Aspire, Perspire, Nourish Yourself

Monthly Food Feature: Cacao Nibs

You say, “cocoa”, I say, “cacao”. Any way you say it, the raw bean from which chocolate is made has a ton of health benefits. It’s also delicious, especially if you like your chocolate on the bitter side.

When we think of chocolate, most of us envision the Kit Kat bar that calls our name as we check out at the grocery store! If you read the ingredients on their labels you’ll discover that these bars are far from chocolate. Typically the first ingredient is sugar and then you find milk, cocoa butter, and other natural and artificial ingredients. These chocolate bars contain a lot of sugar and may have little of the cacao polyphenol benefits found in raw cacao. Generally, the more the cacao is processed, the fewer of the health benefits it retains.

What are Cacao Nibs?

Cacao beans grow in pods on small trees (named Theobroma cacao). When the beans, which have been fermented and dried, are roasted, de-shelled and cracked, they are called cacao nibs. These nibs can be used for baking, cooking or just eaten as they are.

The cacao nibs are also further processed to produce cacao liquor (or mass) and powder. Manufacturers turn these into all types of chocolates when they combine them with cocoa butter, sugar, and other ingredients.

The processing of cacao beans affect the extent to which the beans retain their health benefits.

If you’d like to learn more about growing and harvesting cacao beans and the process of making chocolate, read about a cacao micro farm and small chocolate factory in Oahu, Hawaii (Madre Chocolate).

http://www.manfrottoimaginemore.com/2013/05/17/chocolate-food-of-the-gods/#.UuW5SigQGu1

The following link is also a short introduction to the production of chocolate:

http://www.sfu.ca/geog351fall03/groups-webpages/gp8/prod/prod.html

Nutritional Profile and Health Benefits

Besides being a tasty treat, cacao nibs:

Are high in dietary fiber, carbs, protein and fats,
Contain oleic acid (heart-healthy monounsaturated fat),
Are filled with important minerals: iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium, sulfur, copper, and zinc,
Contain plenty of vitamins: E, B2, B1, B5, B3, and B9 and small amounts of vitamin A and C.

We love the visual breakdown of the cocoa bean’s content, provided by Built Lean on their site at http://www.builtlean.com/2012/04/12/raw-chocolate/#fn-7774-4.

Image from http://www.builtlean.com/2012/04/12/raw-chocolate/

The polyphenols contained in cacao nibs are what give the nibs their greatest health benefits. Their anti-oxidant properties are are said to:

help protect against heart disease,
modulate immune response,
have anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects.

One paper analyzing the results of several studies on the beneficial effects of cocoa polyphenols on human health reported that “on a per serving basis, cocoa has higher flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity than red wine (2 times), green tea (2-3 times) and black tea (4-5 times), respectively.” (1) p. 4.

This same paper also reviewed studies that suggested that cocoa may help with tooth health by reducing tooth decay, have anti-obesity effects, reduce the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, help with inflammatory bowel disease, help delay age-related brain impairments, and have positive effects on skin tone and elasticity (when applied to skin rather than consumed). (1) pp. 14-18.

Cacao has also been sited as having a mood enhancing capacity! “Cacao contains properties with therapeutic levels that positively affect a person’s mood, memory, appetite, pain perception, feelings of attraction, excitement and euphoria. It also contains high concentrations of arginine, an amino acid that increases sexual desire by increasing blood flow throughout the body.” (2)

This might explain why Valentine’s Day is a popular time for chocolate gift-giving. If you’re planning a romantic dinner, try adding cacao nibs to the menu!

Easy Recipes

Cacao nibs are great just as a pop-in-your-mouth snack. We also like to:

Add them to our oatmeal and granola,
Sprinkle them on yogurt and homemade pudding,
Substitute them for chocolate chips in our baking,
Sprinkle on soups like carrot, sweet potato, and pumpkin,
Add to smoothies.

You can buy pre-packaged and ‘bulk” cacao nibs at health food stores like Planet Organic, Whole Foods, Amaranth. Even President’s Choice Superstore and Loblaw’s carries them.

