Cocao beans, also called cocoa beans, are the seeds from cocoa fruit. Raw cocoa beans are uncooked, and if the beans are certified organic they were grown without the use of chemical pesticides. Cocoa beans are often made into food like chocolate or mole sauce. When you buy raw organic cocoa beans you will reap health benefits from the pure seed.
How to Eat
Raw organic cocao beans are often sold unpeeled. To peel, soak in cold water for about 30 minutes to soften, then peel with your fingernails or a knife. You can eat raw cocao beans plain for a raw chocolate experience. Try blending them in a smoothie or milkshake, or mixing them with herbal teas or iced mochas. You can also try crushing the beans into small pieces and mixing into ice cream or yogurt.
Antioxidant
Raw organic cacao beans are loaded with antioxidants. In fact, cacao beans have more antioxidants than black tea, green tea or red wine. Antioxidants, including phenolic phytochemicals like found in cacao beans, are beneficial in preventing cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and macular degeneration. Antioxidants also help the body neutralize free radicals, which are either toxic byproducts of natural cell metabolism or introduced into the body by exposure to substances like cigarette smoke or pesticides.
Magnesium
Cacao beans are rich in magnesium. Magnesium is a mineral that is important to every organ in your body. Magnesium can help treat asthma, prevent diabetes, maintain a normal heart rhythm, treat migraine headaches, prevent osteoporosis and relieve PMS symptoms. This important mineral also helps regulate nutrients like calcium, copper, zinc, potassium and vitamin D in the body and contributes to energy production.
Improved Mood
Raw organic cacao beans also can improve your mental health. In the form of chocolate, cacao beans can temporarily change a negative mood to a positive mood. In a 2010 study conducted at NICM Centre for the Study of Natural Medicines and Neurocognition, cacao beans were also found to improve cognitive function and ward off mental fatigue.
References
- Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research: Food Sources: The Best Choice For Antioxidants
- Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry; Cocoa Has More Phenolic Phytochemicals and a Higher Antioxidant Capacity than Teas and Red Wine; Ki Won Lee et all; October 2003
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Magnesium
- Live Superfoods: Live Superfoods Raw Cacao Powder
- Appetite; Immediate Effects of Chocolate on Experimentally Induced Mood States; Michael Macht and Jochen Mueller; 2007
- Raw Cacao: Raw Organic Cacao Beans
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