"The divine drink, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food"

Montezuma – Aztec Emperor (1480-1520)

It is undeniable that chocolate is the number one food craved by women. Its unique taste, formed by its chemistry offers a luxurious and passionate experience to all of the senses. For thousands of years, ancient Mayans, Aztecs and Inca tribes have utilized the healing properties of the cacao and included them in their daily cultural rituals.

Its hardly surprising to learn that an average westerner consumes over 6 kg per person per year. For many people seeking a healthier way of living, chocolate is one of the first foods which are cut from the diet.  However, with a little understanding of the properties of real chocolate, perhaps it is something which although not eaten every day, be included as a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. 

Many people are confused with the different terms when it comes to cacao and its derivatives. Cacao is grown as a pod on a rainforest tree. When harvested and left to dry naturally, these pods can be crushed into cacao nibs. Many people who seek a healthier lifestyle will eat the cacao nibs along with goji berries, cashews and sultanas as a nutrient rich snack. 

Cacao butter or oil is the oil pressed from the cacao bean and is used to make raw chocolate and body products. The butter is creamy and smells richly of chocolate and must be kept at lower temperatures as it spoils and melts easily.  Cocoa is a British slang term for cacao and one that most westerners are more familiar with.  Its actual present day meaning is the highly processes, heated, defatted, alkalised powder which is then utilised to manufacture the modern day chocolate.

The key to chocolates super qualities is eating it in its raw and natural state as a cacao bean.  When cacao beans are heated, melted, processed, chemicalised and added to dairy and other less attractive petrochemical based products, they lose their key nutrient qualities of texture, phycoactive properties and brain nutrition. 

Fresh cacao beans contain 10 grams per 100 grams of flavonol antioxidants making it the richest sources of antioxidants of any food ( that’s nearly three times what is found in green tea) . This drops to around 500 milligrams per 100 grams if consumed in a normal chocolate bar.

The Pre – Columbian Central American inhabitants refered to cacao as heart blood. Scientific research has proven this metaphor as being true as it is rich in magnesium, antioxidants, healing not only on the physical and chemical, but on the emotional and metaphysical levels.

As cacao is one of natures best sources of arginie the amino acid which acts in a similar way to vigara in that it increases blood flow to the sexual organs and amplifies sexual desire, its little wonder it has been linked as an aphrodisiac over the centuries.

Casanova was purported to have abandoned champagne in preference to chocolate and Montezuma the famous Aztec Emperor was recorded to have drunk up to 50 cups of hot chocolate before visiting his harem.

It is important to eat cacao a raw and organic state. Other benefits which have been purported to be derived from it include:

It has appetite-suppressant properties and can assist in controlling hunger.

It has natural anti-inflammatory properties. The catechins and epicatechins have been associated with lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, strengthening the blood vessels as well as other cardiovascular breakthroughs.

It helps to regulate your sleep.

It directly stimulates various neurotransmitters in your brain (such as serotonin) to help reduce depression and to give a sense of euphoria or a sense of well being.

It is rich in magnesium, an energy mineral and vital electrolyte that keeps our heart in great shape throughout our lives. Unfortunately modern diets lack this vital mineral due to intensive farming draining the soil of essential nutrients.

Addicted to chocolate?

The best strategy for overcoming chocolate addictions is to switch from the processed chocolate to raw cacao. In its natural and raw state, it is less likely to be allergenic, addictive or reactive to the body. Regardless to what you are eating, enjoy it.  Letting go of guilt is the first beg step in overcoming any addiction.  Amongst other ingredients, typical processed chocolate  and cocoa powder contains PEA ( phenylethylamine) methylxanthines, caffeine, various varieties of fats and sugars. If you are addicted or allergic to chocolate, its more likely to be one of these ingredients rather than the core ingredient – cacao.

Recommendations for purchasing processed chocolate

• Organic
• No dairy
• Not genetically modified if it contains soy lecithin
• 70% cacao content. ( Many lower levels allows manufactures to hide defects and poor quality beans)
• Fair trade

Good quality processed chocolate melts slowly in your mouth and offers you a blend of divine sensations and tastes including fruits, flowers, spice and nuts.  If these undertones indicate an acidic taste, grass, mould, smoke or straw, then its possible that there were issues with the processing and storage of the item.

As with anything, eat cacao in moderation and certainly not as a mainstay ingredient every day. The ancient peoples only consumed it as a sacred product and perhaps the belief might be partially brought into our own lives.

For more information and research check out David Wolfe  http://www.davidwolfe.com and his book Naked Chocolate.