Superfoods: Cacao / Smoothie

'Superfoods' I am sure is not a new term to many of you. But if it is, then it just means a nutrient-rich food, which is highly beneficial to your health. These seem to be a bit of a craze at the minute, and I can see why.

Now I am not talking about your super healthy fruit and veg; blueberries, goji berries, beetroot and spinach to name a few. Don't get me wrong, these have exceptional nutritional value and are classed as superfoods. But what I am talking about are the ones you are less likely to have heard of; cacao, chia seeds, moringa, baobab, lucuma, spirulina, wheatgrass, maca, and many more.

All the ones I have mentioned come in powder form, which makes it super easy to get them into your diet. Due to the exceptional nutrient count they have, you have to be careful not to consume too much of some of them. If there is a daily limit, it will say so on the packet.

I am going to be doing a few posts, each will focus on one superfood powder, and also a recipe to go with it.Today I am starting with cacao, and will be showing you two cacao smoothies. To start with, I am going going to talk about what it is, and its benefits.

Cacao is the raw, unprocessed form of chocolate, and is actually full of important vitamins and minerals. Converting it into chocolate involves a lot of processing and completely removes most of the goodness.

Cacao pods grow on small trees called Theobroma cacao. They grow in Mexico, Central and South America. One cacao pod contains 40-60 cacao seeds. Once undergone a natural fermentation and drying process, raw cacao beans are produced. 

These raw cacao beans are the basis for chocolate. Roasting them produces cocoa, the drinking powder we are all familiar with (cacao and cocoa are different!). This roasting process involves a very high temperature, which reduces the levels of antioxidants and consequently removing a lot of the health benefits. This is then combined with sugar and fats to produce what we all love and know as chocolate.

Moving on to the health benefits. Raw cacao is rich in natural antioxidants. High levels of antioxidants in your body prevent free radicals from building up in your cells and tissues. Two sources of free radicals are bypass products of metabolism, and your body breaking down environmental toxins, such as cigarette smoke and pollution. They are potentially damaging chemicals as a build-up can contribute to vascular changes leading to heart disease, and they can raise your risk of developing cancer. They also interfere with cell membranes and damage DNA.

Cacao is rich in fibre, supporting digestion. It is one of the best foods out there for magnesium content, which helps support the heart, brain and digestive system. It balances brain chemistry causing a strong influence on feelings of ease and happiness - no wonder we crave chocolate. It's also very high in iron, zinc, manganese, omega 6 fatty acids, serotonin, and polyphenols. This list is not exhaustive, but I have just picked some out as an idea.

So let's move on to the recipes. Cacao is great in smoothies, as well as in baking, for example raw brownies (remember - heat destroys the goodness!).

Check out my homemade filled chocolates recipe as well as healthy nests which were for Easter but can definitely be made all year round, just miss out the mini eggs!

Two raw cacao smoothies

Ingredients

1/2 avocado

5 dates

1 ripe banana (preferably frozen)

2 teaspoons cacao powder

1.5 cups almond milk

If you are going to freeze your banana in advance of making this smoothie, the best way is to peel and chop it into chunks before freezing. If you are not using a frozen banana, then you can add a couple of ice cubes before mixing to make it cold. 

Remember to pit your dates if necessary.

Simply add all ingredients and blend until smooth. 

This next smoothie is thinner than the previous and I think perfectly suited to breakfast, as the ingredients are much more breakfast based and the oats make it really filling. It goes all bubbly when freshly blended!

Ingredients
40g oats
1 banana
2 tsp cacao powder
1 cup milk
2 tbsp greek or plain yoghurt

As before, add all ingredients and whizz until smooth.

 

You can buy cacao in various forms: powder, nibs and beans. Cacao nibs are peeled and crushed cacao beans. Powder is made from peeled and cold-pressed cacao beans. When buying, you want to look out for labels that read 'raw' - this means that the beans have not been roasted and stripped of their antioxidant properties. Avoid labels that read 'roasted'. I will warn you now, these superfood powders are not the cheapest thing in the world. You can find cacao easily online or in health and organic shops, such as Holland and Barrett and Planet Organic. Some big supermarkets have at least one brand of it. But do search around as prices really do vary from brand to brand quite substantially.

I find it difficult to believe these are healthy when I am drinking them because they taste of chocolate. It's strange to think that something which is packed full of health benefits is taken and processed into something not so healthy.

So I am not sure if just from this one post I have persuaded you to try adding superfoods into your diet, maybe it will take me a couple of posts more. These powders really are amazing and provide your body with some amazing nutrients, minerals and vitamins that it will love you for.

Find my other superfood posts here.