Cocoa has a unique and seemingly mutually exclusive effect – on the one hand, it increases brain activity, on the other hand, it helps the body to relax, improves sleep. This happens thanks to theobromine – a substance that is similar to caffeine in chemical structure, but is devoid of its main drawback – almost narcotic addiction. Caffeine, by the way, is also present in cocoa beans, however, in small quantities.
The ability of cocoa beans to increase vitality and improve mood has long been noticed, stimulating the production of “hormones of joy” – endorphins.
The presence of polyphenols in cocoa contributes to the stabilization of blood pressure, and the procyanidins present in it effectively relieve stress and have a remarkable property – to rejuvenate the skin of the face, increasing its elasticity.
It turns out that cocoa is useful for both people suffering from hypertension and those who are actively involved in sports. Also for students preparing for exams.
“LIVE” COCOA IS A REAL TREND
“Live” cocoa beans that have not been heat treated are considered especially useful. “Live” cocoa contains 6-7 times more antioxidants than any other plant product, and the magnesium content is more than five times higher than its closest plant competitor – Acai palm fruit.
New ways of processing cocoa beans using low temperatures when separating cocoa butter from cocoa mass and drying cocoa powder can help make the product more useful.
Dilya Zapparova, co-author of the book “O’ Cocoa!” recalls:
“The first time I learned about “live” chocolate, probably in 2005 in India. After reading about the wonderful properties of this product, I turned to an Indian friend with a request to get me thermally processed cocoa beans.
It turned out to be quite difficult to eat raw cocoa beans, which he brought to me – the peel was not removed from them, they had to be soaked in water. The beans were bitter in taste and rubbery in texture, but I ate!
Only a few months later, in America, I bought organic cocoa beans, specially grown and processed for raw consumption. Then I realized what real “live” chocolate is!
And so, since then, cocoa beans have been a constant addition to my diet. They improve mood, saturate the body with vital elements, increase tone, improve well-being.
And when I came to Russia in 2009, my father and I founded a company to import them. We can say that we opened this market in Russia. I gave many lectures, master classes on how to prepare delicious and healthy sweets from this wonderful product. Live cocoa is tasty, healthy and fun!
It is better to start with 20-25 beans or 2-2.5 teaspoons of ground cocoa.
The most important thing is that only high-quality cocoa beans of elite varieties grown in ecologically clean areas without the use of chemical fertilizers can be consumed in their raw form.
The popularity of the unusual version of the use of cocoa is growing rapidly. Chocolate Yoga even appeared in America – before yoga, they eat raw sweetened cocoa beans. In Russia, the fashion for healthy cocoa has just begun, but now it can be purchased in online health food stores.