Get to Know the Tastiest Superfood: Cacao!

If you were to ask me the famous question “What would you do for a Klondike bar” my response will always be “Less than what I would do for a chocolate brownie”. Brownies are life. I may have a serious brownie obsession but the more I learn about the powerful benefits of the delicious ingredient at the center of it, the more I feel justified in my quest for chocolatey heaven.

Cacao, pronounced cu-COW, is similar to the traditional chocolate known as cocoa. The main distinction comes from the processing of the cacao bean. The cacao bean is the dried seed from the Theobroma Cacao tree which originates in the Amazon basin (think Brazil, Colombia, and Peru). Historically, cacao was used by tribes in Mexico, Central America, and Colombia for medicinal purposes as well as currency. Theobroma Cacao translates to Food of the Gods and what a fitting name it is. In fact, the Mayans worshipped a god of cacao called Ek Chua. Sign me up!

After harvesting, cacao can be used in its raw form or it can be turned into cocoa through traditional Dutch Processing. Dutch Processing was introduced as a way to reduce the natural bitter taste of the bean and to darken the color. One major downside to cocoa production through the chemical processing and roasting of the beans is that 60-90% of the health benefits can be lost due.

Cacao is considered to be a superfood, and since it doesn’t go through that same process it retains all that healthy goodness. It’s one of the highest antioxidant foods in the world, containing more antioxidants per gram than other high-fiber superfoods like raisins, blueberries, or red wine. It’s the highest natural source of Iron, which is an important player in our immune system. It’s also one of the highest plant based sources of Magnesium. Magnesium has been attributed to relieving muscle tension and could even reduce anxiety.