Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest holidays for unhealthy sweets but what about cacao chocolates? Everybody’s heard about the nutritional facts on chocolate. Can we think of dark chocolate and health benefits in the same sentence? We have all heard about health benefits from dark chocolate from the media over and over again. Surprisingly, without really thinking about the other ingredients that make up dark chocolate, most of us consider cacao chocolates a super food with an enormous amount of antioxidants. What ingredients make dark chocolate so unhealthy? The two main ingredients of dark chocolate are saturated fats and sugars. A few of the major health risks stemming from saturated fats and sugars are obesity, diabetes and cancer. So, again how can dark chocolate be healthy when it causes health issues and diseases? I think a lot of us are so infatuated with antioxidants from certain foods that we sometimes forget about other possible health risks that the foods pose.
When we look at raw cacao powder, it is the true antioxidant powerhouse. It isn’t contaminated with unhealthy saturated fats and sugars. Nevertheless, how do we use raw cacao powder, cacao nibs, and even cacao beans? I think a lot of use would use raw cacao powder in recipes that call for enriched white or wheat flours, margarine, butter and Crisco, and white or brown sugars. So, what happens to the health benefits from raw cacao once we add it to a host of known unhealthy ingredients? What happens when we take raw cacao and add healthy fats, such as raw nuts, raw nut butters, and coconut butter? Maybe, we can add raw cacao to healthy natural sweeteners like raw honey, natural maple syrup, dates, agave nector or even brown rice syrup. Listed below are raw cacao and cacao chocolate ideas, recipes, and sources.
1. Making raw chocolate almond milk
2. Is hot chocolate healthy?
3. Making dark chocolate sauce and raw cacao fudge.
4. Chocolate avocado ice cream using raw cacao powder.
5. Raw chocolate mouse cake and brownies.
6. Cacao chocolates like truffles and turtles.
7. Naked chocolate
8. Raw cacao cookies, shakes, and dipping sauces.
Conclusion:
Don’t associate the true antioxidants that come from raw cacao powder, cacao nibs, and cacao beans from that of processed, dark chocolate. Make your own nutritious recipes using chocolate and create your own raw cacao powder treat or dessert. Desserts using raw cacao powder can be just as nutritious as they are tasteful.
Resources:
http://www.beliefnet.com/Health/2005/10/Raw-Cacao-Recipes.aspx
http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/2007/04/all-things-chocolate-or-celebrating.html
http://www.navitasnaturals.com/recipes/cacao-recipes.html
http://smcaudi.food.officelive.com/Recipes.aspx
http://www.naked-chocolate.com/
http://healthfoodlover.com/hfl/
http://evolvingwellness.com/topics/food/recipes/
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Amie
February 11, 2012 at 2:31 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
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