Raw Chocolate - The Benefits and Wonders of This Superfood

The latin name for chocolate, also known as cacao, is Theobroma, meaning food of the Gods. For thousands of years the Mayans, Aztecs and Incas have been using cacao as part of their daily cultural rituals and for healing purposes and were considered so scared that the Incas actually used cacao beans as money.
That being said, it is no wonder that today we consume an average of 2,800,000 TONS of chocolate per year. We love, we crave it, we NEED it. Unfortunately, over the years we've added sugar, dairy, stabilizers, waxes, artificial flavorings and colorings, trans fats and a bunch of other unhealthy additives that has rendered all the benefits of cacao raw chocolate virtually useless.
Raw chocolate brings back the goodness of this incredible fruit (YES! It is a fruit). Raw cacao has a higher antioxidant value (those free radical, cancer fighting friends) per 100g than acai, blueberries, strawberries and spinach PUT TOGETHER! Now, that is pretty cool. Another benefit of raw cacao, it is super-rich in flavonols, which keep blood platelets from sticking together and causing blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes.
If you're not excited yet, consider these facts:
Raw Chocolate is an aphrodisiac, which is why we eat so much of it and why it is so popular on Valentine's Day!
Raw Cacao is nature's own antidepressant. Chocolate contains the amino acid, Tryptophan, which makes Serotonin, which makes us feel HAPPY. This is why many of us naturally reach for chocolate when we are feeling sad or depressed.
Along those same lines one of the reasons we crave chocolate when we are working or studying is because chocolate contains phenylethylamine, which helps promote mental alertness and gives us the ability to concentrate.  
 
And last but certainly NOT least..... Drumroll....
Raw Chocolate can HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT!!! Raw cacao has appetite-suppressant properties, and while you've probably been told that chocolate is "fattening", the truth is the fats found in cacao butter are healthy fats. Chocolate contains oleic acid, a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat which helps raise the level of "good cholesterol" in the body. The processing and addition of all the fillers talked about above is said to be the reason people actually gain weight from eating "chocolate", NOT from the raw chocolate itself.
My mission is to bring back the magic, wonders and indulgence of eating chocolate in its purest form, the raw form.
*These statements have not been approved by the FDA, but then again, neither has laughter been proved to be the best medicine.   

 

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