cacao and cocoa

PRIMARY MICRO NUTRIENTS	Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium,
SECONDARY MICRO NUTRIENTS	Calcium, Selenium, Zinc, Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, Folate
NUTRITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS and NOTES	Exceptionally nutritious! Cholesterol profile and uptake Saturated vegetable fat does not increase cholesterol levels Contains plant sterols sitosterol and stigmasterol that compete with cholesterol for absorption in GI tract helping to prevent cholesterol uptake Neurotransmitter and mood modulation Contains phenythlamine (released by neurons at moments of euphoria) and anandamine (released by brain to engender pleasant feelings, enhances relaxation and lessens anxiety, uses same receptors in brain that THC binds to) Compounds in chocolate further inhibit natural breakdown of anandamine
FUNCTIONAL BENEFITS	Preventing cholesterol damage and artery lining health Heart problems – flavonoids prevent blood platelets from aggregating to form blood clots Amino acid Arginine Helps regulate blood flow, inflammation, blood pressure Arginine needed to produce Nitric Oxide which causes blood vessels to dilate
PHYTONUTRIENTS	High in Flavonoids and contains co-factors that enhance absorption of these flavonoids Anti-oxidant activity of flavonoids, procyanidans, catechins (also found in tea), and phenols (also found in red wine)
PLANT FAMILY
DANGERS	Big industry – chemical use and slavery Oxalates (Calcium binding and kidneys) Quantity of sterols in cocoa butter is small Contains Caffeine

		RDA	Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened	% RDA
Nutrient	Unit		per 100g
	g	3700	3	0.1%
Energy	kcal	2600	228	8.8%
Protein	g	90	19.6	21.8%
Total lipid (fat)	g	87	13.7	15.7%
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	224	57.9	25.8%
Fiber, total dietary	g	38	33.2	87.4%
Sugars, total	g		1.75
Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	1000	128	12.8%
Iron, Fe	mg	8	13.86	173.3%
Magnesium, Mg	mg	420	499	118.8%
Phosphorus, P	mg	700	734	104.9%
Potassium, K	mg	470	1524	324.3%
Sodium, Na	mg		21
Zinc, Zn	mg	11	6.81	61.9%
Copper, Cu	mg	0.9	3.788	420.9%
Manganese, Mn	mg	2.3	3.837	166.8%
Selenium, Se	Âµg	55	14.3	26.0%
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	90	0	0.0%
Thiamin	mg	1.2	0.078	6.5%
Riboflavin	mg	1.3	0.241	18.5%
Niacin	mg	16	2.185	13.7%
Pantothenic acid	mg	5	0.254	5.1%
Vitamin B-6	mg	1.7	0.118	6.9%
Folate, total	Âµg	400	32	8.0%
Choline, total	mg		12
Betaine	mg
Vitamin B-12	Âµg	2.4	0	0.0%
Vitamin A, IU	IU	5000	0	0.0%
Vitamin E, total	mg	15		0.0%
Vitamin D	IU	600	0	0.0%
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)	Âµg	120	2.5	2.1%
Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated	g		8.07
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g		4.57
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g		0.44
Amino Acids
Tryptophan	g		0.293
Threonine	g		0.776
Isoleucine	g		0.76
Leucine	g		1.189
Lysine	g		0.983
Methionine	g		0.202
Cystine	g		0.239
Phenylalanine	g		0.941
Tyrosine	g		0.735
Valine	g		1.177
Arginine	g		1.111
Histidine	g		0.339
Alanine	g		0.904
Aspartic acid	g		1.953
Glutamic acid	g		2.948
Glycine	g		0.879
Proline	g		0.838
Serine	g		0.846
Hydroxyproline	g
Other
Caffeine	mg		230

RDA – Recommended Dietary Amount recommendations are based upon calculations for a 40 year old very active man that I have adapted from USDA’s Dietary Intake Guidelines. Using this link you can make your own calculations

Adapted from:

Murray, M. (2005). Encyclopedia of Healing Food. New York, N.Y.: Atria Books

USDA food database: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/

Other information sources:

World’s Healthiest Foods – an excellent online food and nutrition encyclopedia

Self Nutrition Data: an online nutrient breakdown of foods

Cermonial Cacao vs regular Cocoa – the differences explained by in intriguing article