What is Cacao? Pronounced (kuh-cow) this powder is essentially a healthier version of cocoa.
Raw Cacao vs Cocoa
As you can see, raw cacao can easily be mistaken for it’s unhealthy friend, cocoa. It’s important to look for the spelling on packaging when purchasing raw cacao, and avoid buying refined cacao to ensure you’re getting the most nutrition! Cocoa is made by roasting cocoa beans, where as raw cacao involves cold pressing the raw beans. So cacao (when raw) contains much more live nutrients and minerals.1 When cocoa beans are roasted they lose most, if not all, of their nutritional value.
The Benefits
Raw cacao has high levels of antioxidants that can help provide immunity against toxins, keep your body healthy, lower the risk of strokes and prevent heart disease.2
Raw cacao contains:
B vitamins- create energy and red blood cells.
Iron- helps create healthy red blood cells that carry oxygen.
Fibre- controls blood sugar, helps move food through your digestive tract and can aid in healthy weight loss.
Calcium- helps keep teeth and bones healthy and strong.
Potassium- balances different hormones in your body, including cortisol and adrenaline (stress hormones).
Zinc- is a great electrolyte and some studies suggest zinc helps treat acne and pimples.
How to use raw cacao
In most recipes you can do a 1:1 replacement when baking with raw cacao instead of cocoa. However we always recommend researching and testing out recipes to ensure they work properly.
Check out some of our favorite ways to use raw cacao!
References:
1 https://blog.paleohacks.com/cacao-vs-cocoa/#
2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3038885/
www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/minerals/calcium.html
www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/minerals/health-benefits-of-potassium.html
www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/minerals/health-benefits-of-zinc.html
