to sugars. It does not increase blood sugar levels or lead to a sugar crash. It also improves cell function.

Feeling good

Compounds in pure chocolate and cacao have long been credited with increasing and balance serotonin levels, contributing to feelings of contentment and happiness. And though it’s hard to prove such things, chocolate has long been considered an aphrodisiac for both men and women. Could that explain its link to Valentine’s Day?

Brain function

A cousin to caffeine, cacao can give the brain a gentle boost without the shakiness and headaches. About 2 ounces of dark chocolate contains 27 mg of caffeine, while a cup of regular coffee contains 200 mg.

7 Proven Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate

Bt Kris Gunnars (BSc)

Dark chocolate is loaded with nutrients that can positively affect your health.

Made from the seed of the cocoa tree, it is one of the best sources of antioxidants on the planet.

Studies show that dark chocolate (not the sugary crap) can improve health and lower the risk of heart disease.

1. Dark Chocolate is Very Nutritious

If you buy quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa content, then it is actually quite nutritious.

It contains a decent amount of soluble fiber and is loaded with minerals.

A 100 gram bar of dark chocolate with 70-85% cocoa contains:

11 grams of fiber.
67% of the RDA for Iron.
58% of the RDA for Magnesium.
89% of the RDA for Copper.
98% of the RDA for Manganese.
It also has plenty of potassium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium.

Of course, 100 grams (3.5 ounces) is a fairly large amount and not something you should be consuming daily. All these nutrients also come with 600 calories and moderate amounts of sugar.

For this reason, dark chocolate is best consumed in moderation.

The fatty acid profile of cocoa and dark chocolate is excellent. The fats are mostly saturated and monounsaturated, with small amounts of polyunsaturates.

It also contains stimulants like caffeine and theobromine, but is unlikely to keep you awake at night as the amount of caffeine is very small compared to coffee.

Bottom Line:
Quality dark chocolate is rich in Fiber, Iron, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese and a few other minerals.

2. Dark Chocolate is a Powerful Source of Antioxidants

Have you ever heard of a measure called ORAC?

ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. It is a measure of the antioxidant activity of foods.

Basically, researchers pit a bunch of free radicals (bad) against a sample of food and see how well the antioxidants in the food can "disarm" them.

The biological relevance of this metric is questioned, because it's done in a test tube and may not have the same effect in the body.

However, I think it is worth mentioning that raw, unprocessed cocoa beans are among the highest scoring foods that have been tested.

Dark chocolate is loaded with organic compounds that are biologically active and function as antioxidants. These include polyphenols, flavanols, catechins, among others.

One study showed that cocoa and dark chocolate contained more antioxidant activity, polyphenols and flavanols than other fruits they tested, which included blueberries and Acai berries.

Bottom Line:
Cocoa and dark chocolate have a wide variety of powerful antioxidants, way more than most other foods.

3. Dark Chocolate May Improve Blood Flow and Lower Blood Pressure

The flavanols in dark chocolate can stimulate the endothelium, the lining of arteries, to produce Nitric Oxide (NO), which is a gas.

One of the functions of NO is to send signals to the arteries to relax, which lowers resistance to blood flow and therefore reduces blood pressure.

There are many controlled trials showing that cocoa and dark chocolate can improve blood flow and lower blood pressure, but the effects are usually mild.

However, there is also one study in people with elevated blood pressure that showed no effect, so take all this with a grain of salt.

Bottom Line:
The bioactive compounds in cocoa can improve blood flow in the arteries and cause a small but statistically significant decrease in blood pressure.

4. Dark Chocolate Raises HDL and Protects LDL Against Oxidation

Consuming dark chocolate can improve several important risk factors for heart disease.

In a controlled trial, cocoa powder was found to significantly decrease oxidized LDL cholesterol in men.

It also increased HDL and lowered total LDL in men with elevated cholesterol.

Oxidized LDL means that the LDL ("bad" cholesterol) has reacted with free radicals.

This makes the LDL particle itself reactive and capable of damaging other tissues... such as the lining of the arteries in your heart.

It makes perfect sense that cocoa lowers oxidized LDL. It contains an abundance of powerful antioxidants that do make it into the bloodstream and protect lipoproteins against oxidative damage.

Dark chocolate can also reduce insulin resistance, which is another common risk factor for many diseases like heart disease and diabetes.

Bottom Line:
Dark chocolate improves several important risk factors for disease. It lowers the susceptibility of LDL to oxidative damage while increasing HDL and improving insulin sensitivity.

5. Dark Chocolate May Lower The Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

The compounds in dark chocolate appear to be highly protective against the oxidation of LDL.

In the long term, this should cause much less cholesterol to lodge in the arteries and we should see a lower risk of heart disease over the long term.

It turns out that we have several long-term observational studies that show a fairly drastic improvement.

In a study of 470 elderly men, cocoa was found to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death by a whopping 50% over a 15 year period.

Another study revealed that eating chocolate 2 or more times per week lowered the risk of having calcified plaque in the arteries by 32%. Eating chocolate less frequently had no effect.

Yet another study showed that chocolate 5+ times per week lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease by 57%.

Of course, these 3 studies are so-called observational studies that can not prove that it was the chocolate that caused the reduction in risk.

However, given that we have a biological mechanism (lower blood pressure and oxidized LDL) then I find it plausible that regular consumption of dark chocolate can in fact reduce the risk of heart disease.

Bottom Line:
Observational studies show a drastic reduction in heart disease risk for the people who consume the most chocolate.

6. Dark Chocolate May Protect Your Skin Against The Sun

The bioactive compounds in dark chocolate may also be great for your skin.

The flavonols can protect against sun-induced damage, improve blood flow to the skin and increase skin density and hydration.

The minimal erythemal dose (MED) is the minimum amount of UVB rays required to cause redness in the skin, 24 hours after exposure.

In one study of 30 people, the MED more than doubled after consuming dark chocolate high in flavanols for 12 weeks.

If you're planning on a beach vacation, consider loading up on dark chocolate in the prior weeks and months.

Bottom Line:
Studies show that the flavanols from cocoa can improve blood flow to the skin and protect it against sun-induced damage.

7. Dark Chocolate May Improve Brain Function

The good news isn't over yet. Dark chocolate may also improve the function of the brain.

One study of healthy volunteers showed that 5 days of consuming high-flavanol cocoa improved blood flow to the brain (21).

Cocoa may also significantly improve cognitive function in elderly people with mental impairment. It also improves verbal fluency and several risk factors for disease.

Cocoa also contains stimulant substances like caffeine and theobromine, which may be a key reason cocoa can improve brain function in the short term .

Take Home Message

There is considerable evidence that cocoa can provide powerful health benefits, being especially protective against cardiovascular disease.

But of course, this doesn't mean people should go all out and consume lots of chocolate every day. It is still loaded with calories and easy to overeat on. Maybe have a square or two after dinner and try to really savor them.

Be aware that a lot of the chocolate on the market is crap. You need to choose quality stuff... organic, dark chocolate with 70% or higher cocoa content.

Dark chocolates often contain some sugar, but the amounts are usually small and the darker the chocolate, the less sugar it will contain.

There are of course other benefits to chocolate that I have not mentioned... such as the awesome taste.

Cacao a guilt free treat

By Tamra Mercieca (oul.com.au)

This guilt free treat is packed with benefits.

Hot cacao is a great way to consume something nutritious while feeling decadent. But you should buy cacao in its raw form, rather than the highly processed, low-grade hot chocolates that contain nothing but empty kilojoules and little in the way of true cacao.

The pros

Naturopath Aimee Robbins says raw, powdered cacao is full of flavonoids, which act as natural antioxidants. "Antioxidants protect the body from ageing and disease caused by free radicals. Raw cacao contains up to four times the antioxidants of traditional cacao powder, and has the highest antioxidant value of all the natural foods in the world." Scientists from Cornell University in the US recently discovered that raw cacao contains nearly twice the antioxidant content of red wine, and up to three times the antioxidant content of green tea.

The cacao bean is also rich in magnesium, an energy mineral and vital electrolyte. This super-food is also a good source of sulfur. Sulfur is associated with strong nails, shiny hair and a healthy liver and pancreas. Medical herbalist Dominique Finney says the flavonoids in cacao prevent fat-like substances in the bloodstream from oxidising and clogging the arteries. "Cacao has also been found to help regulate blood pressure and reduce cholesterol while building the immune system."

