Chocolate Food

Raw Chocolate as Food

Unlike many other “sweets” Chocolate is considered a food substance with many nutritional benefits. This important substance has been part of the culture in the areas that the tree is native to for centuries. The indigenous peoples recognized the high nutritional value of this substance in a raw state and developed methods to make it easier to consume. First off one might wonder what chocolate is.  The substance is created from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree.  Seeds from the tree are fermented and dried before being used as food because of the intense bitter flavor that they have before fermentation. Many modern Latin American cultures use chocolate as part of their national cuisine. This is in contrast to Western usage that limits chocolate to the role of a dessert. Chocolate can be found as a breakfast drink or equally used as a mole sauce.  While Western European use turns it into a candy, there is an increasing awareness of chocolate, particularly raw chocolate, as a food item when combined with other healthy items.

This is supported by scientific research that has identified within the Cacao bean numerous antioxidants including flavonols and catechins alongside stimulants like caffeine and theobromine. Also found in chocolate is phenethylamine (inactive due to digestion into  phenylacetic acid by monoamine oxidase) and theophylline which is found also in tea. Be aware that many antioxidants are destroyed in any cooking process. The greatest food benefit comes from consuming raw chocolate that has not been cooked or heated. Keep in mind that the indigenous people drank their chocolate whipped and spiced but at a cool or room temperature.  There are a number of positive effects from consuming raw or dark chocolate.  These include boosting the circulatory system including reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke, protecting against cancer, simulation of the brain, and a superior cough suppressant. It may also help with stomach issues and prevent diarrhea. Chocolate may suppress migraines by reducing inflammation triggers.

Because chocolate has a high fat content naturally (the beans are ground down to make a paste that in turn is separated into cocoa solids and cocoa butter at about a 50/50 split on volume, with the solids retaining as much as 12% fat), the beans are an energy rich food. High quantities eaten without increased activity may lead to obesity. More refined and processed chocolate may have greater fat content through the addition of milk or more cocoa butter as well as refined sugars. Additionally, chocolate naturally binds with lead in the environment where it is processed.  Some forms of modern processed chocolate have borderline high amounts of lead in them which may cause lead poisoning in the very young. Much of these risks can be avoided through the consumption of raw chocolate instead of processed chocolate.  Milk, white, and dutch process cocoa powder lacks the antioxidant abilities of raw chocolate.

Even though there is concern about the fat content in chocolate, the types of fats are a third oleic acid, a third  stearic acid, and a third palmitic acid. Stearic acid has a neutral impact on cholesterol and does not appear to impact LDL levels in the bloodstream.  In fact it is converter to oleic acid by the liver. Studies indicate that small consistent amounts of dark or raw chocolate can lower LDL, protect against heart attacks, and raise HDL levels between 11 and 14 percent. Survivors of heart attacks that consume raw or dark chocolate two to three times weekly tend to survive three times longer than those who do not.