Is chocolate good for you? That question is almost impossible to answer until we decide what “chocolate” means.
Is a candy bar the same thing as cacao?
No. Cacao is the plant ingredient chocolate begins with. A finished candy can also contain substantial amounts of sugar, milk, fats and other ingredients. Different cocoa powders may also undergo very different processing.
Why do people talk about cacao flavanols?
Cacao naturally contains plant compounds called flavanols. Processing can affect how much remains. Research on alkalization, or Dutch processing, has repeatedly found reductions in flavanol and polyphenol content compared with natural non-alkalized cocoa.
Does that make cacao a miracle food?
No. Cacao is food, not medicine. But if you love chocolate and also care about ingredients, choosing a less-altered cacao product can make sense.
That is why Rockin’ Wellness Chocolate Cacao uses real raw organic cacao and never alkalized cocoa.
This Halloween, enjoy the fun-size candy. Just do not confuse the candy aisle with the cacao bean. They are related, but they are definitely not twins.