Drinking a cup of hot cacao before meals can diminish your appetite by helping the body tune in to its natural appetite. According to Dr Gabriel Cousens, this is due to cacao's monoamine oxidase enzyme inhibitors (MAO inhibitors). This is why it is often added to weight-loss supplements.

The cons

You can have too much of a good thing. Cacao is very powerful on the central nervous system and over-indulging can interfere with calcium retention. Don't consume more than 40 grams (or four to six heaped teaspoons) of raw cacao a day. How to eat it

The best way to make sure you're getting the real deal is to start with quality raw cacao powder available in good supermarkets and health food shops. The best powder is dark brown and will taste bitter. You can make your own hot beverage by mixing the powder with hot water or milk. Some research has found that mixing dairy with cacao inhibits the absorption of the nutrients. So to get the most health benefits from your cup of cacao, try using a milk substitute such as coconut milk, soy milk, rice milk or just plain water.

If you have a sweet tooth, add sugar, honey or agave nectar. Drinking hot cocoa will give you more antioxidants than simply eating chocolate, because the heat releases more antioxidants. That said, Melbourne chocolatier Kirsten Tibballs recommends eating 60 grams of good-quality dark chocolate every day for a healthy body. "There is also a new chocolate called Acticoa that has nine times the antioxidants of red wine and five times more than green tea."

Mood enhancer

Raw cocoa is an aphrodisiac because it contains anandamide, a substance that induces euphoria. It also contains phenylethylamine (PEA), which is a mood enhancer. While this super-molecule exists naturally in the brain, the only other food that contains PEA is blue-green algae.

The Health Benefits of Chocolate You Might Not Know About (Plus a Cupcake Recipe!)

By Dave Asprey

Theobroma Cacao, the Latin name for chocolate, means “Food of the Gods” for a reason. Dark chocolate has a long history of use as a healing plant, a mood enhancer, and even an aphrodisiac. So if you’ve got a thing for chocolate (and we don’t mean the junk chocolate in candy bars and sweet desserts), you’re in luck: You can use high quality chocolate to upgrade your performance and your favorite recipes.

Chocolate Does Good Stuff You Didn’t Know About

You’ve probably read that chocolate affects your brain by causing the release of the “happiness neurotransmitters” — serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. Like coffee, chocolate is also a potent source of polyphenol antioxidants.

But experienced chocolate hackers also know chocolate is a useful tool for improving performance in lesser-known ways. Cacao exerts a systemic effect on the body, with benefits ranging from improved healthy blood flow and cognition to beneficial changes in gut bacteria! Here are some of the most important benefits of chocolate (besides taste).

1. High pressure mood improver Eating chocolate can improve your mood and, according to this study, it can give you a mood boost even in stressful circumstances. Participants in this study that had a cocoa flavanol drink before a sustained attention test had overall better cognitive performance and reported less “mental fatigue” than the control group.

2. Chocolate makes you eat less One of my favorite effects of chocolate consumption is reduced appetite. One study showed that eating dark chocolate two hours before a meal led to a 17 percent lower calorie intake at the following meal, compared to the milk chocolate group. (I’d imagine that it’s because the casein in milk binds to the polyphenols in chocolate, making them unavailable to your body.)

3. Maintenance of a healthy cardiovascular system Regular chocolate consumption is also associated with improved markers for cardiovascular health. Notably, the polyphenols in cacao increase HDL cholesterol (the good kind) and decreased oxidized LDL cholesterol.

One study even found the particular cacao flavanol epicatechin to be responsible for the rise in nitric oxide, which is essential for vascular health. Bioavailability of nitric oxide is an essential determinate of vascular health as it regulates dilation tone, signals cell growth and inflammatory response, and protects blood vessels from clotting.

Also important, vascular function moderates insulin-regulated glucose uptake. So it’s no surprise that dark chocolate consumption also improves healthy levels of insulin sensitivity.

4. Chocolate helps make your skin glow... and may help reduce sunburn

Another cool thing chocolate does is help you maintain healthy skin by regulating healthy blood flow. In one study, two groups of women consumed either a high flavanol or low flavanol cocoa powder for a period of 12 weeks. While the low flavanol group showed no change in markers of skin health, subjects in the high flavanol group had on average 25 percent reduction in UV-induced erythema (sunburn) after exposure to a solar simulator.

Additionally, the high flavanol group recorded increased skin density and thickness, as well as better hydrated-skin.

5. Chocolate is a prebiotic! While many studies assume that it is the cacao polyphenols acting directly to modulate biomarkers, it is most likely the case that at least some of the effect is indirect, and comes from the interaction with our gut microbiome. Research suggests that cocoa flavanols with a low molecular weight, such as epicatechin and catechin, can be absorbed directly into blood circulation (unless you mix them with milk). This is not the case for the larger polyphenols. In this case, microflora in the colon work to break down high molecular weight polyphenols, so that the smaller secondary metabolites may circulate throughout the body.

If gut bacteria are feeding on the larger cocoa polyphenols, this will alter the composition of the intestinal microbiome. In fact, one study discovered a beneficial prebiotic effect of high flavanol chocolate consumption. Participants saw a significant increase in bifidobacterial and lactobacilli populations, as well as significantly decreased clostridia levels.

6. Cellular rejuvenation (anti-aging)

Last, but certainly not least, cacao can enhance the creation of new mitochondria! Chocolate contains the flavanol epicatechin, which is responsible for mitogenesis. In one study, epicatechin given to senile mice shifted numerous biomarkers towards those of young mice. In another mouse study, treatment with epicatechin improved exercise performance by about 50 percent and enhanced muscle fatigue resistance by about 30 percent.

Theobromine 101: The Magical Molecule In Chocolate

Dark chocolate and coffee are both rich sources of polyphenol antioxidants. Chocolate also contains theobromine, a molecule that acts like caffeine. Theobromine is the primary alkaloid in cocoa and gives your mind and body a boost in several different ways. Here’s some cool things about theobromine and chocolate that you may not have already known:

• Although theobromine is present in other plants, it is highly concentrated in dark chocolate, with 237-519 mg per 50g. Its effects are similar to caffeine’s.
• Theobromine has an interesting molecular structure — it promotes energy in the body but it doesn’t exert its effects on the central nervous system. This is why it gives you a more “gentle,” feel-good type of energy. It also takes longer to clear from the body, allowing for a longer effect!
• Chocolate gives you immediate cognitive effects (mostly from caffeine and theobromine). Studies show that cocoa powder and caffeine have the same positive effects on cognitive functions and mood.
• Theobromine may also have a significant effect on mood. One study showed that subjects were able to see improvements in their moods while taking theobromine, even at low doses.
What To Do With Chocolate

This is one of my favorite questions to answer! Your options are practically limitless, but here are some places to get started:

• Drink cacao tea
• Add chocolate to your Bulletproof Coffee to make a Mocha!
• Try the recipe below for Bulletproof Cupcakes from the upcoming book, Bulletproof: The Cookbook
Bulletproof Chocolate Cupcakes

If you use erythritol, watch for its endothermic (strongly cooling) reaction with the proteins in the egg, which drops the temperature of the mixing bowl by about 20 degrees! If sweet rice flour is not available, just omit it; don’t substitute regular rice flour, which will make the cupcakes taste gritty.

Ingredients:
• 6 tablespoons erythritol
• 6 tablespoons xylitol
• 12 ounces dark chocolate (at least 85% cacao), chips or finely
• chopped bar
• 1 1⁄2 sticks (6 ounces) grass-fed unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Pinch of pink Himalayan salt
• 6 large pastured eggs, at room temperature, separated
• 2 teaspoons vanilla powder
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon sweet rice flour
Instructions:
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line 20 cups of 2 muffin tins with paper liners.
• Pulse the erythritol and xylitol in a blender until finely ground. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, bring about 2 cups water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl that can sit on top of the saucepan but not directly touching the water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
• In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together 6 tablespoons of the powdered erythritol/xylitol, salt, and egg yolks on medium-high speed until the mixture is thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg mixture into the melted chocolate and stir in the vanilla powder, cocoa powder, and sweet rice flour.
• In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Slowly beat in the remaining 6 tablespoons erythritol/xylitol, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until medium peaks form.
• Gently fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture, one-third at a time, until combined. Using a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop or cup measure, spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

The upcoming book, Bulletproof: The Cookbook has even more Bulletproof dessert and dinner recipes that require high quality chocolate.

