Are you a chocolate lover? Does chocolate love you back? Or does it also give you the side effects of weight gain, headaches, and skin breakouts? There is a solution: raw chocolate – not pasteurized, no artificial sweeteners, no dairy, and best of all, no guilt!

Raw chocolate combines ingredients in their natural state. That means the ingredients have not been processed, cooked, artificially colored, or saturated with chemical preservatives. Raw chocolate uses the cacao bean as it was harvested from the tree, adds a low-glycemic sweetener such as agave nectar or stevia leaf, and adds coconut oil for creaminess, rather than pasteurized cow’s milk.

Let’s explore the cacao bean and its phenomenal nutritional properties a little bit deeper. Raw cacao bean is high in magnesium, making it a powerful brain food and natural laxative. Ten percent of its contents are antioxidants, making it a leading longevity food. Research has shown that it benefits the cardiovascular system, increases the ability of blood vessels to dilate, decreases hardening of the arteries, and thins the blood. A Harvard University study of almost 8,000 males found that chocolate lovers lived longer.

Chocolate has earned the reputation It contains small amounts of phenylethylamine, a substance known to increase the activity of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals). This increases the activity of dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine, hormones that keep us feeling alert, alive, joyful and happy.
Chocolate is also known to be an aphrodisiac, hence its popularity as a Valentine’s Day gift. It is also an appetite suppressant, which is why it is found in many weight-loss products.

Raw chocolate imparts a certain state of creativity and lightheartedness upon the consumer. Creative projects seem to blossom with greater ease and success. So experiment, make your own wise choices, and enjoy the magical world of raw chocolate.

Raw chocolate recipe

Yields 2 cups
1 1/2 cup ground raw cacao (powder cacao beans or nibs in
a coffee bean grinder)
1/4 cup coconut oil, liquefied by
warming (also known as coconut
butter)
1 cup soaked goji berries
(soak for 1 hour)
1/2 cup raw agave nectar
2 heaping tablespoons of maca powder
1 pinch of Himalayan salt (optional)
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
5 drops of rose essential oil

Instructions: Blend all ingredients in a blender, chill in a bowl, eat with a big spoon.

To learn how to make decadent living and raw food, join Olga Aura for her Raw Food Summer Series at Abundance Yoga Center in Pacifica. See www.AbunDanceSpirit.com or call 877-664-9642.