Nutritional Benefits of Drinking Ceremonial Cacao

Why are we so adamant about choosing and integrating ceremonial cacao into your life? It’s not just due to the ethical and sacred practices used when growing and preparing ceremonial cacao, it’s also the nutrition science behind the beans. Cacao is a powerhouse of antioxidants, with the highest source of antioxidants found in any food! It also offers a nourishing dose of Theobromine, which carries nutrients into the tissues and offers sustainable energy without the crash. The most assimilable form of magnesium is found in cacao - a huge benefit as magnesium is the nutrient that most people are deficient in after years of monocropping has nearly stripped the earth’s soil of it.

A cacao bean broken open in hands.

Plus, cacao’s interaction with the body activates mood-enhancing neurochemicals such as…

PEA:

Beta-phenylethylamine (PEA) is a single trace amino-acid neurotransmitter that has the potential to extend life span, improve performance, create a sense of well-being, and renew youthful levels of physical functioning no matter how old you are. You’ll notice improved performance in the body & brain in daily activities, essentially improving mental and physical energy, uplifting mood, and abolishing brain fog.

Dopamine:

That feel-good neurotransmitter everyone craves. Ever wonder what motivates you to repeat pleasurable behavior? Most often its the dopamine hit the brain releases when we are rewarded with what we are craving. When you are feeling pleasure and satisfaction, that is dopamine moving through your system. This neurochemical improves mood, motivation, and attention making you curious about ideas and giving you the drive to explore those ideas.  

Serotonin:

This naturally occurring monoamine neurotransmitter is the signal in the connection of your nerve cells through your body. Serotonin helps to regulate and stabilize mood, improves cognition, learning, and memory, helps you to digest food, sleep better, regulate appetite and impulse control, and helps the body to heal faster.

Terpenes:

Why does cacao smell so good? Terpenes! These aromatic compounds that give plants their distinctive smells are not only important for plants to survive, but they also help humans too! The benefits range from improved immune function to reduced inflammation and possibly antioxidizing.

Polyphenols: Flavonoids & Flavonols

These plant compounds are thought to boost digestion, and brain health, and protect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. How? Polyphenols act as antioxidants by neutralizing harmful free radicals from damaging your cells which can reduce your risk of chronic disease. Cacao is actually one of the best-known sources of this compound. 

As one type of polyphenol, flavonoids help clear toxins from the body, reduce inflammation, prevent gene mutations, reduce cancer cell development, and regulate key cellular enzyme functions. In action, flavonoids lower blood pressure and help prevent cancer. Flavanols, a class of flavonoids, have been shown to reduce the decline of cognitive ability, including memory. 

Valeric Acid:

Produced in the gastrointestinal tract by microbiota, studies find that valeric acid helps to prevent inflammation and maintain gut integrity. While new to being studied, low levels of valeric acid have been linked to different diseases.

Tryptophan

As this essential amino acid can only be obtained through certain foods, we are lucky cacao helps us get the nutrients we need. The body converts tryptophan into 5-HTP, serotonin, and niacin and, as a result, improves the quality of sleep, relief from depression and anxiety, strengthened pain tolerance, and increased emotional well-being.

What happens when all of these come together?

Four pairs of hands on a jar of cacao before a small Kokoleka Collective ceremony.

When the powers of all of these neurochemicals combine, magic happens! Mentally and emotionally, this neurochemical reaction results in elevated mood and enhanced cognitive skills which will get you set for a more loving, feel-good day. Experience chronic stress? Cacao can help to reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels too. Physically, cacao helps to decrease inflammation, improve blood flow, and balance cholesterol levels. This is just a peek into the medicinal benefits of ceremonial cacao. There are more than 700 known components of chocolate, and more is to be discovered. Many have already begun introducing this potent medicine into their daily lives and are seeing the benefits firsthand in their physical bodies and their mental health. It is no wonder this powerful medicine is gaining popularity among so many ready to live healthier, more vital lives. 

We can see from its nutritional profile that cacao can provide healing and disease prevention on a physical level. Beyond nutrition science, ceremonial cacao is an emissary of love. When we choose to shift our habits into more sustainable ones, we are making a commitment to improving the quality of our lives. The benefits of drinking ceremonial cacao add up over time, and the practice of working with this medicine will reach out into different areas of our lives. With regular cacao communion, we can start to see healthier relationships with ourselves, with others, and with the world. Allowing cacao to show us how to make more space in our life for self-love and self-care can benefit everyone we come into contact with. How does the healing power of cacao show up in your life? Let us know in the comments below!