What are your favorite ways to cook with chocolate?

Cocoa for pleasure — and health?

By Alvin Powell (Harvard Staff Writer)

Massive study will try to determine benefits of much-loved, savory powder

Yes, we love cocoa in winter, particularly around Valentine’s Day. But does cocoa love us?

While you may want to pass the mug, you also may also need to watch out for the saturated fat and sugar. Researchers at Harvard and Brigham and Women’s Hospital are launching a massive, four-year, 18,000-person, randomized trial to get at some of the truths behind the potential health benefits of cocoa.

Earlier observational studies and smaller clinical studies have hinted that compounds in cocoa called flavanols carry health benefits, protecting against everything from heart disease to stroke to dementia, so researchers want to learn more.

“Cocoa flavanols appear to be very promising for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and memory loss, cognitive decline,” said JoAnn Manson, co-principal investigator of the study, Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School, and chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). “But the evidence to date has been inconclusive. Most of the randomized trials previously done have been smaller in size, suggesting there may be favorable effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors, including lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow and dilation of blood vessels, decreasing inflammation, and maybe improving insulin sensitivity and the ability to metabolize glucose.”

The bad news for chocoholics, however, is that though cocoa is a key ingredient, variations in processing methods make chocolate an unreliable source of flavanols, Manson said. Chocolate also typically contains enough fat, sugar, and calories that, however the trial turns out, it’s unlikely to result in prescriptions to eat more chocolate, though capsules or beverages high in cocoa flavanols are possible, Manson said.

“The results of the COSMOS trial would not lead to a clinical recommendation to eat more chocolate, though it might provide more incentive for people to enjoy chocolate as a treat,” Manson said.

Harvard Medical School researchers look at cocoa for health

https://youtu.be/0fbKNHRmmaQ

The investigation, called COSMOS, for COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcome Study, is also investigating the potential anti-cancer benefits of taking a daily multivitamin. The work follows up on an earlier study from the same research division at BWH that showed an 8 percent decline in cancer cases over 11 years among men over 50 taking a daily multivitamin. COSMOS will seek to replicate those earlier results and see if the benefit extends to women, according to Howard Sesso, the study’s other co-principal investigator, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and director of nutrition research in the Division of Preventive Medicine at the Brigham.

Rather than isolating the effects of individual vitamins in megadoses, the trial’s multivitamin arm is intended to investigate the combined effect of lower doses of essential vitamins and minerals, Sesso said.

Because COSMOS is evaluating health conditions that increase with age, like heart disease, high blood pressure, dementia, and cancer, the trial is limited to men over age 60 and women over 65 who have no history of cardiovascular disease and have not been diagnosed with cancer over the last two years. Each participant takes three pills a day but doesn’t know which contain cocoa flavanols, multivitamins, combinations, or placebos. That allows researchers to test four different groups: one getting a daily multivitamin, one getting cocoa powder, one getting both, and the last getting only placebos. Many of the study volunteers agree to submit blood samples, and some undergo periodic physical and cognitive checkups.

Cocoa flavanols, Manson said, are believed to promote production of nitric oxide in the blood vessels, which dilates and relaxes arteries, lowering blood pressure and keeping blood flowing to meet the body’s needs. The flavanols may also have anti-inflammatory properties that improve glucose metabolism and lower insulin resistance. Part of the trial’s purpose, she said, is to cast light on those processes.

Though the trial is still enrolling participants and so is years away from conclusion, its large size and double-blinded design should allow it to address a range of scientific questions, Manson and Sesso said. It’s likely that the study eventually will lead to others that further explore relevant mechanisms and pathways.

One difficulty in making dietary recommendations, Sesso said, is that consumer products vary widely. Even those that claim a high cocoa or cacao content, like dark chocolate bars, may vary widely in the amount of flavanols they contain due to differences in processing and content of cocoa beans.

“This actually becomes a bit of a source of confusion for consumers as well, because when you hear about the potential health benefits of either cocoa products or cocoa flavanols or even chocolate or dark chocolate, it’s very difficult to isolate what is responsible for those potential benefits,” Sesso said. “When we consider cocoa products, we want to think back to the cocoa bean and focus upon its most bioactive components and test those in a large-scale trial such as COSMOS to provide the most definitive evidence of its health effects.”

5 Health Benefits Cacao Powder That Will Make You Ditch Chocolate For Good

By Jenn Ryan

This will be your New Year’s fad.

We’ve all heard of cocoa powder, but have you ever heard of cacao powder?

While it almost looks like I wrote the same words there, I promise I didn’t.

Cacao powder is the purer version of cocoa powder. It’s less processed because it uses a cold press extraction method rather than the heating process that cocoa uses that kills many of the nutrients.

Why should you reach for cacao powder at the store rather than your go-to cocoa source? Here are five insane health benefits of this powder that’ll kick-start your New Year’s resolutions to feel better, lose weight, be healthier and oh yeah — look as young as you feel.

It’s a Power Drug for Your Brain

Cacao has one of the highest antioxidants of any food on the planet. This means that it prevents cell death in your brain while simultaneously encouraging your brain’s ability to create new memories and make new connections (light bulb!).

Cacao also increases brain blood flow, which means more oxygen to your brain. This results in a greater alertness and cognitive abilities.

The flavonoids in cacao—which function as antioxidants—help to prevent disease in the brain associated with aging, especially Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of cognitive decline.

So you can add a tablespoon of this amazing stuff to your smoothie to help generate new memories and amp up your brain power.

Prevent Obesity and Attain a Healthy Weight

One of the most attractive qualities of cacao powder is that it has the ability to help you tip the scale in your favor. This is because of the many compounds in cacao that can actually help initiate fat burning throughout your body.

These include compounds such as xanthine and flavonoids like quercetin and anthocyanidins.

These flavonoids not only help you burn fat, but combat inflammation as well, so that you don’t feel as sore when you’re done your workout. You can look great while you lose weight and stay motivated to keep in shape this year.

Make your own “chocolate” milk post-workout with cacao powder.

Improves Mood

I don’t know about you, but I could definitely use some mood improvement assistance in the winter.

Luckily for me and anyone who comes into contact with me, cacao powder actually boosts your mood through its polyphenol content, which works to reduce anxiety and self-contentment while also combating fatigue.

When you can get all this without the jittery effects of coffee, cacao is looking more and more like a savior to those of us who don’t tolerate coffee well despite its many benefits. Try cacao in iced coffee for added benefits.

Younger-Looking Skin

Cacao’s antioxidant power keeps your skin looking young and healthy. Not only does it protect against skin aging, but also can help prevent skin damage. Young-looking skin is more than just what you put on it—your diet and lifestyle matter just as much, if not more.

Even if you have skin damage from UV rays, cacao can help prevent any lasting damage since it zaps free radicals and help your skin maintain its firmness and youth.

Who knew drinking some hot cacao (use just like you would cocoa) could help make your skin glow?

Protects the Heart

Your heart is a muscle just like the rest of your body that can benefit from the added protection of cacao as well. Since cacao helps prevent aging, it can help your heart to feel a little younger too. It can actually even help lower blood pressure while reducing risk for stroke and even improve cholesterol. All of these positive effects can decrease your risk for heart disease.

You can even protect your body against diabetes, as cacao helps improve blood sugar and prevent any problems with insulin the body.

Ditching cocoa in favor of cacao has some great benefits. Not only does it have more antioxidants, but it retains more of its healthy compounds and has a significant level of magnesium, which can help with everything from stress to sleep.

Forget about chocolate this year and incorporate cacao into your diet to help prevent aging, boost your mood, achieve your weight-loss goals, and enhance your cognitive abilities.

With better-looking skin to match, it’ll be a whole new you this new year.

Criollo—the Philippines’ lesser-known luxury cacao

By CHRISTINA ALPAD (TMT)

While the Philippines may not be one of the biggest chocolate consumers in the world, despite the nation’s affection for mass-produced chocolates, it can take pride in producing the rarest and most luxurious variety of this treat. This is a fact that not many Filipino chocoholics know.

At the International Cocoa Organization’s bi-annual World Cocoa Economy report for 2012, the Philippines was at the bottom list of cocoa consumers, with the average Filipino consuming only 0.32 kilogram of cocoa per year, far from the Swiss’s 5.88 kilograms per capita.

But what is more interesting is that this quiet chocolate-consuming nation is believed to be one of the first countries outside the American region to have grown cacao back in 1670.

