What’s Your Gut Instinct about Dark Chocolate?

It’s not chocolate’s fault. It didn’t ask to be bastardized and processed into milk chocolate and then turned into sugary candy bars that have been deemed by parents, doctors and nutritionists alike as unhealthy junk food. Real organic raw dark chocolate has many surprising health benefits and has even been called a superfood.

You read that right – an honest-to-God superfood. But just so we’re both on the same page – Mars Bars are bad – organic raw dark chocolate is a wonderful superfood.

The Food of the Gods

In ancient times, raw unprocessed chocolate was referred to as cacao and considered by the Mayans to be the food of the Gods. Much of their artwork depicted people drinking cacao and their stone templates contain carvings of the shapes of cacao pods. It was also common for Mayans to grow cacao trees in their gardens.

While the Mayans (a much smarter people it seems) didn’t mess with cacao, we in modern times process it into the chocolate we see today in many candy and desserts, and through this processing – which requires chemicals and high heat, not to mention the addition of incredibly large amounts of sugar – the health benefits of the original raw cacao are lost.

Raw Cacao Contains What?!

While the Mars Bar contains mostly sugar and unhealthy trans-fats, raw, unprocessed cacao is filled with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. To be specific it contains magnesium, sulfur, zinc, iron, copper, potassium, manganese and calcium. It also contains vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B8 and E, and is a good source of protein and fiber.

On top of this healthy bounty, the fat in raw cacao is much better for us as well and supports our bodies’ well-being. These fats include oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive and coconut oils, plus saturated fats, which the body needs to properly function.

The Many Benefits of Raw Cacao

Many studies have been done on raw cacao and the health benefits it offers are incredible:

Flavanoids

Cacao beans are a rich source of polyphenols called flavonoids, and these have been found to have major antioxidant properties. In fact, flavonoids contain eight times the number of antioxidants found in strawberries. The more antioxidants you eat, the more protection your body has from free radicals that lead to rapid aging and disease.

Studies have also found that flavonoids may contribute to a healthy heart. They have been shown to improve circulation, lower blood pressure, and reduce the plaque that can build up in our artery walls. Also, all of those minerals in cacao we listed earlier contribute to the health of the cardiovascular system as well.

Theobromine

Theobromine is an alkaloid found in cacao and has been found to stimulate the central nervous system which gives the body with a great boost of energy. Cacao also contains phenylethylamine (PEA), a compound that affects our brain chemistry very much like when we fall in love. And, cacao has been shown to increase the availability of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, the feel good hormone, which can elevate your mood and even lessen depression.

Reduces the Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

A study published in the British Medical Journal found that a daily dose of dark chocolate (with a polyphenol content equal to 100 grams) can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with metabolic syndrome. The research states that if all study participants ate dark chocolate every single day, 70 non-fatal and 15 fatal cardiovascular events per every 10,000 people would be averted over a ten-year period. That’s a delicious finding.

Dark Chocolate and Gut Bacteria

At this point you may be thinking, “I read enough and will definitely be eating raw cacao every day,” but we wanted to share another study with you which pinpoints just why dark chocolate is so healthy for our bodies.

Researchers from Louisiana State University set out to test the effects that dark chocolate had on stomach bacteria and compared three different cocoa powders in a simulated human digestive process. Now, most of us know that the human GI tract is full of both harmful and helpful bacteria. Well, it turns out the helpful microbes, including Bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria, find dark chocolate absolutely delicious, smart little buggers.

Cocoa powder is rich in two flavanol compounds, catechin and epicatechin, along with a small amount of dietary fiber. These flavanol compounds aren’t digested or absorbed very well by our stomachs, which is good news for gut bacteria because they get to feast on it once the compounds enter the colon.

Prebiotics and Probiotics – A Love Story

Both prebiotics and probiotics are necessary for intestinal health. Probiotics are those friendly bacteria that keep your intestinal system in tip-top shape and help your colon rid itself of toxic chemicals and pathogens. Prebiotics help probiotics do their job and regularly consuming foods high in prebiotics such as lentils, raw garlic, onions, chickpeas and raw cacao can help maintain the friendly bacteria in your gut and promote overall health.

How to Use Raw Cacao to Get the Most Benefits

Again, if you want to get all of the health benefits we just mentioned you’re going to have to start reaching for raw cacao instead of milk chocolate from now on. Any easy way to incorporate cacao into your diet is to buy the raw cacao “nibs,” which are cacao beans that have been peeled and crushed, and cacao powder (not to be confused with cocoa powder), which is created by peeling and cold-pressing cacao beans.

Raw cacao is an acquired taste and is initially bitter, not sweet like the chocolate you’re used to. But it can easily be used in many savory dishes and combined with stevia for sweeter recipes. And, for a really amazing treat, combine dark chocolate with fruits like pomegranates and acai to get a real health boost.

You’ll also be happy to learn that certain companies are trying to extract the flavanols from cacao in high concentrations and put it into a capsule. So, yes, it looks like we are on the verge of having a chocolate supplement. No doubt the big food manufacturers won’t miss any opportunity to capitalize on the amazing health promoting properties of raw cacao.

Interested in Chocolatey Indulgences that Burn Fat?

Has all of this talk about chocolate got your mouth watering a little bit? Do you like the idea of eating dark chocolate but you’re a sucker for treats like chocolate peanut butter cups and rich chocolate brownies? What if you could eat these, along with other desserts like New York cheesecake topped with raspberry sauce or a warm slice of cinnamon apple crisp ala mode without a care as to how it might affect your waistline or your health?

And what if these desserts were not only irresistibly delicious, but good for you too?

Then you need to try my good friend Kelley Herring’s Flat-Belly Brownies (gluten-free, wheat-free, low sugar) that are insanely good!  She also shows you how to make healthy low-sugar, high nutrient desserts in dozens of ways with healthy chocolate at her Guilt-Free Desserts site.

Or do you want to see how to make incredibly healthy and tasty creamy chocolate truffles, peanut butter cups, peppermint patties, and more candy shop favorites? Then check out Kelly’s Carefree Candies site for your guide to healthy homemade indulgences.