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...
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?
Do you know the foods and drinks that increase erection-boosting
Nitric Oxide? Check out the
Peak Erectile Strength Diet where I show
you how to dramatically and naturally improve your erectile strength.
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!
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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.
DOSAGE: Just how much raw cacao should you consume each day? The
litmus test is probably the dose at which you start to notice the blood pressure
benefits. Of course, most men do not have home blood pressure monitors to
do a little personal testing, in which case you may want to do what the Kuna do.
The Kuna typically drink about five cups of cacao per day as a "tea". Of
course, we don't have know just how much raw cocao they put in each cup they
consume, but this gives a feel for the fact that they use it almost medicinally
throughout the day. Remember to not overheat the cocoa whatever you do.
CAUTION 2: You may want to read my link on
TNF Inhibitors as well. Cocoa may stimulate TNF-alpha production in some cases
and this inflammatory cytokine is a root cause for diabetes,
arthritis, arteriosclerosis and many other ills. However, it should be pointed out
that The Kuna, who are heavy consumers of cocoa, show no ill effects.
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