According to the 1877 folio titled Flora De Filipinas, “cacao first traveled outside its American homeland in 1670 from Acapulco, Mexico to the Philippines aboard Manila galleons.”

The published work further noted that the first cacao planted in the Philippines was pure Criollo, the most prized variety of cacao in modern day.

It was this discovery that led homegrown chocolate brand Auro to go the extra mile and highlight the country’s rich connection to this confection.

Treasure discovered It all began when in 2010, businesswoman Jacqueline Go, found herself in a midlife crisis. Going through a spiritual journey, Go stumbled upon cacao and its rare variety unknowingly growing in the country’s backyard.

Fueled by this new information, Go went into a research frenzy, tapping local farmers oblivious they had the prized possession.

“I met a local farmer who never knew about the varieties of cacao. Passion went in to a lot of research and whatever we found out, we share it with them through seminars that we are conducting,” Go shared during the grand launch of her chocolate brand in Manila House, Bonifacio Global City.

However, upon turning her passion into a business, she was initially unsuccessful so she discontinued her research and refocused her energy on something else.

Bequeathed passion “But what is meant to be, is meant to be. Four years ago, my husband [who initially told her to stop pursuing her cocoa passion], got a free ticket to Davao, visited Almacen and met people who were working with cacao. He particularly had a chance encounter with a cacao worker who was on his last day of employment,” Go recalled.

Out of compassion, Go’s husband told the worker on the spot that he work for his wife. Upon returning to Manila, the businessman fulfilled his promise to the Davaoeño, and told Go to reopen their cacao venture.

Everything soon fell into place when their daughter Kelly, who was educated in Chicago, thereafter attending culinary training in Le Cordon Bleu Paris, decided to come home and take an interest in cacao.

“I am very blessed that she took interest in it as well and our business partner Mark Ocampo. They’ve since been going to Davao to meet with farmers and give them the proper information about cacao,” Go shared.

Passing the mic to Ocampo, the young businessman shared that there are three different varieties of cacao, which not all farmers from Davao knew. There is of course the rare Criollo; the Forastero, which makes up the majority of cacao production in the world; and the Trinitario which is a hybrid of the two.

Moreover, they also discovered something more rare in Davao—the heirloom Criollo Porcelana which only makes up 0.1-percent of the world’s cacao production.

“Mark and I just recently discovered this. We are unique in Asia [in terms of chocolate consumption]because we are very much like South America. We drink cacao as tablea while our neighboring countries don’t consume it, they just export it. Isn’t it great and unique that we have this long tradition here in the Philippines?” Kelly conveyed.

With the lack of knowledge of cacao’s rich history and value, it was but understandable how many farmers had been cutting down precious cacao trees.

“When my mom first started going around, they met a lot of farmers who would cry once they knew what they had,” Kelly recalled.

The young businesswoman then laid out that the goal of Auro—a portmanteau of gold’s chemical symbol, Au, and it’s Spanish word, oro—as the coming together of innovation and heritage.

“Heritage because we want to honor the farmers who have worked hard to produce cacaos and to restore some of those ancient, heirloom cacao varieties that we have,” Kelly explained.

“And innovation because there’s really no identification of varieties nor quality benchmarks in the country. Every farmer is paid the same amount for the same type of cacao. So what we really invested on are a state of the art factory and a big plant with the same equipment that big players out there are using, to accommodate as many farmers as we can,” Ocampo added.

The young tandem then proudly said that unlike the first chocolate buyers who do not give incentives to farmer who produce high quality varieties, they pay different prices for different qualities.

“With cacao, all we can do as chocolate makers is to maximize its inherent quality. I can’t dramatically change its flavors. So we have to work so hard to make sure that we have good raw materials,” Kelly finally explained.

The results of this passion to revive the abandoned Criollo are luxurious chocolate bars in dark chocolate (64 percent) and milk chocolate (42 percent). There are cocoa nibs, blocks and coins for variety.

And to prove how versatile a luxurious chocolate is, Manila House chefs led by Selena Ocampo prepared savory dishes—pan-seared salmon and roasted pork—with a chocolate twist.

The night then ended in a sweet explosion when top pastry chefs Sunshine Puey, Peachy Juban, Miko Aspiras and Richie Manapat created their chocolate masterpieces using Auro.

Chocolates High in Flavonols

By Deila Taylor

Chocolate is rarely thought of as a nutritious food, yet it contains chemical compounds called flavonoids that provide positive health benefits. Chocolate is a plant-based food, derived from cocoa beans, found within the pod-like fruits of the cacao tree. Cocoa beans are fermented, roasted and ground into a powder to achieve a rich-tasting chocolate that contains flavonols.

Flavonoids

Flavonoids are natural chemicals found in fruits, vegetables, tea, red wine and beer. There are over 4,000 different flavonoids that have been identified, some with anti-viral, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-oxidant benefits. Chocolate contains flavanols and flavonols, two types of flavonoids. One of the flavonols in chocolate is called quercetin, a potent antioxidant that protects cells against damage from free-radicals. These free-radicals are formed during normal bodily activities, such as breathing, but too many of them cause oxidative stress. Flavonoids may help protect against diseases associated with oxidative stress such as heart disease and cancer.

Cocoa Powder

Cocoa powder is one of the end products from processing cacao pods. When the cocoa beans are ground, a chocolate liquor is produced that is about 50 percent cocoa butter. The hardened liquor is pressed to remove much of the cocoa butter, leaving a low-fat cocoa solid, also called cocoa powder. Cocoa solids or natural unsweetened cocoa powder has more flavonols than cocoa powder that is dutch-processed or alkalized. Chocolate bars have varying amounts of cocoa solids, and thus different strengths of flavonols.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolates have a higher percentage of cocoa solids -- from 35 to 99 percent -- and therefore more health-boosting flavonols than lighter chocolates. Some manufacturers list the percentage of cocoa solids on the label. Check the contents for the exact percentages, and choose those with at least 35 percent cocoa or cocoa solids. Dark chocolate in the U.S. is often called sweet or semi-sweet chocolate. It is required to contain at least 35 percent cocoa solids. Fine dark chocolate made in Europe is required to contain at least 43 percent cocoa solids.

Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate is higher in sugar and fats and has a lower amount of cocoa solids, which also makes milk chocolate lower in flavonols. Each country has laws determining how much cocoa is required for milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate. European countries require 30 percent of cocoa solids for milk chocolate, while the United States only requires 10 percent. Some manufacturers produce milk chocolate with more cocoa solids than is required by law. If you choose milk chocolate, buy higher quality chocolates that have at least 35 percent cocoa solids. High-quality milk chocolate will be labeled with 35 to 45 percent cocoa solids.

Benefits of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

By Sandi Busch

Dark chocolate may reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, according to information from New York University’s Langone Medical Center. Cocoa powder has even more of the substances responsible for chocolate’s health benefits, and unsweetened cocoa has the advantage of being low in calories. It also contains essential minerals that support your heart, bones and immune system.

Basics

The cacao tree produces clusters of pod-shaped fruits that contain seeds, or beans, used to make cocoa. The seeds are fermented to develop their flavor and color, and then they’re dried, roasted and ground into a paste. The fat, or cocoa butter, is removed from the paste, leaving the dry unsweetened cocoa powder. The cocoa butter is remixed with some portion of the solids and sweeteners to create chocolate. One tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder has 12 calories, 1 gram of protein and one-tenth of a gram of sugar. The same portion has 1.8 grams of fiber, which is 5 percent of the daily intake for men and 7 percent for women.

Minerals

Just 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder contains 3 to 9 percent of the recommended daily intake of iron, manganese, magnesium and zinc. In addition to carrying oxygen, iron helps make red blood cells and is essential for your immune system. Manganese is a component of enzymes that form cartilage and bones, metabolize nutrients and function as antioxidants inside every cell in your body. Magnesium helps produce energy and maintain a normal heart rhythm. Zinc is vital for the production and development of new cells, including immune system cells. Without enough zinc, the number of bacteria-fighting cells goes down and you become more susceptible to illness.

Flavonoids

Flavonoids are the plant-based substances responsible for many of cocoa’s health benefits. There are many different types of flavonoids, but cocoa is a good source of two: epicatechin and catechin. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder has 196 milligrams of epicatechin in every 100 grams of powder, compared with unsweetened chocolate squares which have 142 milligrams and dark chocolate candy with 84 milligrams. Sweetened cocoa mix and milk chocolate have even fewer flavonoids. The flavonoids in cocoa function as antioxidants that help prevent systemic inflammation. Epicatechin relaxes the muscles in blood vessels, which improves blood flow and helps lower blood pressure, according to research published in the March 2012 issue of the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.”

