Raw Cacao Powder

Are you cuckoo for cacao?  All males should be loco for cocoa, because it is a blood pressure-lowering, erection-boosting, artery-friendly superfood that is every middle aged guy's dream-come-true. 

NOTE:  Cacao and cocoa are, for all practical purposes, synonymous.

On many pages I have documented the benefits to erections, heart and general health of this magical plant. (See my links on Dark Chocolate and The Kuna for starters.) The bottom line is that cocoa increases blood flow and that is a very, very good thing for the bedroom.

NEWS FLASH:  By the way, besides all the benefits to your sex life, cocao has numerous studies showing that it is a brain-booster.  The most recent, a 2012 study in the journal Hypertension, shows that seniors with mild cognitive impairment were significantly helped by consuming high-flavonol cocao. [2] A 2011 study on healthy adults had shown similar results, including an improvement in working memory.  [3] This is NOT the cocoa that is in the stores for the most part, as I'll cover below.

Of course, what's the problem with almost any cocoa you can buy in the U.S. or other industrialized countries?  In fact, what's the problem with any decent, respectable food we get our hands on? 

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Processing.  Processing. Processing.

Or should I say overprocessing?  Modern cocoas are heated for lengthy times at high temperatures so that the original flavanol content is for all practical purposes lost, greatly reducing the blood flow benefits. Now why on God's green earth would you do such a thing? Heating generally improves the flavor of food and raw cacao powder is no exception. Raw cacao has, for the unitiated, a very unpleasant taste.  Cacao is bitter to start with, but unprocessed cacao has a very "chemical", pungent taste to it. 

NOTE:  Dove Dark is an exception:  it isdelicious, readily available and has a high flavanoid and epicatechin content. [1] However, it also has a fair amount of casein, the pro-inflammatory milk protein. Thus, it is questionable if you can get the long term benefits of The Kuna with this candy bar.

I remember the first time I broke open a package of raw, cacao powder.  I warmed up the water - not too much of course - and sat down with my first glass of cacao "tea".  It was an experience not unlike Jim Carrey went through when he put on The Mask. My palette is not all that sensitive - I can eat almost anything - but I knew right then and there that this was simply not something I could handle on a daily basis.  And my admiration for The Kuna became almost endless!

Is there a solution?  Yes, here's how I handled it:

Step 1:  The first few days with the raw cacao:  don't breathe. In fact, hold your nose if you have to!  I know that sounds humorous, but it turns out the "unusual" taste of raw cacao for those not used to it comes from the aroma.  So by not breathing and drinking fast, I can down a tablespoon in almost no time.  In other words, I take it just like medicine.  In fact, that's a good way to look at it:  cocoa is a great superfood medicine for all those years of abuse you put your body through. 

Step 2:  Be patient. After a few days, or maybe a week or two for some, you find that the taste does not bother you. Many people find the same kind of effect when eliminating a lot of animal foods, dairy, fats, salt or sugar from their diet.  For a time, their food tastes bland and tasteless.  After a couple of weeks, though, they lose this memory - some would say addiction - to the original indulgence. 

So why go through all of this? If you're serious about lowering your blood pressure and boosting your blood flow in a natural, healthy way, you'll consider raw cacao. (Always talk to your doctor first, of course, especially if you are on any medications.) Raw cacao has become very affordable and there are multiple suppliers hitting the market. 

For example, Navitas puts out a 8 and 16 oz. pouches that are available for a reasonable price in stores such as Whole Foods or even on Amazon: Navitas Naturals Organic Raw Cacao Power, 16-Ounce Pouches (Pack of 2). This is the one I use, but there are several others out there.

CAUTIONS:  Do not overconsume cocoa: you should consider it almost an "herb". It is very powerful and, when I have consumed it, have stirred a half teaspoon or a little more into a warm glass of water as a kind of tea (twice per day). I have read stories of people substiting it in recipes with literally cups of the raw product and you cannot in my opinion use it this way as it is much more powerful than standard cocoa. One other caution: cocoa is relatively high in phytic acid which binds with magnesium, calcium and zinc. So this is best consumed at a separate time from your nutrient dense meals. Again, drinking it as a "tea" in between meals is probably a good idea.

REFERENCES:

1) http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/7075/ title/Food_for_Thought__Prescription_Strength_Chocolate,_Revisited, Prescription Strength Chocolate, Revisited, By Janet Raloff

2) HYPERTENSION, AHA, Published online before print August 14, 2012, "Benefits in Cognitive Function, Blood Pressure, and Insulin Resistance Through Cocoa Flavanol Consumption in Elderly Subjects With Mild Cognitive Impairment"

3) Physiol Behav, 2011 Jun 1, 103(3-4):255-60, Epub 2011 Feb 12, "Consumption of cocoa flavanols results in an acute improvement in visual and cognitive functions"

4) Developmental Immunology, 2002, 9(3):135-141, "Modulation of TNF-α Secretion in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells by Cocoa Flavanols and Procyanidins"