Cocoa comes from South America, where it was used to make drinks and even for medical purposes. Cocoa was brought to Europe in the 1500s.
In the 17th century cocoa had a lot of purposes and a lot of different uses, such as it was used together with other spices to improve the taste and later it was used for making chocolate drink together with milk.
Cocoa and cacao – is there a difference?
Nobody really knows if there is a real difference between the two words. The word ‘cacao’ is believed to be the original pronunciation as opposed to the word ‘cocoa’ which is believed to be a mistake in pronunciation which nobody has corrected.
Other opinion is that cacao is the bean that comes from the cacao tree, whereas cocoa is what the bean is called after it has been processed.
Raw cocoa and its health benefits
As we mentioned earlier, cocoa beans are very rich in antioxidants, much more than any other fruit or vegetables.
Their powerful antioxidants can reduce the incidence of several serious illnesses, such as heart disease and cancer.
They also have protective effect on the cardiovascular system and reduce blood pressure.
Their flavonoids can improve insulin sensitivity, so may help prevent type-2 diabetes.
Cocoa also contains a big amount of neurotransmitters which make us feel good, improve our verbal and visual memory.
Cocoa contains also fiber (33%), protein (20%), all the amino acids, and magnesium – which we all all missing in our daily intake. Besides these cocoa also contains other minerals like iron, calcium, copper, zinc, potassium and chromium.
The center of the bean contains about 54% cocoa butter which contains some vitamin E and is rich in vitamin K.A large percent of cocoa butter is oleic acid, the heart-healthy fat found in olive oil. The beans are also rich in cholesterol-lowering phytosterols.
Cocoa is very bitter so when you take it you must add sugar. The best thing you can do is to incorporate cocoa into your daily meals, put some raw cocoa into your cereal, smoothie or in your hot drinks.
Here are some ways on how to make cocoa drinks:
Chocolate Coconut Smoothie- 1 banana, peeled
- 2 pitted dates
- 1/2 coconut and all its water
- 2 tsp raw cocoa powder
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 2 oranges, juiced
Blend all the ingredients together and is ready to drink.
Chocolate Orange Smoothie
- 4 oranges, juiced
- 2 tsp raw cocoa powder
- 2 bananas, peeled
- 1 mango, peeled and pitted
Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend them together.
Chocolate Peach Green Smoothie
- 1 peach, pitted
- 1 cup fresh pineapple, cubed
- 2 cups of raw baby spinach (or other greens)
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 2 tsp raw cocoa powder
- About 1 cup of water
First pour the water into the blender, than add the soft fruit and at the end put the greens. Blend them all together for about 30 seconds.
Chocolate Mango with Goji Berries Smoothie
- 1 mango, peeled and cubed
- 2 tsp raw cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup dried goji berries
- 1 cup red grapes
- 2 cups (or large handfuls) of fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries (or strawberries)
- About 1 cup of water
First pour the water into the blender, than add the soft fruit and at the end put the greens. Blend them all together for about 30 seconds.
Chocolate Cherry Green Smoothie
- 1 cup cherries, pitted
- 1 banana, peeled
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach (or other leafy green)
- 2 tsp raw cocoa powder
- About 1 cup of water
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