Serving Tips

Top spinach salad with a vinaigrette made from vinegar, olive oil and cocoa powder, or simply add cocoa to your favorite prepared salad dressing. Mix cocoa powder with chili powder, cayenne pepper and garlic and use it as a dry rub on lean beef, chicken or fish. Ground cloves and espresso also work well in a dry rub with unsweetened cocoa. Mexican mole sauce -- a mixture of unsweetened cocoa powder, onion, garlic, tomatoes, peppers and broth -- is served over chicken, pork and enchiladas. Use unsweetened cocoa powder in gravy, chili, stews, protein shakes and hot cereal.

Health Benefits of Raw Cacao Nibs

By Michael Peluso

The cacao tree produces seeds that can be dried, dehulled, roasted and minimally processed into what is essentially raw chocolate, also called raw cacao nibs. The nibs can be used to produce different grades of commercial chocolate, and they are often used as snacks. The nibs are slightly bitter and may be sweetened with honey or used in baked goods. Cacao nibs and the dark grades of chocolate they produce may provide important benefits to your intestinal regularity, heart and blood vessels and blood sugar level.

Dietary Fiber

Cacao may help to keep your bowel movements regular. A 1-ounce serving of raw cacao nibs contains 36 percent of the recommended daily intake of dietary fiber, or 9 grams. Adding as little as 6.6 grams of cacao fiber per day to your diet may improve your bowel habits, according to a clinical study appearing in "Nutrition and Metabolism." Subjects in this study were given cocoa powder supplemented with high-fiber cocoa bran in a semi-skimmed milk drink twice daily for two four-week periods, separated by a three-week period in which cocoa was not consumed. The frequency of bowel movements increased and feelings of constipation decreased during the periods when cocoa powder was consumed.

Cardiovascular Health

Cacao products appear to be heart-healthy as well. One of the main health benefits of cacao is for the arteries in your heart and brain. Eating cacao foods such as chocolate several times per day may decrease your likelihood of having a stroke or heart attack, according to clinical studies published in the "Journal of the American College of Cardiology" and the "Journal of Internal Medicine." In both studies, the frequency of stroke and heart attack in human subjects declined with an increase in chocolate intake.

Polyphenols

Many of the health benefits, including cardiovascular benefits, of cacao products such as cacao nibs are believed to be due to compounds called polyphenols. The cacao polyphenols are made of 37 percent catechins, 4 percent anthocyanins and 58 percent proanthocyanidins. Cacao polyphenols may improve the health of your heart and brain arteries by serving as antioxidants and inhibiting blood platelets from forming a clot. If your blood cholesterol is somewhat elevated, cacao polyphenols may also lower your low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol, and raise your high-density lipoprotein, or “good” cholesterol levels.

Blood Pressure and Glucose

The fiber and polyphenols in cacao may work together to help control your blood pressure and blood glucose levels, as suggested by a recent clinical study in "Food and Function." Blood pressure and blood glucose were lowered by a cocoa-fiber-rich product providing 12 grams of dietary fiber and 283 milligrams of polyphenols per day during the eight-week study period. At least part of the beneficial effect of cacao on your blood sugar level may be due to slowing of starch digestive enzymes by polyphenol procyanidins in your small intestine.

Cocoa Powder Nutrition Information

By Sylvie Tremblay

Cultivated since 1,500 B.C., according to the Earth Science Picture of the Day website, a service of NASA, cocoa beans have long played a role in human culture. Cocoa powder, made by separating the cocoa solids from the fat-rich cocoa liquor, offers intense bitter chocolate flavor in beverages, baked goods and other dishes. The powder contains a number of essential nutrients that can benefit your health.

Calories

Cocoa powder is a low-calorie food normally consumed in small amounts, which means it wont contribute significantly to your daily caloric intake. A tablespoon of cocoa powder contains 12 calories – less than 1 percent of your daily intake if you follow a typical 2,000-calorie diet. However, if you add sugar to cocoa powder to offset its bitter taste, this significantly increases the calorie content of your recipe, since each teaspoon of sugar contains 16 calories.

Macronutrients

Consuming cocoa powder modestly contributes to your intake of macronutrients – proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Each tablespoon of cocoa powder contains approximately 1 gram of protein and 0.74 grams of fat, including approximately half a gram of saturated fat. One tablespoon of the powder also contains slightly more than 3 grams of total carbohydrates, including almost 2 grams of beneficial dietary fiber. The powder contains almost no sugar – less than 0.1 grams per 1-tablespoon serving.

Vitamins

Consuming cocoa powder modestly increases your intake of vitamin E, an antioxidant, as well as vitamin K, a nutrient required for proper blood clotting. The powder also provides a modest source of choline, a nutrient that aids in nerve communication within your brain. Additionally, consuming cocoa powder slightly boosts your intake of several B vitamins. However, since cocoa powder is typically consumed only in small amounts, it does not contribute significantly to your overall vitamin intake.

Minerals

Each serving of cocoa powder provides the mineral selenium, an antioxidant, as well as the minerals copper and magnesium, both of which are essential to enzyme functioning in your cells. The powder also provides a modest source of iron – each tablespoon contains 0.75 milligrams of the mineral, 9 percent of the daily recommended intake for men and women over age 50, or 4 percent of the recommended intake for women under 50 years of age, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.

Health Benefits of Raw Cacao vs Cocoa Powder

By Joy McCarthy

I've made my Black Bean Brownies from Joyous Health three times in the last week if you can believe it! Once for the CHCH Morning Live segment and the other two times were for potluck dinner parties. Of course the main ingredient I used was raw cacao.

I love raw cacao because it's incredibly flavourful, versatile and nutrient-dense. I've shared 5 of my favourite raw cacao recipes below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSF7znFnT2o

Here's the chart!

https://www.joyoushealth.com/medialib/img-614-JH_CacaovsCocoa_Final.jpg

Cocoa Powder Health Benefits

By Tracey Roizman (DC)

Cocoa, first cultivated by Mayan tribes as early as 1500 B.C., was thought to be divine and drunk from gold cups. Cocoa and chocolate products live up to their illustrious history, offering the highest concentration of antioxidants among commonly consumed foods, with over 10 percent of the weight of cocoa powder being flavonoids. These and other attributes of cocoa make it a highly desirable food from both a flavor and nutritional standpoint.

Antioxidants

While cocoa powder antioxidants, specifically procyanidins and epicatechins, are similar to those found in tea, red wine and many fruits and vegetables, the structure of some cocoa flavonoids is unique, giving them even more free-radical-scavenging and metal-binding capacity than flavonoids found in other plant foods. These antioxidants can help lower your blood pressure and maintain safe blood sugar levels, according to a study published in the August 2012 issue of the journal "Food and Function." In the study, volunteers with mildly elevated cholesterol ate two servings of a cocoa product that provided 283 milligrams of cocoa polyphenols per day for eight weeks. Results showed cocoa moderately decreased blood sugar, blood pressure and levels of oxidized lipids.

Anti-Inflammatory

The anti-inflammatory effects of cocoa powder help prevent artery-clogging plaque formation by decreasing levels of molecules that cause white blood cells to stick to artery walls, according to Harvard Health Publications. A study published in the November 2009 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that supplementation with 40 grams of cocoa powder per day for four weeks reduced inflammation and inhibited platelets from sticking together and contributing to atherosclerosis.

Healthy Fats

Cocoa contains a variety of healthy fats, including as much as 35 percent oleic acid. This is the same fatty acid found in olive oil that may increase levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, the good form of cholesterol. A study published in the August 2011 issue of the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found cocoa products and dark chocolate significantly decreased levels of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, the bad form of cholesterol, in participants who consumed cocoa for two to 12 weeks.

Anti-Cancer

Epicatechins in cocoa may help prevent pancreatic cancer, according to a study published in the October 2012 issue of the "International Journal of Cancer." In the tissue-culture study, cocoa epicatechins slowed the growth of pancreatic cancer cells. In a laboratory animal arm of the study, doses of 25 milligrams per kilogram of body weight inhibited tumor growth. Researchers of a study published in the December 2011 issue of the journal "Molecular Nutrition and Food Research" observed a protective effect of cocoa against colon cancer. In the laboratory animal study, a coca-rich diet helped prevent colon cancer by decreasing oxidative stress and promoting early death of cancer cells.