The following are just a couple of recipes we found that highlight cacao:

Chocolate-Coconut Rice Pudding Recipe (Breakfast) from Washingtonian

http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/wellbeing/healthy-eating/chocolate-coconut-rice-pudding-breakfast-recipe.php

Cacao & Zucchini Absorption Pasta from Chocolate & Zucchini

An interesting combination of cacao nibs and zucchini on a pasta using an absorption method of cooking the pasta. Looks good and will try it ourselves!

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2006/05/cacao_zucchini_absorption_pasta.php

If you love cacao nibs and have used them in your recipes, please share them with us. We’d be happy to post them for all of our followers to try.

Recipe of the Week: Warm Veggie Spinach Salad with Cacao Nibs

Resources and References:

Andu ́jar, I. et al., “Cocoa Polyphenols and Their Potential Benefits for Human Health,” Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, Volume 2012, Article ID 906252, 23 pages doi:10.1155/2012/906252. Article PDF: Cocoa Nibs research – OXIMED2012-906252
http://www.livestrong.com/article/461877-nutritional-difference-between-roasted-raw-cacao-beans/

Menopause: Joyous Journey or Walk through Hell?

We’ve been thinking about tackling this subject for a while. It’s a big topic, with plenty of research, opinions, and varied solutions for symptoms. Our blog is not going to focus on the medical research or THE way to deal with menopausal symptoms, although we will give you some links for further reading and some general nutritional advice from Mary’s experience.

Our focus for this blog is on the experience and on the importance of nutrition, fitness and psychological wellbeing for overall optimum health as you move through menopause.

What makes this subject so interesting to us is that menopause is a unique journey for every woman. Women may experience some of the same symptoms but how each woman feels about the experience and responds to the symptoms is so different. What works for one woman may not work for another. Her support system also influences a woman’s experience with this stage of life.

Then and now

When we were growing up, menopause was something that women whispered about to each other rather than discussed openly. Doctors were the authoritative source for women and most doctors were men. What kind of advice did they deliver? We’re not sure, but hysterectomies were very popular then. Thankfully we now have choices!

Today, women talk about menopause, blog about it, write books and make a ton of jokes about their menopausal maniac behavior. We also have more female doctors who can relate to the menopausal experience. This openness and shared experiences create more than awareness. They create a comforting sense of community. We’re not alone in experiencing some of this weird stuff. Actually, we discover that it’s not so weird after all! It is a normal, inevitable stage of life for a woman.

Not just a psychological experience

We’ve talked to women who have suffered severe symptoms of menopause and others who have just breezed through the changes. From our perspective, the important thing to remember is that it is a journey that will take some time. So, take the long term perspective and do things today to take care of your health that will deliver the healthy fruits of your labor tomorrow.

The biological changes that occur during menopause are very real and research suggests that these changes may make women vulnerable to certain health conditions such as heart disease, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. The following are links that provide more details on understanding menopause, its symptoms and possible ways to deal with both the symptoms and potential outcomes of the biological changes.

Traditional perspective:

http://www.medicinenet.com/menopause/article.htm

Holistic and Naturopathic perspective:

If you are a woman in peri-menopause or currently in menopause, please do your research and talk to reputable health professionals. There are choices for dealing with the symptoms.

Above all, to lessen your chances of disease:

Eat nutritiously by consuming whole foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains that contain important disease fighting phytochemicals and nutrients.
Engage regularly (3 or more days per week) in both cardiovascular and weight bearing exercise. The former will help strengthen heart and lung capacity to ward off heart disease and the latter promotes bone density to lessen chances of osteoporosis.
Exercise can enhance your mood by improving the circulation of oxygen to the brain; it helps control hormonal imbalances associated with menopause and menstrual problems.
Together, nutritious eating and exercise will help you control weight gain often associated with menopause.
Engage in quality time for mental health! Take much needed “me” time doing what makes you feel good. Ask for support from family and friends when feeling like the menopausal journey is more like a trip to hell than the joyous journey you’d hoped it would be!

Mary’s nutritional advice for menopausal women:

Stay hydrated (8 glasses of water per day);
Avoid foods that can negatively affect your hormonal levels such as simple carbs, sugar, alcohol, and coffee;
Improve hormonal balance by adding these specific foods to your diet: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, flaxseed, kale, legumes, nuts and seeds, green tea.

As the above is a small list of general nutritional tips, please contact Mary directly if you want personalized counselling on this issue. (See Mary’s website for further details).