Rich in antioxidants and minerals, cacao is a delicious addition to breakfast, desserts, snacks and drinks. We chat with Power Super Foods to find out more about the superfood.
What are cacao’s main health benefits?
If you ever feel a bit naughty indulging in cacao, remember high-quality raw cacao has a far superior nutritional profile to cocoa or chocolate, with an abundance of health-promoting benefits that make it worthy regular addition to your diet and truly deserving of its high status among superfoods.
Exceptionally nourishing, raw cacao is one of the highest plant-based sources of iron and magnesium needed for hundreds of processes in the human body, including blood pressure, energy production, muscle and nerve function, immunity and mental health.
Antioxidant-rich, organic raw cacao also contains flavanols, shown to improve blood flow and enhance cognitive performance.
Divinely uplifting, cacao stimulates the release of several bliss brain chemicals or neurotransmitters that boost memory and focus and help naturally elevate and stabilize mood. It’s a natural and delicious way to enhance those buzzy feelings of wellbeing and happiness.
What is the best way to consume cacao?
Blend into a smoothie drink or bowl or mix cacao powder with milk or water and a sweetener to make a healthy hot chocolate. Making your own chocolate using cacao powder and cacao butter avoids refined sugars, dairy and other unwanted ingredients often found in store-bought chocolate. Sprinkle cacao nibs (nature’s chocolate chips) on smoothies or bowls or add to raw or baked treats. If you’re looking to chocolate theme your breakfast (and who isn’t?), cacao makes a decadent yet healthy upgrade to overnight oats, granola or chia puddings. Good friends with fruits, berries, spices and nuts, cacao even enhances the flavour of some savoury dishes.
How are cacao nibs formed?
Cacao beans are fermented to develop their full cacao flavour, then dried, cleaned and cracked to remove the brittle shell or husk. Left behind are the raw nibs – pure cacao pieces of delicious crunchy goodness.
What makes your organic cacao powder different?
We source our cacao from smallholder organic farms in South and Central America growing the finest Criollo beans. The preferred bean of chocolate connoisseurs, the Criollo variety has a delicate yet complex taste and unmatched texture and smoothness.
Unlike cocoa powders that are often heated to more than 150 degrees and chemically extracted, our raw cacao powder is minimally processed at low temperatures for a superior richer taste and higher nutritional benefits.
Our cacao range is fairly traded and certified organic with no toxic chemicals, pesticides or GMOs used in cultivation or processing.
As an additional step for product purity, we also ensure all our cacao is tested for safe low levels of cadmium.
Why is it important to buy fair trade sustainable cacao powder?
It is essential that producers receive a fair price for their cacao. This not only offers farmers a proper income for their families and livelihoods but also enables investments to be made in local communities, providing opportunities for education and health as well as sustainable agricultural infrastructure.
The majority of the world’s cocoa is not fairly traded and is grown by vulnerable smallholder farmers or plantations that commonly use child slavery in developing countries.
Fairy traded sustainable cacao helps break the cycle of poverty and brings dignity to indigenous communities. So you can add it to your diet with no guilt… just good old chocolatey deliciousness.
What’s next for Power Super Foods?
We are soon to release our improved decadently luxurious cacao powder, Cacao Gold. We will be introducing new superfoods to the family for winter immunity, including amazing elderberry and camu camu, and continuing to share innovative plant-based recipes to add the best taste and nutritional boosts to your culinary creations.
For more information about Power Super Foods, visit powersuperfoods.com.au
