Cocoa vs Cacao (health benefits + recipes!)

One of my most frequent questions I get asked is the difference between cocoa and cacao. (yes, there is a difference!) I talk about cacao a lot because I use it almost every day. It's definitely one of my favorite superfoods and I'm excited to share all of it's wonderful benefits with you!

Let me start of by sharing the correct way to pronounce it: Cuh-COW

Cocoa

Before we dive into the health benefits of cacao, lets talk about cocoa. Cocoa is harvested the same way as cacao but it is much more processed. Both cocoa and cacao come from the beans (or seeds) from the cacao tree. Cocoa is heated with a high temperature which decreases most of the health benefits like the antioxidants and nutrients. The reason why cocoa is made by being heated is to enhance the chocolate flavor, but it makes it so processed and has little to no health benefits. Some companies also add sugar, oils, and extra preservatives in their cocoa powder, so make sure to pay attention to the ingredients. One other thing that is a big difference in cocoa to cacao is that cocoa is usually made from a farm that is non-organic to make it as cheap as possible.

Cacao

Cacao is the purest and rawest form of chocolate you can get. It is harvested at a low temperature (cold pressed) so it keeps all of the health benefits. It tastes a bit more bitter and less sweet as cocoa, but it is still amazing with your chocolate recipes. Cacao powder is usually organic, unprocessed, and holds a ton of health benefits:

Antioxidants

Raw organic Cacao has 40 times the amount of antioxidants as blueberries! Antioxidants are essential to your health and they absorb free radicals in our body that cause cell and tissue damage that eventually can cause diseases and cancer. So eating antioxidant rich foods are key to being healthy! A few other foods high in antioxidants are berries, leafy greens, beans, and pecans.

Calcium

Cacao also has more calcium than cows milk! 100ml of cows milk contains 125mg of calcium and 100g of raw organic cacao contains 160mg of calcium. Calcium is great for bone health, teeth health, cancer prevention, heart health, blood pressure, and more.

Fiber

2 tablespoons of cacao powder contains 3.6g of fiber. To put that in comparison, 1 cup of kale only has 2.6g of fiber. Fiber is great for digestion, controls your blood sugar levels, helps lower cholesterol, and keeps you satiated and full between meals. Other great sources of fiber is most fruit, vegetables, beans, oatmeal, and nuts & seeds.

Iron

Cacao is a GREAT source of plant based iron. It's actually the highest plant-based source of iron containing around 7.3mg per 100g compared to beef at 2.5mg. Note that the iron in cacao and all other plant based iron is non-heme, so to get the maximum benefits you’ll want to combine it with some vitamin C. Other great sources of iron are spinach, quinoa, lentils, nuts & seeds, broccoli, and meat products.

Magnesium

Fun fact: magnesium is the most deficient mineral in the Western world. Cacao is also one of the highest sources of plant based magnesium along with spinach, avocado, nuts & seeds, bananas, legumes, and black beans. Magnesium is important for your heart health, brain health, sleep, and can also help with depression and blood pressure.

Cacao Ideas

I'm sure you are now wondering where you can get cacao at and how you can incorporate it in to your meals. So here are a few ideas! You can get cacao powder on amazon or any local grocery or health food store. You can shop my favs through amazon here.

Add it to your coffee

adding 1/2 - 1 tbsp of cacao powder to your coffee makes is a great healthy and natural chocolate flavor to add when you spice up your morning coffee. Try out this recipe for a chocolate coffee smoothie that's perfect for a healthy delicious breakfast!

Homemade hot chocolate

I actually have a recipe for healthy hot chocolate and the star of the show is cacao powder. You can find the recipe here and its definitely a fan-favorite. It's a super simple recipe that includes cacao powder, coconut oil, maple syrup or honey, milk of choice, and hot water. Go check it out! Perfect for an afternoon pick me up or a night time drink to curb your sweet tooth.

Desserts

Use cacao powder in replace for cocoa in your dessert recipes that you make! I also have a recipe for no bake choc pb bars that include cacao powder. You can check out the recipe and video here. You can substitute cocoa for cacao in almost any recipe and will barely be able to taste a difference.

Smoothies

This may be the easiest way to use cacao in your diet. Making a chocolate smoothie or shake using a tbsp of cacao is my favorite way to make them. I recommend trying the combo of 1 tbsp cacao powder, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 frozen banana, some almond milk, and either a tbsp of hemp seeds or collagen powder for protein.

What is YOUR favorite way to have cacao?! Let me know in the comments! :)