At no other time has Nature concentrated such a wealth of valuable nourishment into such a small space as in the cocoa bean.
About cacao
“Food of the Gods”
Theobroma Cacao – derived from the Greek words θεoς (theos = god) and βρῶμα (broma = food) “Food of the Gods”. Cacao from Cacahuatl from the Nahuatl language.
The cocoa tree is an evergreen tree that blooms and bears fruit all year round. Its fruits contain from 20 to 60 seeds – grains.
The drink of love
Dr. David Lewis, of the University of Sussex, in his 2007 study compared the effects on excitement in the body between kissing passionately and holding 60% dark chocolate in the mouth. They found that chocolate had a 4-fold longer effect of arousing pleasure and stimulating both the heart and brain activity in the subjects.
“The taste of cacao is a real taste of love”
This is because cocoa contains substances that have an active effect on us, e.g. Theobromine, Phenylethylamine and Anandamide (cannabinoid).
Natural antidepressant
Cocoa is recognized as a natural antidepressant. According to a study conducted at the University of London of 13,626 adults tested, those who consumed dark chocolate within 24 hours were 70% less likely to report feelings of depression.
“After water, cocoa is the single healthiest substance you can put in your mouth. It can easily replace a number of psychiatric drugs for mood, plus it produces the same chemistry in the brain that occurs when we fall in love.”
Cacao is health itself!
In addition to the beneficial psychoactive effects of cocoa consumption, it improves blood circulation, muscle growth, regulates blood glucose levels, and strengthens our overall strength.
“That is why in our language (Tz'utujil) it is called Kokov. Kov - this is strength”.
Cacao flavonoids can even triple the maximum oxygenation of the brain, according to research at the University of Birmingham.
We will devote a separate article on this page to the positive impact of 100% cacao on our health.
Choose your cocoa consciously
Due to the large number of abuses nowadays in the production of cacao, especially in Africa – we are talking about slavery, labor camps and forcing children (up to 1.8 million children) – we would like to point out to everyone that it is worth being aware of where cacao is bought and products from it. Often, African cacao is cheaper on the market than Latin American cacao, but you should check that it has been produced ethically.
Our cacao at GraciasCacao.pl is obtained from trusted sources in cooperation with local cooperatives and family businesses in the countries of its origin. It undergoes a minimum amount of processing so that it retains all the nutritional values that reaches our customers.
We cordially invite you to shop in our SHOP
“Fruit of all the kinds that the country produced were laid before him; he ate very little, but from time to time a liquor prepared from cocoa, and of an aphrodisiac nature, as we were told, was presented to him in golden cups... I observed a number of jars, above fifty, brought in, filled with foaming chocolate of which he took some.”
„The superiority of chocolate (hot chocolate), both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain...”.
Sources:
- William T. Stearn: Stearn’s Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners. London: Cassel Wellington House, 2004, s. 294. ISBN 978-0-304-36469-5.Chocolate ‘better than kissing’ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6558775.stm
- Scheffler, Daniel (30 September 2015). “Fine chocolates now appreciated by connoisseurs as a luxury product”. South China Morning Post.
- “Final Report on the Status of Public and Private Efforts to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor (WFCL) in the Cocoa Sectors of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana”. Tulane University. 31 March 2011. p. 7.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3835452/ Flavanols, the Kuna, Cocoa Consumption, and Nitric Oxide Norman K. Hollenberg, M.D., Ph.D., Naomi D.L. Fisher, M.D., and Marjorie L. McCullough, Sc.D., R.D.
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190802145458.htm University College London “People who eat dark chocolate less likely to be depressed” August 2, 2019
- https://research.birmingham.ac.uk/ “Dietary flavanols improve cerebral cortical oxygenation and cognition in healthy adults”.