What Is a Flavonoid in Chocolate?

By Sandi Busch

Plants produce thousands of compounds called phytochemicals that aren't nutrients but that provide health benefits. Flavonoids are one group of phytochemicals that have antioxidant abilities. Cocoa beans are good sources of flavonoids, but not all chocolate retains much of the cocoa bean. If your favorite chocolate bar is not dark chocolate, it may be a better source of calories and sugar than of beneficial flavonoids.

Types of Chocolate

The cacao tree produces beans that are roasted and ground into a paste called cocoa liquor, or cocoa solids. The solids are then separated into cocoa butter and powder. All three ingredients are used in varying amounts to make different types of chocolate, but the cocoa solids are the only source of flavonoids. Dark chocolate and milk chocolate both have cocoa solids and cocoa butter, but milk chocolate has fewer solids, and more sugar and milk is added. White chocolate doesn't contain cocoa solids.

Flavonoid Basics

Flavonoids are a large group of plant-based antioxidants. The type of flavonoids found in chocolate are flavanols. You won't find flavonoid content on nutrition labels, but the label should indicate the percentage of cocoa solids. Since flavonoids are found only in the solids, you can use the percentage of solids as a general guide for choosing products with the most flavonoids. Unsweetened cocoa powder has 88 to 96 percent cocoa solids. Dark chocolate contains 45 to 80 percent cocoa solids, and milk chocolate has 5 to 7 percent.

Flavanols in Chocolate

Flavanols found in cocoa solids may lower blood pressure and cholesterol, improve glucose metabolism and maintain the health of your blood vessels. A study published in the September 2012 issue of “Hypertension” noted that cocoa flavanols improved brain function in elderly people with mild cognitive impairment. However, more research is needed to validate this potential benefit. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Database of Flavonoid Content reports that unsweetened baking chocolate has 206 milligrams of flavanols per 100 grams of chocolate, dark chocolate has half that amount, and flavanol content drops down to 15 milligrams per gram in milk chocolate.

Considerations

Eating 1 to 2 ounces of dark chocolate daily may result in health benefits, such as lower blood pressure, according to New York University. However, any benefits from flavonoids must be considered against the calories, fat and sugar you’ll get from chocolate. One ounce of dark chocolate with 70 to 85 percent cocoa solids has 170 calories, 12 grams of fat and 7 grams of sugar, which equals about 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar. The same portion of milk chocolate has 150 calories, 8 grams of fat and double the sugar. To avoid gaining weight or consuming too much added sugar, these values should be factored into -- not added on top of -- your normal diet.

Health Properties of Raw Cocoa

By Tracey Roizman (DC)

Cocoa, also known as cacao, is the bean of the cocoa tree, native to South America. Cocoa consumption dates back to the ancient Aztecs, who consumed a beverage made from roasted cocoa beans mixed with vanilla and other spices and also traded the beans as currency. In the 1500s cocoa was introduced to Europe, but partly due to its high cost, was reserved for the wealthy. Nowadays, chocolate is widely consumed and treasured for its purported mood-elevating effects. However, cocoa in its raw form contains considerable amounts of health-promoting nutrients, some of which are found only in the cocoa bean.

Antioxidants

Raw cocoa, with 10,000 milligrams of flavanol antioxidants per bean, may be one of the most antioxidant-rich foods available, according to raw food expert Matthew Rogers, co-author of "Sweet Gratitude: A New World of Raw Desserts." That gives it 20 times more antioxidants than red wine and 30 times more than green tea. By contrast, roasted cocoa beans can lose up to 80 percent of their antioxidant content. Antioxidants help prevent oxidation of cholesterol, which can lead to arterial plaque formation.

Magnesium

Raw cocoa contains more magnesium than any other plant. This mineral, which is deficient in much of the U.S. population, helps increase flexibility and muscle relaxation, is good for your heart and makes your bones strong. Magnesium also assists with detoxification and alkalizes your body.

Chromium

Chromium in raw cocoa helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Raw cocoa contains 10 times as much chromium as whole wheat. To derive the most health benefits, consume raw cocoa in the form of dark chocolate, which contains less sugar and milk and a greater nutrient density than milk chocolate.

Brain Food

Chocolate is widely regarded as good mood food and contains several chemicals that are known to alter brain function. Raw cocoa is one of the few plants that contains theobromine, a relative of caffeine, though with a weaker stimulant effect. Phenylethylamine in cocoa is the same as a molecule that your brain releases when you are happy or excited. Anandamide, a brain chemical that positively influences your mood, memory and appetite and decreases your perception of pain, is also found in raw cocoa. Raw cocoa contains considerable amounts of the amino acid tryptophan, which your body converts to the calming neurotransmitter serotonin.

Ulcerative Colitis

A study published in the June 2011 issue of the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" found that cocoa extract may help in the management of ulcerative colitis. In the laboratory animal study, polyphenol-enriched cocoa extract reduced inflammation and cell damage. Further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results.


Cocoa and healthy? Hell yeah!

(Editorial Team, The Health Site)

We give you more reasons to indulge in cocoa.

Several people avoid cocoa since they are under the impression that it’s fattening. Yes, chocolate isn’t the healthiest item you could eat but that surely doesn’t mean you should completely avoid it. You can always stick to the roots — try cocoa powder instead. If you are still wondering what cocoa can do for you, let’s make it a little easy for you!

Great for your heart

Cocoa is known for its compounds. Till today, there are only 700 of them that have been discovered. It is full of antioxidants which prove to be great for your cardiovascular health. It contains flavanols, flavones and anthocyanins which protect the cells of our body. Cocoa also contains polyphenols which protect the heart and prevent the walls and arteries from getting clogged. It can also reduce cholesterol and help in keeping blood pressure in-check.

Puts you in a good mood

Cocoa can also take care of a mood that is sad and unhappy. Yes, you read that right! This natural ingredient can uplift your bad and depressing mood and make you feel alive and good. This is because chocolate or cocoa tends to stimulate the nervous system. It contains theobromine which contributes to this.

Makes your skin beautiful

Having beautiful and glowing skin is every woman’s desire. And why shouldn’t it be? If your skin is charming and radiant, you will look attractive at almost any time of the day without even applying make-up. Your skin will be soft and your body will also look young and gorgeous. A great way to keep your skin beautiful is by adding some cocoa powder to your diet. It contains high amounts of antioxidants that will cleanse your skin and impart that healthy glow you were looking for.

How to use cocoa in daily life

There are several ways in which you could use cocoa for your health. Here are a couple of suggestions that should help you.

Sprinkle over fruit

A very smart and healthy way to use cocoa is to sprinkle it over a bowl of fruits. This will help you to maintain your weight and not eat too much either. Don’t do this more than thrice a week. You don’t want to consume too much of chocolate too. Fruits with cocoa powder sprinkled over are great for the health, body and mind.

Make hot cocoa

You could also make some hot cocoa during the weekend especially if you are going to be working late at night. All you will need is some hot water, cocoa powder, milk, salt and vanilla extract. It’s advisable to try sugar-free products instead of raw sugar. Hot cocoa takes only 15 minutes to prepare and is absolutely delicious.

Use it to make a face mask

Use cocoa to make yourself a nice face mask. All you will need for this is cocoa powder, one tablespoon of honey, another tablespoon of oatmeal, two tablespoons of yoghurt and a dash of lemon juice. Mix will and apply all over the face. Let it stay for 20 minutes. Wait till it dries and then you can wash it off with cold water. Use this face mask three times a week and you will be able to reap maximum benefits of it.

Smell it

Now this may sound weird but it is true! Smelling cocoa can help you reduce your cravings and binge less. So if you want to lose some weight and see quicker changes, cocoa is a must. Just smell it! That’s all.

Antioxidant Benefits of Raw Cacao

By Joanne Marie

Cacao beans are seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree, a small evergreen tree grown in Mexico and South America. Cacao beans are roasted and ground to produce cocoa and, after further processing, are the basis of chocolate. When the beans are dried at low temperature, however, they are called raw cacao beans, which can be consumed whole, broken into pieces called or ground to produce raw cocoa powder. Cacao beans are rich in natural antioxidant compounds with many health benefits.

