The Cacao Bean
Raw Cacao beans, right off the tree, are a gift from God
As most of you know, I have a real problem with chocolate. I want you off of it! Almost all chocolate nowadays is cooked out to high temperatures and loaded with added white sugar, milk, saturated fat, hydrogenated oils and it goes through nasty chemical processes in manufacturing.
The problem is not chocolate but what Industry does to the original food. Chocolate itself actually comes from the beautiful bean of the Theobroma Cacao Tree whose name literally translates into 'Food of the Gods'. Pure, unadulterated and raw, this bean is loaded with active antioxidants, live enzymes, and a plethora of phyto-nutrients.
A study published in the Lancet Medical Journal (Antioxidants, Lancet 1996; 348:834) found the cacao beans to be one of the richest sources of anti-oxidants, easily digestible for human metabolism.
The raw cacao beans can contain dozens of natural phytonutrient compounds, including: magnesium, anand-amide, phenylethylamine, arginine, polyphenols & epicatechins, serotonin, iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and the vitamins A, B, C, D, and E.
A German study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that women given a special portion of cacao beans each day reported skin that was moister, smoother and creamier. The researchers hypothesised that the flavanoids in the cacao, which absorb UV light, help protect the skin to glow, improving appearance (Long-term Ingestion of High Flavanol Cacao:J Nutr. 2006 Jun;136(6):1565-9.).
My point here is that conventional chocolate is a 'no-go zone'. Regular chocolate bars will do you no good. But the original raw cacao beans, right off the tree, are a gift from God.
My kids love the raw cacao beans too. They take raw cacao powder, mix it with soy or rice milk, blend in a couple bananas, and sometimes even throw in a handful of the crunchy raw cacao nibs, and voila you have a most delicious chocolaty-smoothie that's pure, raw, no added sugar, tastes amazing and fun to make! So versatile, you can use the raw cacao bean powder or nibs in smoothies, yogurts, desserts, sweets, fruit salads, trail mixes, savoury dishes like quinoa and fantastically creative soups.
Why not try some of Gillian's Cacao Bean Recipes for a healthy treat!
The New Cacao Product Range
The new Gillian McKeith Cacao Bean Product Range includes Raw Cacao Nibs, a Cacao Bean Bar and Raw Cacao Powder.
