HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! CACAO CHOCOLATE!

A Word about Chocolate –The month of February is in full swing. Many of us are feeling the effects of the long winter and we are looking forward to the arrival of spring. The welcome bonus we receive in this month is Valentine’s Day. To me, this day can be summed up in one word – CHOCOLATE!

Before I became a raw food advocate, I would always feel guilty about my love for chocolate and about my apparent over-indulgence of this beautiful product. Then, in learning more about it, I came to the wonderful realization that cacao is one of the “Superfoods” (cacao is the precursor for chocolate). Yep, that’s right, chocolate: that oh-so-indulgent treat that makes women around the world swoon. But it’s not the milk chocolate candy bar or the box of chocolate-covered cherries that I’m referring to. It’s the dark and cacao powder varieties that work best.

Cacao was given the name of Theobroma by Linnaeus. The word literally means food of the gods because of delicious tastes of its seeds that left anyone who ate it at a loss for words.

The preparation of Cacao is actually pretty simple. First, the beans must be ground into a form of a paste with the use of hot rollers. With the hot rollers, some sugar is mixed in and a little bit of starch, removing some of the Cacao’s fat. Preparing Chocolate is quite similar except that the fat is kept instead of removed.
What are its medicinal uses?

Cacao is famously used as an ingredient in cosmetic ointments and also in various pharmacies as coating for pills and suppositories. Aside from its coating purposes, Cacao also has emollient properties that make it effective in softening and protecting chapped extremities and lips.

Want your cough remedy to be safe and pleasant tasting? Then choose dark chocolate and get relief. Dark chocolate's theobromine has been proven to be more effective than over-the-counter remedies and codeine. But it has shown none of the unwanted side effects, making it a better, safer cough remedy. It sure tastes a lot better than the usual medicine too.

Research has shown that it is more effective than the common remedies dextromethorphan and codeine. Compared to codeine, theobromine was about 33% more effective. It acts to suppress the nerve responsible for coughing.

Without the unwanted side effects, it's safe to use while driving or operating heavy machinery. It has the potential to be the source of new, safer cough treatments.

Dark chocolate and cacao powders are rich in flavonoids, which have been shown to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and lower your blood pressure. So when you choose a chocolate bar with a higher cocoa percentage (higher than 70%), you are also getting more flavonoids and helping your heart stay healthy. In fact, a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that women who ate one serving of chocolate per week (about one ounce) were 60 percent less likely to die from heart disease. Also, their levels of carotid atherosclerotic plaques (the stuff that clogs the artery in your neck, which supplies your brain with oxygenated blood) were significantly lower.

However, many chocolate manufacturers process the treat over and over again, causing the chocolate to lose some of its antioxidant properties. And white chocolate has no flavonoids whatsoever; it’s made with no cocoa solids at all, only cocoa butter and sugar at its basic level. But don’t rush out, grabbing for all the dark chocolate you can get! Women who ate chocolate every day had comparable results to those that ate it once per week.

Remember: moderation is key and the darker the better. If chocolate is not your thing; there are other foods rich in flavonoids, too. Try some red wine, tea, cranberries, and apples.
As for me, I'm planning to test dark chocolate on my next cough. I'm ready. I've got some Chocolate Truffles right here on my desk. Wait a minute...my throat's feeling a little irritated, could be a cough developing. Don't want it to take hold. Better pop some chocolate in. A-h-h-h-h-h...that's better.

OK! Here’s a recipe for CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES – ENJOY!

Chocolate TrufflesRecipe modified from a Raw Rose recipe
• 1/2 cup of sesame seeds (or any other nuts you have on hand)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (or any other nuts you have on hand)
• 1/2 cup of medjool dates (or other dates)
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 tablespoons raw carob powder

Process the nuts in the food processor. Keep processing them until you can’t see the nuts anymore, but stop processing before they get too soft looking.
Add the dates, seasalt and carob powder. Process again until everything is well mixed and clumped together.

Roll the balls in your hand and form balls. Some people like to roll completed truffles in goji berries, coconut, cocoa powder.

As Raw Rose suggests, these are also delicious if you crumble a truffle or two on top of sliced bananas or other chopped fresh fruit.

Sandra Butler
Raw Food Chef
250-862-1158
http://raw-food-kelowna.blogspot.com/