Raw Nibs of Cacao Beans: A Must-Buy Superfood

Many people have taken to the trend of buying foods with incredible health benefits that are non-traditional, and raw nibs of cacao beans are a must-buy superfood that fits into that category.

The nibs of these beans, which are found in the Amazon area of South America, are sold at health food stores along with the whole beans.

Cacao is the raw version of the bean that is processed, or mixed with other ingredients, to form chocolate products, and the cacao bean has a taste that will remind many of chocolate.

The main difference between cacao beans and chocolate, however, is the surprisingly bitter aftertaste. This aftertatse can be difficult for many people to get used to, but once they do, they often find that they can't stop eating the nibs of cacao beans or the beans themselves.

The early taste of the nibs and beans is definitely pleasant and actually contains neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and phenylethylamine which improve the brain's moods and produces pleasurable feelings.

Cacao beans and raw dark chocolate as well also contain plenty of polyphenols, which are also found in red wine and help improve heart health.

But that's not all, as there are many other compounds and nutrients in the beans and nibs of cacao that have tremendous benefits for human health.

Magnesium is a very important mineral that many people don't get enough of. Magnesium can help ward off stress and increase blood flow from the heart while reducing blood clots.

While cacao beans contain a large amount of saturated fat, these benefits counteract that fat and help making eating a handful of them a day a very positive thing for human health.

Last but not least in cacao beans is the importance of the large amount of antioxidants provided by the raw beans and nibs of the beans.

The antioxidant flavanols in cacao beans will help protect you against cell damage and therefore are beneficial before working out or smoking or engaging in other similar activities that could potentially wear down the body a bit.

Raw nibs of cacao beans are a must-buy superfood because they contain one of the largest amounts of antioxidants of any food you'll find on store shelves, even at the health food stores where they typically reside most often.

Source: http://www.veganchocolate.com/articles/raw_chocolate.htm