Cacao Antioxidants

Cacao beans contain natural chemicals called flavonoids, a type of antioxidant compound that promotes general health and might lower your risk of several diseases. One type of flavonoid, called anthocyanidin, is especially high in cacao beans, along with other compounds called epicatechins. These compounds are powerful antioxidants and, according to a study in the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" published in 2003, are especially concentrated in cocoa, a product of cacao beans. In that study, researchers compared the antioxidant capacity of black tea, green tea, red wine and cocoa, concluding that cocoa has the highest antioxidant activity among the four products and the greatest potential for health benefits.

Antioxidant Benefits

Antioxidants stabilize and ultimately destroy free radicals in your cells and tissues. These potentially damaging chemicals are natural by-products of metabolism. They also form when your body breaks down environmental toxins such as cigarette smoke and organic solvents. Free radicals can injure your cells by interfering with cell membranes, damaging DNA and altering other cell components. Over time, a buildup of free radicals can accelerate aging, contribute to vascular changes that lead to heart disease and raise your risk of developing cancer. In addition to removing free radicals, antioxidants also help decrease inflammation that can contribute to arthritis and other diseases, and they can prevent changes in platelets that might produce blood clots.

Cardiovascular Benefits

Flavonoid antioxidants in cacao have significant benefits for your cardiovascular system, according to Silvina Lotito, Ph.D., of the Linus Pauling Institute. She indicates that proanthocyanidin compounds in cocoa powder can help decrease oxidation of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL. Often called bad cholesterol, LDL is oxidized and then deposited in plaque. Plaque produces fat accumulations in arteries that can lead to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Because cacao antioxidants block LDL oxidation, they can prevent plaque formation, improving circulation and lowering your risk of heart disease.

Cancer

The Linus Pauling Institute indicates that flavonoid antioxidants such as those found in cacao might interfere with the development of cancer. In one laboratory study published in 2002 in "Cancer Letters," anthocyanidins from cacao reduced the incidence of chemically induced pancreatic and breast cancer in laboratory animals. In a review of evidence from human subjects, published in 2009 in "Nutrition and Cancer," researchers concluded that compounds in cacao might prevent cancer or improve the outcome when the disease is already present. However, they state that more extensive studies with larger populations are needed to confirm this.

Cancer survivors learn the benefits of cacao

By Morexette Erram

As the month of October comes to an end, breast cancer survivors, cancer awareness advocates and volunteers celebrated life with empowerment, chocolate and Cebu’s chocolate queen Racquel Choa inside Casa de Cacao in Casal’s Village, Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City.

More than 10 breast cancer survivors and several volunteers from breast cancer support group ICanServe Foundation learned about the health benefits of pure, tablea chocolate (cacao) when they visited Choa’s chocolate factory on Thursday.

For four years, the brand ambassadress of Philippine Daily Inquirer, Choa, is an active advocate in women empowerment and raising awareness on cancer by inviting stakeholders and concerned individuals inside her chocolate boutique house.

The owner and founder of chocolate shop Rafle Gourmet Inc., the mother retail of The Chocolate Chamber, told Cebu Daily News that following the success of her life as a renowned chocolatier, it dawned on her to help women and cancer patients alike.

“I’m a woman who wanted other women to be empowered too. I can also imagine myself, (in the shoes of breast cancer patients). Especially nowadays, given that breast cancer is an attack that you don’t know. For me, I want to support and raise the level of breast cancer awareness by talking and opening up with them,” said Choa.

Around four in the afternoon, pastries and tablea drinks she concocted personally were served to patients and volunteers, who all expressed their joy in tasting something as sweet as conquering the fight against breast cancer.

“I learned from them that when you’re battling cancer, you have a strict, rigid dietary prescription. Most of which prohibits (the intake) of sugar, but pure cacao actually has no sugar content at all. Inviting them to eat our pure chocolate treats without having to worry over health concerns fulfills me,” Choa said.

While her visitors are helping themselves with pure tablea cakes and different flavors of cocoa drinks, locally known as sikwate, Chua began to share her story on discovering how cacao seeds help in stopping the spread of breast cancer.

“I read a health book which says that several components found in cacao can help in stopping the spread of cancer (any kinds), one of them is antioxidant. Cacao is very rich in antioxidant,” Choa told her guests.

She also said that contrary to recent findings, cacao products which are processed meticulously and correctly do not carry any carcinogenic substances.

“We learned that the carcinogenic components in cacao beans are found in their shells. Commercially processed chocolates do not take away the shells, and the entire bean is placed inside the grinding machine. Another is that they sometimes over roast or under roast the seeds, and that too can lead to cancer. Ours (Rafle Gourmet Incorporated), we do it in the traditional way,” stated Choa.

She added that after her “eureka moment,” she wanted to share her knowledge to everyone else, specifically to cancer patients.

“I am now very passionate to support them especially that we discovered these components in cacao. When I read it, I said to myself, ‘I need to share this,’” stated Choa.

In line with her advocacy, she said that her company, The Chocolate Chamber, will grant all breast cancer patients 20 percent discount whenever they buy their unsweetened or pure cacao products.

Choa also shared how the traditional means in grinding, roasting and creating tablea bars and tablets benefit the mental health of an individual.

“Empowered women and cancer patients also need emotional support – from their husbands and families. And they can also get it from creating tablea products and drinks. Personally, I find it relaxing, you know, all I focus and think of is my chocolate creation,” described Choa, who was diagnosed of bipolarity in 2007.

Consuming Dark Chocolate Can Improve Heart Health

By Meera V.Nair

A recent study shared by the Harvard University has revealed that consuming dark chocolate can prove to be a good medicine for treating heart disease. This study has come out as an exciting discovery for all the chocoholics. The study states that the cocoa compounds present in the chocolate can be beneficial for the heart patients in improving their health.

As per a report published by NDTV, Simin Liu, Professor at Brown University in Rhode Islands, US has said, "We found that intake of cocoa flavanol can reduce all the subclinical risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases such as dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and systemic inflammation." Cardiometabolic disorders are a combination of both heart disease and diabetes.

Researchers believe that the presence of flavonoids - a type of antioxidant produced by plants, to be the reason for dark chocolates being an essential medicine for heart patients. Flavonoids are largely concentrated in cacao bean which yields cocoa powder to make dark chocolates. Flavonoids help to lower the blood pressure, prevents blood clot, increases blood flow to brain and heart and fight against cell damage.

Dark chocolate is also known for having a high concentration of an alkaloid called Theobromine. It consists of stimulant properties and has a relaxing effect. It can dilate the blood vessels as it is a rich source of soluble fiber, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, zinc, and potassium.

Though dark chocolates are made up of saturated fat and cocoa butter, they do not raise your cholesterol levels. Studies suggest that consuming dark chocolate can increase the level of nitric oxide in your body and thus lowers the blood pressure. According to NDTV, the researchers at Wageningen University in Netherlands have found that dark chocolate helps to restore the flexibility of the arteries and also avoid the situation wherein the white blood cells stick to the walls of blood vessels.

It is advisable to consume a small portion of dark chocolate every day to lower the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. It has been proved that people who consume dark chocolates daily tend to remain more young, fit, active and free of any heart diseases. They play a major role in insulin resistance and cardiometabolic disorders.

Consuming dark chocolate can also reduce stress on your heart, thus, helping you to cope up with all the stressful situations. The bottom line is the higher the cocoa content bar, the healthier your heart


Cocoa compound linked to some cardiovascular biomarker improvements

(Brown University)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- To the tantalizing delight of chocolate lovers everywhere, a number of recent studies employing various methods have suggested that compounds in cocoa called flavanols could benefit cardiovascular health. Now a systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of cocoa consumption reveals some further pieces of supporting evidence.

The meta-analysis in the Journal of Nutrition, an assessment of the combined evidence from all 19 RCTs, focused on whether consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa products was associated with improvements in specific circulating biomarkers of cardiometabolic health as compared to consuming placebos with negligible cocoa flavanol content. In all, 1,139 volunteers were involved in these trials.

"Our meta-analysis of RCTs characterizes how cocoa flavanols affect cardiometabolic biomarkers, providing guidance in designing large, definitive prevention trials against diabetes and cardiovascular disease in future work," said corresponding author Dr. Simin Liu, professor and director of the Center for Global Cardiometabolic Health at Brown University who worked with epidemiology graduate student and lead author Xiaochen Lin. "We found that cocoa flavanol intake may reduce dyslipidemia (elevated triglycerides), insulin resistance and systemic inflammation, which are all major subclinical risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases."

