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Raw Cacao Shake

June 12, 2012

Chocolate: most people are used to calling it cocoa, cocoa beans, cocoa powder. But when it comes to raw food, why do people use the word cacao (ka-COW), which looks like a misspelling of the more familiar cocoa and sounds like the squawk of a large, tropical bird? Whatever you call it, cocoa or cacao, both refer to the main ingredient of chocolate, which is the seed of the cacao tree.

Not all chocolate is created equal. Many of the forms of chocolate we’ve come to love have ingredients like refined (white) sugar, milk fats, and hydrogenated oils that make the cocoa devoid of any natural health benefits. Cocoa goes through a process called “dutching” where the acidic flavor of the cocoa is neutralized, removing chocolate’s natural polyphenols. And lastly, to top it all off, it’s heated to temperatures over 100 °F, killing all of its antioxidant properties. This type of chocolate is high in calories, trans fats and contributes to a strong acidic environment in your body.

But the good news is….. chocolate CAN be good! Some consider raw cacao a miracle superfood and if you look up all the nutritional information on raw cacao, you can see why. A 2 tbsp. serving offers 9g of fiber, 4g of protein, and 0g of sugar. Raw cacao contains high amounts of antioxidants, healthy fats and magnesium – an important mineral in which many people are chronically deficient. It works to support heart health by protecting the body from cellular degeneration and it contains polyphenols which helps to lower blood pressure. It stimulates endorphin production, giving you a feeling of pleasure and raw cacao also assists in the formation of serotonin, acting as an anti-depressant.

Chocolate, in most forms, is generally stimulating since it contains caffeine. Based on the serious buzz I get from consuming raw cacao, I think the concentration of caffeine must also be much higher in raw cacao than the processed variety, though perhaps I am particularly sensitive. If you aren’t used to it and then eat it in any significant quantity, it can be as if you’ve never had coffee and then had three double espressos. Though raw cacao is a superfood and very healthful to us, I don’t recommend consuming it on a daily basis.

If you’re in the market for some raw cacao, only purchase certified organic raw cacao to ensure that you are getting the most nutrition for your money. It can be found at your local health food store. Look for brands that are Fair Trade as well.

There are many ways you can begin moving away from the processed, nutrient deficient chocolate to incorporating wholesome, healthier chocolate alternatives. The recipe I’m sharing today is for a raw cacao shake. I hope you enjoy!

Raw Cacao Shake

Ingredients:

2 frozen bananas
1 cup almond milk
2 heaping Tbsp. raw cacao powder
sweetener to taste – agave, stevia, xylitol, etc. (optional)
goji berries (optional)

Directions:

Simply add everything together in a blender and blend until smooth. Viola!

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Quick Guide to Juicing

April 13, 2012

Starting your day with a fresh vegetable juice is one of the best ways to set you off on the right track for the rest of the day. Drinking fresh juice gives you a boost of enzymes, vitamins and minerals that is easily absorbed and digested by the body. What is wonderful about juicing is that your body needs to do almost nothing to digest the nutrients from juice and they are immediately available to your system. Since the fiber is removed during the juicing process, the body has direct access to the nutrients. Try eating the amount of vegetables that you fit into a juice and you’ll be chewing for quite some time!

Green juices are especially healthful and should be your juice of choice. They pack a punch of chlorophyll which is a plant’s energy produced directly from sunlight. Did you know that a chlorophyll molecule is almost exactly like a red blood cell? So, by ingesting it you are rebuilding your blood. Green juices are highly alkalizing and detoxifying as they give your liver a welcome helping hand. In addition, they are full of antioxidants and phytochemicals which boost the immune system.

The benefits are really endless and to see proper results it is best to drink them consistently either in the form of cleansing or at least drinking a juice each day. Some of the results people find are: balanced pH and sugar levels, clearer skin, weight loss, increased mental clarity, diminished aches and pains, blood and tissue cleansing, better sleep patterns and better liver function. And this is only the beginning – many diseases are attributed directly or indirectly to an unhealthy digestive system. Your immune system and health depend on healthy elimination of toxins from the body which is what juice cleansing allows to happen, as it gives the digestive system a proper and much-needed break from the work it has to do on a daily basis.

So many people are lacking proper nutrition these days, as a result of poor diet and lifestyle choices, as well as factors that are often out of their control. Juicing is a wonderful way to get the freshest and most direct sources of vitamins and minerals that our bodies require to keep them in a vital and healthy state.

Green Lemonade

1 cucumber
2 med size apples
1 bunch kale
a few large handfuls of spinach
1 lemon

Run all ingredients through a juicer and enjoy!

Here are a few tips I can give you about my experience with making juices at home:

have your greens and herbs washed and properly stored in the refrigerator so they are ready to go. If they’re not, you may not be as motivated to juice.
blend mostly vegetables with only a little fruit to make the juice not taste too bitter. I prefer to use one apple — peel, seeds, everything.
if you want to juice low-liquid food, such as ginger or a clove of garlic, make sure you follow it with a high liquid vegetable such as carrot to flush it out of the juicer.
clean your juicer as soon as possible after using it. I don’t love cleaning my juicer, but I love it a whole lot less if it has been allowed to sit. Those fine vegetable fibers are way harder to get out of there once they’ve dried.
the fresher the juice, the more nutrients it contains, but if you need to make your juice the night before, store it in a glass jar filled all the way up to the top so that there is a minimal amount of oxygen in contact with the juice. Cover and refrigerate.

If you don’t have one already, go buy a juicer and make it your best friend.

Please add your comments or questions below. I get asked about this topic so often – your questions and experience will be helpful to others, no doubt. For those of you who are juicing, what are your favorite recipes? I love hearing from you!

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