Five Surprising Benefits of Consuming Raw Cacao Powder

World Chocolate Day on the 7th of July is on the horizon, and it's time to prepare! Although, while you probably shouldn’t indulge in regular, store-bought chocolate too often, in its raw and least processed form, raw cacao powder classifies as a superfood and contains many surprising benefits. But are superfoods just hyped-up versions of regular food? Not quite… Superfoods are foods that contain significantly higher amounts of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other health-boosting, anti-ageing, and disease-fighting components. And raw cacao powder is certainly on top of the list of superfoods you should introduce to your kitchen right now!

1. Raw Cacao – The Amazonian Antioxidant King

Raw cacao contains 40 times more antioxidants than fresh blueberries. Yes, 40 times! Raw cacao powder scored a whopping ORAC value of 98,000 per 100g, compared to only 2,400 for blueberries. But why are antioxidants important? They absorb free radicals (that come from toxins and pollution in our environment), which cause tissue and cell damage and can lead to diseases such as cancer. They play a vital part in our well-being, and when it comes to antioxidants, more is always better.

2. Raw Cacao Can Potentially Improve Mood

Have you ever noticed you felt better after eating a bit of chocolate? There’s a reason for that. Raw cacao contains the amino acid tryptophan, which helps enhance feelings of relaxation while boosting your mood. Your body converts L-tryptophan into one of the brain’s most important ‘happy’ chemicals, serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate one’s mood and emotions and increase optimism and satisfaction. What a delicious way to feel better!

3. Load up on Magnesium, Iron, and Zinc

By consuming raw cacao powder, you can make sure you get enough vital minerals for your body to function optimally. Raw cacao powder contains much higher than usual amounts of magnesium, iron, and zinc. Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, iron is necessary for producing haemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carry oxygen to your muscles, and without zinc, your immune system, DNA synthesis, and cell growth would falter. In our modern-day, it’s common to be deficient in these important minerals. Raw cacao powder can help you maintain healthy levels of essential nutrients that your body needs.

4. Improve Brain Function with Cacao

Thanks to flavanols found in raw, cold-processed cacao, it can improve your memory and learning function. When you consume cacao, flavanols are taken into your bloodstream and accumulate in the hippocampus. They then operate to generate new neurons, improve their functionality, and protect them from free radical damage, thus improving cognitive capacities. Next time you need to study, work, or prepare for an exam, grab yourself some raw cacao-infused snack or drink - your mental capacity may improve!

5. Achieve a Smooth and Clear Skin and Strong, White Teeth

The potential benefits of raw cacao powder don’t end here – given you receive an ample amount of all the goodies found in cacao beans, this will also reflect on good and clear skin and strong teeth. If you’re healthy from the inside, given enough time, you will also notice it on the outside! Cacao can protect and repair your skin from premature ageing and damage, and as for your teeth, it can help to prevent cavities and help build stronger bones overall – including your teeth. As long as you choose good-quality cacao, you are good to go!

How to Choose the Right Raw Cacao Product?

You may be tempted to rush to the local grocery store to buy yourself loads of chocolate or stock up on hot cocoa packages. Resist the temptation by knowing that regular store-bought chocolate or cocoa will contain barely any of the vital components and minerals of raw cacao. During processing, 60% to 90% of all that ensures these raw cacao benefits will be lost.

When it comes to raw cacao, it is usually processed in a special way to preserve all vital components, there are usually two choices: raw cacao powder and raw cacao paste. If you’d like to read more about the process of creating raw cacao, we have written an article: How is raw cacao made? – 6-step process. 

The Very Best Raw Cacao

To get the highest quality raw cacao straight from the source of Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, you can have a look at our raw cacao selection here at Next Level. Whichever cacao product you end up choosing, be assured it is 100% cold-processed and contains all the necessary components to bring you all the benefits raw cacao can offer you.

But wait... There is More.

You learned all about how raw cacao can help you meet your health and nutrition goals, but the wonders of cacao don't end here. If you’d like to learn what power cacao holds to also help you grow spiritually, take a dive into our article 7 Easy steps for hosting a sacred cacao ceremony for yourself + ceremonial cacao recipe.