Cacao Health Benefits

Despite the fact that many consider cacao as being unhealthy and fattening, the reality is that consuming this superfood provides you with a wide range of health benefits, all you need to do is to ingest this in this natural form, without any other substances such as sugar for example. Let’s find out how cacao can help our body and why you should consume it as often as possible!

Cacao Nutrition Facts

Two tablespoons of cacao include 1.5 grams of fat and 25 calories, which makes it very healthy and definitely not something that will cause you to gain weight. The same amount of cacao also includes around 3.6 grams of fiber, which means that you will be able to obtain around 14% of the entire daily value from this as well, not to mention that you will also get magnesium and iron from it too.

Health Benefits Of Cacao

Harvard researchers have stated, based on 21 studies with 2575 participants that cacao does a great job when it comes to lowering the blood pressure, improving the cholesterol level and improving the overall blood vessel health. At the same time, cacao is known for having antidepressant effects mainly because it contains phenethylamine, a neurotransmitter that acts as a mood regulator. This allows you to remove stress and stay patient. Cacao also boosts serotonin production, according to the University of Michigan Health system, while also having the ability to boost endorphins.

Moreover, cacao is also an antioxidant and helps you boost cognitive performance, while also helping your body acquire some of the much-needed compounds like potassium and calcium.

What Forms Does It Come In?

Depending on where you purchase it, you might find that cacao comes in a variety of forms. You can purchase nibs, powder or you can get cacao beans and process them on your own. It all comes down to you and your chosen preparation methods. Before you purchase, make sure you know the recipes you want to integrate cacao in, as this will help you make the right decision in regards to the cacao form you need to purchase!

How To Consume Cacao?

There are plenty of methods that you can use in order to add cacao to your daily diet, it all comes down to the way you want to integrate it into your lifestyle. You can add cacao nibs to salads, as we show in Matt's Miracle Salad Recipe, or you can make a chocolate mousse if you want. At the same time, there are plenty other choices in this regard, such as adding it in homemade cookies, blending it with milk (milkshakes) or other variations. Cacao can be blended with plenty of compounds, just make sure that you don’t combine it with a lot of sugar, as it can lead to fat accumulation.

In conclusion, cacao comes with a multitude of health benefits, and this is why we recommend you to consume it as often as you can. From maintaining a good heart health to providing you with a great way of dealing against depressions and stress, cacao is indeed an amazing compound that you should frequently integrate into you dietary habits!