Health Benefits
Antioxidants
Raw Cacao beans contain 10 grams of flavonol antioxidants per 100 grams, which is an incredible 10%. Research has also demonstrated that the antioxidants in cacao are highly stable and easily available to human metabolism. In the adjacent table you can see that raw cocoa powder has set the world record for antioxidants with nearly 4 times the amount of antioxidants as Goji Berries. The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture to measure the ability of antioxidants to absorb free radicals, which normally cause cell and tissue damage. The higher the ORAC score, the higher the level of antioxidants present in the food. Click here to see the Southern Cross University ORAC score for Loving Earth Dark Chocolate.
| ORAC Scores for top 10 Antioxidant foods per 100g | ||
| 1) | Loving Earth Raw Cacao Powder* | 98,000 |
| 2) | Raw Cacao Nibs** | 62,100 |
| 3) | Loving Earth Raw Dark Chocolate* | 27,900 |
| 4) | Roasted Cocoa Powder | 26,000 |
| 5) | Goji Berries** | 25,300 |
| 6) | Acai Berries** | 18,500 |
| 7) | Dark Chocolate | 13,120 |
| 8) | Prunes | 5,770 |
| 9) | Raisins | 2,830 |
| 10) | Blueberries | 2,400 |
| Source: US department of Agriculture | ||
| * Tested by Southern Cross University | ||
| ** Tested by Brunswick Laboratories, MA, USA | ||
Magnesium for the Heart and Brain
Raw cacao is the primary dietary source of magnesium, the most deficient mineral in western civilisation. Magnesium is the most important mineral for a healthy functioning heart. It also plays a key role in producing energy for the neurons in the brain from glucose. So when there is an abundance of magnesium the brain works with clarity and focus.
Mood elevators and Anti-depressants
Cacao is a great source of serotonin, dopamine, anandamide and phenylethylamine (PEA), four well-studied neurotransmitters, which are associated with feelings of well being and help alleviate depression. Both PEA and Anandamide (the bliss chemical) are found in abundance in the brains of happy people and are particularly released when we are feeling happy. Both of these nuerotransmitters are present in raw cacao in large enough quanitities to affect the brain and lift our moods. Cacao also contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO Inhibitors) that keep neurotransmitters in the bloodstream for longer without being broken down.
We have all experienced the positive feelings associated with eating chocolate, now we have access to pure raw unadalterated chocolate in the form of organic raw cacao. This is much more potent than the processed chocolate and doesn't have any sugar or dairy products blocking the positive effects of all the goodies in raw cacao. My experience is that eating 11 raw cacao beans is enough to experience a blissful sense of well being.
You can download our Raw Chocolate brochure.