Liu noted some limitations in the trials. All studies were small and of short duration, not all of the biomarkers tracked in these studies changed for the better, and none of the studies were designed to test directly whether cocoa flavanol consumption leads to reduced cases of heart attacks or type 2 diabetes.

But taking into account some of these heterogeneities across studies, the team's meta-analysis summarizing data from 19 trials found potential beneficial effects of flavanol-rich cocoa on cardiometabolic health. There were small-to-modest but statistically significant improvements among those who ate flavanol-rich cocoa product vs. those who did not.

The greatest effects were seen among trial volunteers who ate between 200 and 600 milligrams of flavanols a day (based on their cocoa consumption). They saw significant declines in blood glucose and insulin, as well as another indicator of insulin resistance called HOMA-IR. They also saw an increase in HDL, or "good," cholesterol. Those consuming higher doses saw some of the insulin resistance benefits and a drop in triglycerides, but not a significant increase in HDL. Those with lower doses of flavanols only saw a significant HDL benefit.

In general, Lin said, where there were benefits they were evident for both women and men and didn't depend on what physical form the flavanol-rich cocoa product was consumed in --dark chocolate vs. a beverage, for example.

"The treatment groups of the trials included in our meta-analysis are primarily dark chocolate -- a few were using cocoa powder-based beverages," Lin said. "Therefore, the findings from the current study apparently shouldn't be generalized to different sorts of chocolate candies or white chocolates, of which the content of sugar/food additives could be substantially higher than that of the dark chocolate."

The authors therefore concluded, "Our study highlights the urgent need for large, long-term RCTs that improve our understanding of how the short-term benefits of cocoa flavanol intake on cardiometabolic biomarkers may be translated into clinical outcomes."

Cacao could be used in wound treatment, Adelaide researchers find

(Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Adelaide researchers are looking at taking advantage of cacao as a natural alternative to toxic chemicals traditionally used to produce wound treatments.

Silver ions and nanoparticles are known to fight bacteria, making it difficult for microorganisms to build effective resistance.

But processes used to synthesise the ions and nanoparticles often use hazardous chemicals, sometimes causing more harm than good.

A group of Adelaide researchers at the University of South Australia, led by Associate Professor Krasimir Vasilev, found cacao can be used as a substitute for the hazardous chemicals.

"If you use toxic chemicals they will kill not only the bacteria, but also they would kill normal tissue, but basically you can get in a worse position than you started in," Professor Vasilev said.

"So if you avoid using this toxic chemical and substitute them with something that has beneficial effect to tissue, then naturally the wound healing will be much faster."

Professor Vasilev said cacao, which is usually used to make chocolate, contains a powerful reducing agent.

"I was looking for alternative, eco-friendly and non-toxic ways to synthesize silver nanoparticles, and I found that cacao had been reported in literature for its anti-inflammatory and healing properties, so I thought what if we combine both?
"It contains oxalic acid, which is a powerful reductive agent, so we used this to reduce silver nitrate and to synthesize the cacao-based silver nanoparticles, which we call chocolate silver nanoparticles."

Professor Vasilev said now that the study has found cacao can be used in silver nanoparticles synthesis, researchers will continue to look at potential applications in the field of biomedical nanotechnology.

5 reasons why you should be eating raw cacao

(Female First)

Who ever would have thought eating raw cacao could be good for you?

With Chocolate Week just around the corner (10-16 Oct), we ask our nutritionist Cassandra Barns about the benefits of raw cacao and why you should be eating it!

It's good for your heart

"Raw cacao is high in flavanols - plant compounds associated with antioxidant activity. The flavanols in cacao are thought to help improve circulation to the heart1, and may reduce risk of heart disease by helping to lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, reduce blood stickiness and even improve cholesterol levels!2,3 Flavanol levels can be greatly reduced when cacao is roasted to make conventional chocolate. Cacao is also rich in potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure, and magnesium, which is vital for muscle function (our heart is our most important muscle!)"

It's a natural energy booster

"Cacao contains a small amount of caffeine, as well as a compound called theobromine, which has a mild stimulating and energising effect. So having a few pieces of raw chocolate can be a great afternoon pick-me-up without the over-stimulation and jittery feeling you can get from coffee. But what makes cacao the real energy superstar is its high magnesium content: magnesium is essential for your body to make energy, and many of us don't get enough of it in our daily diet. What's more, whereas standard chocolate bars can be high in refined sugar that's quickly absorbed. When chosing chocolate, Ombar (www.ombar.co.uk) contains smaller amounts of unrefined coconut sugar, providing slow-releasing, sustained energy without the sugar rush."

It's good for your skin!

If you're still on the fence about the benefits of raw cacao, then consider this.

"Eating flavanol-rich chocolate has been found to help protect our skin against sun damage, as well as improve circulation to the skin, increase skin hydration, and reduce roughness and scaling.4,5 Who would have thought it - eating chocolate could help you keep your youthful looks (but choose raw for the greatest benefits)!"

It supports your fitness goals

"The natural energising effect of raw chocolate can be great for a pre-workout boost. The magnesium it contains supports muscle function, aids electrolyte balance and may be beneficial for muscle recovery too. What's more, the flavanols in chocolate can have an anti-inflammatory effect, which could help to reduce inflammation and support recovery after a workout."

It makes you happy

"Cacao contains several active substances that may have a positive effect on our mood. One of these is phenylethylamine (PEA) - a natural compound that's made in our brain. PEA is associated with good mood, and is said to be released in high amounts when we're in love! Cacao is also rich in minerals such as magnesium and zinc, which help to produce other 'feel-good' brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine"

How To Make A Healthy Hot Chocolate

By Anthia Koullouros

Delicious and nutritious.

There is nothing more satisfying than the comfort and deliciousness of drinking a hot chocolate. This decadent drink has a place in most of our hearts as a warming winter treat. A great hot chocolate can range from the velvety potions so sinfully thick that a spoon could stand in the cup, to the creamy and smooth easy drinking chocolate. Hot chocolate powders range from the nutrient packed and healthy, to the not-so-healthy options. This blog has been written to help you identify a healthy hot chocolate and inspire you create a delicious and indulgent homemade drinking chocolate at home. Are all hot chocolates the same?

Cacao, cocoa, and drinking chocolate... while all of these hot chocolate powders might taste great, there is a big difference between the ingredients and nutrition of a healthy and not-so-healthy hot chocolate variation. Exploring the different ingredients of a hot chocolate blend is the key to creating a healthy and delicious drink at home.

Cacao vs. cocoa

The star ingredient of a hot chocolate is, of course, the chocolate, and that originates as powder from the cacao bean. Cocoa powder is also known as a cacao powder and is extracted from the cacao bean. The beans are processed to separate the cacao butter from the cacao bean and once the fat has been removed, the beans are milled into a fine powder. The fundamental difference between cacao and cocoa is the way they are processed:

• Cacao powder is often referred to as the 'raw' chocolate, as it is processed in low temperatures and never heated above 45°C. This means that all the natural antioxidants, enzymes and nutrients remain intact. Cacao is considered the healthier option.
• Cocoa powder is very similar to cacao but has been processed at higher temperatures. Cocoa powder still has some great health benefits, but research has shown that once a cocoa has been heated above 70°C, the levels of antioxidant levels are greatly diminished.

I would recommend using a low-heat processed and high quality cacao powder as the base of your hot chocolate. Lower grade powders can be processed in a way that leaves little to no nutritional value. It is also important to consider the source of your cacao. I always opt for a fair trade and organic powder to get the most health benefits. Benefits of cacao powder

Cacao is often painted as a hero superfood and rightfully so. This powder is packed with nutrients and vitamins that have great health therapeutics.

• Cacao is a rich source of magnesium -- a mineral essential for muscle relaxation, nervous system and cardiovascular health.
• Cacao is one of the highest containing antioxidant foods in the world. The antioxidant level of cacao can vary depending on the source and processing of the powder.
• Cacao is a fantastic mood booster. It contains feel-good phytochemicals such as theobromine and phenethylamine, that act as mood boosters and anti-depressants.

Hot chocolate ingredients: it's not just about the cacao

Once you have established the quality of the cacao powder, it is important to turn your attention towards the rest of the ingredients that make up your hot chocolate blend. You can have the finest cacao powder, but if it is blended with sugar, artificial additives, preservative and emulsifiers, the nutritional value of the drink will be diminished. I encourage you to become a food detective and investigate ea

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