The Many Health and Beauty Benefits of Raw Chocolate

I’ve become somewhat obsessed with raw food and one of the chief reasons is that raw desserts have helped me control ..well, most of the time…my ragingly insane sweet tooth (seriously I’d eat sheet cake with nasty supermarket frosting if it was put in front of me…). Raw chocolate however is nothing like regular milk or dark chocolate nutritionally, even though it tastes just as good. It’s the closest thing to eating a fresh cacao pod right from the tree and hence is loaded with antioxidants and minerals. Raw cacao is sun dried instead of roasted, minimally processed, and kept in temperatures under about 115 degrees to keep the cacao’s healthful properties intact. What are those properties and how can you get your fix? Jump for more!

We’ve all heard that chocolate makes people happy and this is especially true with raw chocolate (especially since it comes without the food guilt some people may get). Phenylethylamine aka the “Love Chemical” is in abundance in cacao, which also contains anandamide (known as the “Bliss Chemical”), and tryptophan, which is critical for serotonin production, our primary neurotransmitter.

Magnesium (for heart-health, flexibility, strength) and iron (one ounce of cacao contains over 300% of daily USRDA iron needs), are also in abundance and raw chocolate has been shown to balance hormones and its high levels of theobromine (a natural stimulant and the reason dogs shouldn’t eat chocolate since they can’t break it down), make it much less stimulating than caffeine, but because it takes longer for the body to break down you get a more sustained energy boost.

I got a ton of useful information from the fine folks at one of my fave raw chocolate brands, Lulu’s Chocolate, so I really need to thank them for opening my eyes to all these benefits. Beyond the above however cacao hydrates the body and its MAO inhibitors actually HELP with weight-loss (hence cocoa powder is in most weight loss products), because they help naturally curb appetite. For me personally  I don’t know about curbing appetite because I can eat a hell of a lot of raw chocolates and treats, but knock on wood I haven’t noticed that my indulging has effected my waistline as much as regular sweets would (OD’ing on a pint of ice cream isn’t a good idea even if it is raw!).

Besides Lulu’s Chocolates – which are made with a libido-enhancing root called maca and come in a variety of flavored bars including ones that incorporate rose, jasmine, cardamom and other healthfully delicious ingredients (my fave is the Coconut ‘Cin’ Bar) – I really love Sacred Chocolate. Their variety is unbelievable and they’ve even got some bars made with mushrooms and spices to increase the medicinal properties (they don’t taste the least bit savory, no worries! Immuno Muschroom, Amazonian and India Sunset are my fave). The truffles are also amazing as are their flavored varieties (my fave is White Passion). I tried Sacred Chocolate with 69%, 83% and even 100% whole bean cacao and all were fantastic. If you’re only going to get one thing though, I have to suggest their 58% Cacao Mylk – beyond!