Get an Antioxidant Boost with Cacao Powder

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Cacao is a superfood often confused with cocoa. They are quite different foods. To an untrained ear and an untrained eye they may seem similar. You’ll learn that cocoa isn’t a super food, while cacao is. Let’s take a moment to demystify cocoa or chocolate as a healthy delight.

Cocoa butter isn’t the only brilliant product yielded by the cacao pod. Other cocoa solids (such as cocoa powder) are also extracted from the cocoa bean and contain slightly different compounds which in turn provide different skincare benefits. Cocoa powder contains lots of minerals including calcium, potassium and zinc. Most importantly though, cocoa solids contain high levels of caffeine and theobromine which are only present in trace amounts in cocoa butter.

Caffeine and theobromine have similar properties and are brilliant in skincare. These compounds are able to break down fats and can have draining properties on fatty cells which allows them to be used for skin firming. Caffeine and theobromine are often used to to tighten the skin and reduce puffiness. All of these skincare properties mean that cocoa solids can be used to target cellulite when applied to your skin.

Cacao contains antioxidants, which are substances known to help protect the body both internally – for conditions such as heart disease, cancer and other long term illnesses – and externally in terms of keeping skin healthy.

In their raw state cacao beans have higher levels of antioxidants than green tea and red wine – but processed into chocolate bars much of the antioxidant potential of the cacao is lost.

Cacao is also fabulous to eat and drink! A study done in 2006 found that women who drank cocoa which was high in flavonoids had thicker, denser and better hydrated skin at the end of the study. Their skin was also more tolerant to UV sunlight exposure (Heinrich et al., 2006).

This doesn’t mean you need to eat or drink buckets of chocolate (tempting as that may seem…) given how much sugar is added to confectionery in the shops, but just be safe in the knowledge that one of your favorite foods can have beneficial effects on your skin. You can’t include this with chocolate shakes to give your chocolate cravings some attention without feeling too guilty. Cacao Vida has more recipes concerning some tasty treats.