Cacao Nibs - A Top 10 Superfood

Posted by Wendy

Chocolate is often touted as a superfood, but the sugar it contains makes it a necessarily occasional treat for the healthy eater. Cacao nibs contain all the benefits of chocolate and none of the naughtiness. Peeled cacao beans, broken into small bits, have a bitter chocolate taste and can be sprinkled on to cereals for an instant morning energy boost.

Cacao beans have a large antioxidant concentration and are said to increase the vigour of the heart muscle and decrease blood coagulation, which in turn lowers blood pressure and helps reduce the likelihood of blood clots and strokes. Cacao is also, like chocolate, a mood-improver and has a positive effect on brain chemistry. It contains phenylethylamine - a chemical released in the brain when we fall in love and theobromine, a chemical that increases alertness and concentration; and magnesium, a mineral involved in manufacturing serotonin and stabilising mood. No wonder it’s been labelled ‘nature’s Prozac’.

If you crave chocolate when you are premenstrual, try enhancing cacao nibs with cinnamon or nutmeg and adding them to Greek-style yoghurt for a deliciously healthy pudding. Among their celebrity aficionados is the health-conscious Hollywood star Woody Harrelson.

Tags: antioxidants, chocolate, energy, prozac, superfoods