Benefits of Cacao Powder and Dark Chocolate

Valentine’s Day is approaching fast, let’s talk about chocolate!

Chocolate can be healthy?

Cacao powder contains naturally occurring antioxidants with many health benefits. Cacao powder comes from grinding up cacao beans after removing the cocoa butter (cocoa fat). The health benefits of cacao powder and dark chocolate have been linked to keeping your heart healthy, lifting your mood, preventing cancer, and even helping to lose weight.

Raw cacao powder shouldn’t be confused with cocoa powder – which is a highly processed form of cacao. Because cacao powder is produced with little processing, it retains most of its vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Dark chocolate usually contains the highest amount of cacao and should have between 70% and 90% cacao in it.

What is Cacao?

Cacao beans come from the fruit of the cacao tree. The cacao beans are seeds, the seeds are dried in the sun which allows them to ferment naturally.  The unprocessed cacao seeds contain high levels of polyphenols and flavanols – natural plant-based antioxidants. It is the presence of these antioxidants as well as vitamins and minerals that make cacao powder so good for you.

Dark Chocolate has health benefits?

Cacao beans contain protein, fiber and are a great source of minerals like iron and magnesium. They’re also rich in antioxidants, particularly flavonoids like catechin, epicatechin and procyanidins. These are your body’s protectors against free radicals. Antioxidants combat damage caused by free radicals that contribute to aging, heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.  

Too much of anything can outweigh the benefits. But there is quite a bit of evidence that chocolate that is mostly cacao can boost your health in a variety of ways, when paired with a heathy lifestyle. Chocolate that is at least 70% cacao is the healthiest.

If you are dieting and looking for something to have for a sweet treat on Valentine’s Day...…..we have something you can try that you just might like to incorporate into the go to “treat” to satisfy your sweet tooth.  

Chocolate Dipped Clementines

4 clementines peeled and separated into

 1 cup Dark chocolate

2 tablespoons of Coconut oil

Peel the clementines and lay on paper towel to remove excess moisture.

Melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip 1 wedge at a time into the chocolate and lay flat on baking sheet. Repeat until you’ve dipped all the clementines.

Refrigerate pan to allow the chocolate to harden.

Enjoy!

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