Tagged with 'cocoa'

Today we celebrate Chocolate Day! Woop Woop! Not milk chocolate though. I'm talking about the high cacao, rich, dark chocolate we crave and love. Even better, pure cacao is a superfood that contains a lot of beneficial nutrients. Let’s celebrate all things true and pure about chocolate on this well-deserving day.

Chocolate, Cacao, and All Its Parts

Chocolate comes from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao, which has been cultivated for at least 3,000 years, is grown in Mexico, Central America and Northern Southern America. The cacao tree seeds have a very intense, bitter taste that must be fermented to develop the flavor.

Once the seeds have been fermented, the cacao beans are dried, cleaned and roasted. After roasting, the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs. The cacao nibs are then ground into a cocoa mass, which is pure unsweetened chocolate in rough form. The cocoa mass is usually liquefied then molded with or without other ingredients. At this point of the process it’s called chocolate liquor, which may then be processed into two components cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

Delicious and Good For You!

Cacao is incredibly high in antioxidants. Cacao is also is the highest plant-based source of iron, double that of spinach, and is rich in magnesium and calcium, two critical minerals your body needs for cardiovascular, muscular, and skeletal health.

There's also a reason that chocolate makes you feel better; cacao contains the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, anandamide and phenylethylamine, chemicals associated with making you feel happy and blissful. Cacao is also rich in caffeine and theobromine, a caffeine-like stimulant and potent diuretic.

Cacao Liquor

If you’re a chocolate lover, cacao liquor is a must try. As the name might imply, it doesn’t contain alcohol, and if you add a little sweetener, this superfood is transformed into a super good dessert, hot chocolate, snack or treat any time of the day!

This is one of the easiest ways to add nutrient rich cacao to your diet. Cacao has a dark, robust flavor profile due to its unique growing environment.

How to Observe Chocolate Day?

Go out to your favorite restaurant and indulge in a delicious chocolate dessert or try these delicious cacao berry clarity bars. Make a nice hot chocolate, add cacao powder to your chocolate smoothie, or snack on these dark cacao macaroons.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

Cacao and cocoa may sound similar, but both of them are unique when it comes to taste, nutrition, and cost. If you’re unsure if you should buy cacao or cocoa, check out these differences below so you can make a well informed, choco-licious decision!

Cacao

• Cacao is the purest form of chocolate you can consume, which means it is raw and much less processed than cocoa powder or chocolate bars. Cacao is thought to be the highest source of antioxidants of all foods and the highest source of magnesium of all foods. It has been used throughout many cultures for years for health purposes and even used as a high trade commodity.

• The cacao fruit tree, also known as Theobroma Cacao, produces cacao pods which are cracked open to release cacao beans. From there, cacao beans can be processed a few different ways.

• Cacao butter is the fattiest part of the fruit and makes up the outer lining of the inside of a single cacao bean. It is white in color and has a rich, buttery texture that resembles white chocolate in taste and appearance.

• Cacao butter is removed from the bean during production and the remaining part of the fruit is used to produce raw cacao powder.

• Cacao nibs are simply cacao beans that have been chopped up into edible pieces, much like chocolate chips without the added sugars and fats. Cacao nibs contain all of the fiber, fat, and nutrients that the cacao bean does.

• Cacao paste comes from cacao nibs that have been slowly heated to preserve the nutrients and are melted into a bark known that is a less-processed form of dark chocolate bars. Cacao paste can be used to make raw vegan desserts or you can just eat it as an indulgent snack by itself!

• Cacao powder contains more fiber and calories than cocoa powder since more of the nutrients from the whole bean are still intact. Cacao is an excellent source of monounsaturated fats, cholesterol-free saturated fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber, natural carbohydrates, and protein that make it an excellent source of nutrients.

Cocoa

• Cocoa is the term used to refer to the heated form of cacao that you probably grew up buying at the store in the form of cocoa powder.

• Though cocoa may seem inferior to raw cacao, it’s actually very good for you (and less expensive) if you choose a variety without added sugars and milk fats or oils.

• Cocoa powder is produced similarly to cacao except cocoa undergoes a higher temperature of heat during processing. Surprisingly, it still retains a large amount of antioxidants in the process and is still excellent for your heart, skin, blood pressure, and even your stress levels.

• If you buy cocoa powder, be sure you buy plain cocoa powder, not cocoa mixes which often contain sugar. Look for either regular cocoa powder or Dutch-processed (a.k.a. dark) cocoa powder.

• Dutch-processed cocoa powder (dark cocoa) is cocoa powder that has been processed with an alkalized solution, making it less acidic and much richer in taste. Regular cocoa powder retains a more acidic nature and bitter taste, and is used in baking recipes with baking soda where Dutch-processed cocoa powder is not since it has already been alkalized.

• Cocoa powder is a rich source of fiber, has little fat, and has a bit of protein in it as well.

You can use cocoa powder and cacao powder interchangeably in baking recipes, smoothies, oatmeal, cookies, homemade raw treats, or even stir them into your coffee for a homemade mocha. Both cacao and cocoa are highly nutritious and are sure to satisfy your chocolate cravings around the clock. If you want more nutrients, I would suggest you choose cacao, but if you want less calories and and decent source of antioxidants, then definitely go with cocoa powder.

