| These days, dark chocolate is really popular. It used to | | | | look like almonds, but if you peel off the skins, you will |
| be sold only at specialized chocolate shops or health | | | | see the dark, "chocolate"-color bean inside. People |
| food stores, but nowadays, you can find it at any | | | | actually eat them raw, just like this, and enjoy the taste. |
| supermarket or drug store. This is because recent | | | | I would say that it is more of an acquired taste, but it is |
| scientific research has suggested that dark chocolate | | | | addictive since it can really give you a natural high |
| helps prevent heart problems, cancers, and other | | | | (remember cacao beans contain a high amount of |
| possible illnesses. Since we used to think eating | | | | caffeine, too). If you do not want to eat the skins and |
| chocolate was bad for our health, this is great news! | | | | you do not want to have to peel the beans, you can |
| Well, this is not quite true. We often remember only the | | | | also get cacao nibs, which are just the same as the |
| positive details and ignore the negative things when | | | | raw bean, but with skin removed and the bean broken |
| we hear "good" news. It is true that cacao beans, from | | | | into smaller pieces. |
| which all chocolate is made, contain very high levels of | | | | Although cacao beans and cacao nibs have that great |
| anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals, and are very high | | | | chocolate flavor, you should think of them as a slightly |
| in beneficial amino acids. It is also true that dark | | | | different sort of food. When we think of chocolate, we |
| chocolate is much better than milk chocolate, since milk | | | | always associate it with a smooth and silky texture. |
| protein breaks down some of the most useful | | | | Unfortunately, cacao beans and cacao nibs do not |
| chemicals in the chocolate. | | | | give you that silky-smooth satisfaction -- they remain in |
| However, this is only the half of the story. Chocolate | | | | your mouth as bitter grit-like pieces. What a cacao |
| still contains a high amount of saturated fat and is very | | | | bean lover can do is to chew one bean for a long time |
| high in calories. Also, if you are not eating organic | | | | so that it gets smoother. This is actually good since |
| chocolate, you may be ingesting tons of pesticides and | | | | saliva makes the cacao bean's chemicals much easier |
| fungicides, etc. Further, if they are not organically | | | | to digest in the stomach. And yes, this means you get |
| grown, the cacao beans cannot get enough nutrients | | | | more benefit out of the bean. |
| and, as a consequence, the chocolate does not have | | | | If you really cannot handle the grainy texture you get |
| the high amounts of minerals as it was advertised. | | | | from chewing the whole bean, then you can make a |
| Even if the cacao beans contained enough | | | | cacao paste using a grinder, and mix it with |
| anti-oxidants and helpful amino acids when they were | | | | something---with hot water to make a chocolate drink, |
| harvested, it is likely that they got broken down when | | | | for example. You can also try mixing with honey to |
| they were heated up in the process of manufacturing | | | | make a ganache (without milk!), or with soy ice cream |
| the chocolate. Oh, well; that old adage of "if it sounds | | | | to make chocolate ice "cream." |
| to good to be true, it probably is" applies here, too. | | | | In any case, give the cacao beans a try. You may find |
| However, there is still a way to get all the health | | | | that you get the same satisfaction from one cacao |
| benefits of cacao: eat raw organic cacao beans! You | | | | bean as you get from eating an entire chocolate bar! |
| can find them at almost any health food store. They | | | | |