Crazy for Cacao!

Mmmm...who reading this doesn't love themselves some chocolate every now and then???  As we said in the last post, there was more to come on our favorite raw food! So here it is!

Many people have heard of the cacao bean before. There have been many reports on the news and in numerous health magazines about the benefits of that small piece of chocolate every now and then - that extra dark 60% - 90% cacao piece of chocolate. But sadly, we have been misled that we are truly getting all of the benefits of cacao when we eat a piece of dark chocolate! These chocolates have actually been melted at blistering temperatures of up to 150 degrees Celsius - destroying almost all of the nutrients of the cacao bean! 

What exactly are some of these nutrients of the cacao bean that are being destroyed??? Well, the cacao bean has the most concentrated source of antioxidants than any other food and is exceptionally high in its magnesium and iron content. I must say, the following is just about the most staggering piece of information. Taken from FoodMatters.tv' "Raw cacao beans have an antioxidant (ORAC) score of 95,500. To put that into perspective, that is 14 times more flavonoids (antioxidants) than red wine and 21 times more than green tea.".....The list of nutritional benefits can go on and on...but I will just stop there.


So with that said, there is no doubt that cacao bean is one of the most beneficial superfoods on the planet! So then tell me - how does it make sense that we are urged to eat only "small" amounts of it in the form of a chocolate bar??? It doesn't! It makes no sense at all. Especially since as I said previously, most of the nutrients are absent after being melted at such high temperatures. Now, I'm not discouraging eating dark chocolate. If you are going for a sweet, by far, a dark piece of 90% cacao chocolate is a very good choice amongst the rest of the other sweets out there to choose from. But, in order to get the full benefits of this cacao bean, let me share the purest and most natural approach.

Certified organic raw cacao powder can be purchased at most health food stores. We choose to use the powdered form of the cacao bean, although cacao nibs are a good option too. We purchased our package of this superfood at Whole Foods. This raw cacao powder is cold pressed and crushed at very low temperatures (no more than 40 degrees Celsius) to preserve its nutrients. What is so nice about the powder is that it is easy to make smoothies with. Below is our favorite smoothie recipe.


(Makes 2)


small handful of ice cubes
2 tbsp of cacao powder
1 tbsp of organic raw coconut oil
1 1/2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1/2-1 cup of organic low-fat milk
1 tsp of cinnamon


Mix all ingredients in a blender and enjoy! It is a bit bitter, so if you would like to add some sweetness to it, you can use a bit of organic agave nectar.


There is also a absolutely delicious dessert recipe I will soon share with all of you using this cacao powder. And it is 100% GUILT FREE.....

The Raw Truth...

A big hello to all of our visitors! Welcome to our very own blog. What an exciting new adventure this is for us! We cannot express more how much of a privilege it is for us to be able to share all that we have learned about our health with each and every one of you! In this post, we would like to share a little bit more about ourselves and why we have chosen to make the changes we have so early in our lives together...

We began our lives together as a married couple on May 29th, 2010. We are 23 and 24 years old and we live in a beautiful part of New Jersey. Sooo, what are us newlyweds so overly concerned about our health for? Now is typically a time in a newlywed couples life that you "should" eat and do whatever is most convenient, cheap and fast - which in most cases, sacrifices quality and nutrition. But who cares! If you can "get away with it" at anytime in your life, its now, right? WRONG! "The raw truth" is that every single day that we let pass us NOW, while we are young, is a day we will never get back again to give our body the proper nutrients it needs to help prevent many illnesses and diseases in the future. Unfortunately though, because of the world we live in, there really is no promise that anyone or any way of life can fully prevent these terrible things that befall many of us. But why not do our part and try??? And this applies greatly even to those who are not young as well! It's never too late to make a change for the better.

We hope you benefit from all we have to share with you and use what you learn in your own lives. We are not doctors, nor are we nutritionists - we are just a young couple who have truly delved into this new way of life and are eager to spread the information in hopes that it reaches as many people as possible!

And for a bit more insight into our blog title...

RAW: in a natural, unrefined, or crude state 

                                       CACAO: the dried partly fermented fatty seeds of a South American evergreen tree (Theobroma cacao of the family Sterculiaceae) that are used in making cocoa, chocolate, and cocoa butter —called also cacao bean, cocoa bean

= OUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITE ORGANIC, RAW FOOD! 

 (more to come on that...) 

*definitions taken from Merriam-Webster dictionary