Which one do you prefer — cacao or cocoa?

Article courtesy of One Green Planet

Evidence suggests cocoa might have brain benefits.

Drinking cocoa, whether rich in flavonoids or not, appears to boost the effect of blood flow on neuronal activity in the brain. The possibility should be considered that some of this apparent benefit may be derived from other bioactive compounds in cocoa.

Cocoa Bean Benefits

The flavanols found in cocoa and dark chocolate are part of a larger group of compounds called flavonoids that occur naturally in plant foods—in this case, the cocoa bean from which cocoa and chocolate are made. Flavanols are also found in red wine and tea. The flavanols in the cocoa bean, however, are a unique mixture of these phytonutrients. Scientists have found cocoa flavanols positively affect the circulatory system and help maintain the flexibility of arteries. While this is obviously important to heart health, your brain also depends on adequate blood flow to function.

In this particular study, researchers tested the effects of cocoa consumption on 60 volunteers, average age 73. Although none had dementia, 17 suffered from a condition called impaired neurovascular coupling (NVC), a measure of blood flow in the brain as it relates to nerve cells (neurons). Participants were randomly assigned to 2 cups a day of cocoa rich in flavonoids (609 mg per serving) or cocoa with little flavonoids (13 mg per serving). Participants were encouraged to alter their diets to compensate for the extra calories in the cocoa.

No significant difference was seen between the two types of cocoa, so the results from both groups were merged. Participants free of impaired NVC showed no significant benefits from cocoa consumption.

But the small group of volunteers with impaired NVC saw dramatic changes after just a month of cocoa intake. Neurovascular coupling improved by more than double, and scores on standard cognitive tests jumped 30%.

Better Blood Flow

Indications that cocoa flavanols might improve blood-vessel function in the brain were further supported by data from several other studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Researchers from the University of Nottingham Medical School in the UK reported findings that cocoa consumption resulted in increased blood flow to areas of the brain.

Lead scientist Ian A. Macdonald, PhD, commented, “This raises the possibility that certain food components like cocoa flavanols may be beneficial in increasing brain blood flow and enhancing brain function among older adults or for others in situations where they may be cognitively impaired, such as fatigue or sleep deprivation.”

Should you start sipping cocoa to support your brain?

Tufts’ Jeffery Blumberg advises, “The available evidence about the potential benefits of cocoa on the brain is far too limited to make any recommendations. However, it is noteworthy that the European Union Commission recently approved a health claim that 200 milligrams of cocoa flavanols can ‘help maintain the elasticity of blood vessels, which contributes to normal blood flow.’ This dose is equivalent to 2.5 grams high-flavanol cocoa powder or 10 grams of high-flavanol dark chocolate (about one-fifth of a regular size chocolate bar).”

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Health Goods

References:

Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter, Nov. 2013.

FA Sorond, MD, S Hurwitz et al. Neurovascular coupling, cerebral white matter integrity, and response to cocoa in older people. Neurology.

Chocolate may not be a guilty pleasure after all!  For all you chocolate lovers out there, Dark Chocolate may combat unhealthy cholesterol…Sweet!

A review of 10 studies about chocolate consumption and cholesterol reports the cocoa found in dark chocolate is linked to significant reductions in total and LDL (“lousy”) cholesterol.

In this collection of 10 studies, there were a combined total of 320 participants. They looked at flavanols, which seem to give cocoa its healthy effects. Half the participants consumed more than 500 mg daily of the flavanols and half consumed less than 500 mg daily.

Consumption of dark chocolate was linked to average reductions of 6.23 mg/dL in total cholesterol and 5.9 mg/dL in LDL. There was no apparent effect on healthy HDL cholesterol or triglycerides. Eating dark chocolate seemed more beneficial than drinking cocoa-containing beverages.

This is not the first analysis to find a link between cocoa consumption and cholesterol improvements. A similar review published in 2010 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found cocoa consumption significantly LDL cholesterol, by an average of 5.87 mg/dL.

It is great news these cholesterol benefits were observed despite the saturated fat and calories contained in chocolate. 

What are Flavanols?

Flavanols are powerful antioxidants. 

How does the dark chocolate lower choleserol?

The flavanols from the cocoa in dark chocolate are thought to inhibit cholesterol absorption as well as the body's receptors for LDL cholesterol.  It may also be the saturated fat in chocolate is different from that implicated in boosting unhealthy cholesterol. 

Stearic acid makes up 33% of the total fat in cocoa butter and more than half the saturated fat.  Some lipid experts think stearic acid is a ‘neutral’ saturated fat as it does not appear to increase LDL.

Bottom Line:  The findings suggest this indulgent treat can reasonably be included in a heart-heathy diet--- in small amounts that do not increase body weight.  

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

References:

1.  O A Tokede, J M Gaziano, L Djousse.  Effects of cocoa products/dark chocolate on serum lipids:  a meta-analysis.  European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August 2011:879-886.

2.  Lei Jia, Xuan Liu, Yong Yi Bai et al.  Short-term effect of cocoa product consumption on lipid profile:  a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, July 2010 vol. 92 no. 1:218-225.