Just sharing an interesting link to an interview with David Wolfe and Len Foley on Cacao. Many of you who have been into raw food for a while may already know about this. However if you are new to raw food this maybe news to you.
Raw Cheesecake with Cacao
Real Cacao or Not Real?
Have you heard any of the buzz about cacao and it being hybridized? This is something that you should look into if you are eating raw cacao. I have just listened to a David Wolfe Video that is informative on this topic. You may have heard this already however as always it is presented very clearly on this call. Really it is talking about the fact that a lot of the raw cacao that we are getting is hybridized and called CCN-51 . I don't know about you but I really don't care to eat anything that is called CCN-51 . As you can imagine this is a complex issue that can not be fixed in a quick minute. As a consumer of any type of food, it is important to do some research on what you are getting. A lot of food in our world it is being tampered with, genetically modified and not in it's natural state. When this happens, the food no longer carries the same qualities. The main reason that this information is important is that you maybe thinking that you are getting the best product and in reality you are not. "CCN-51" does not have the same nutritional values of a superfood that most people are looking for when they buy cacao. It is not rich in antioxidants, minerals or have a high ORAC value.
What you should be looking for in your Cacao? Well in the interview they discuss that you should look for a species that is a native-born Ecuadorian species named "Arriba Nacional-Fino de Aroma". You can obviously find these products on David's site, however you can also find the products in selected health food stores. Another interesting point brought up in the video is that cacao paste could be a better choice that the powder.
Love to hear what your thoughts are on all of this. I do eat Cacao and use the above mentioned species. However I do have it in moderation and I don't go crazy with it. What are your thoughts on this? Are you buying the right cacao? Do you avoid cacao and use carob instead? Can't wait to hear what you have to say....
Geez-I haven't heard about this....it is so upsetting to know that even when we think we are eating healthy that the government or whoever have tampered with our food!!! I wish I lived in a state that I could grow year long and lots of it and then I would just eat my own food!!
ReplyDeleteI have seen a couple emails about this---and I respect David Wolfe. I just don't know---I think it's healthy to be skeptical about any "new" info that comes out and tries to make a big impact. I know David Wolfe sells products, and this always puts a slight bit of doubt in my head, but I also really really like to think of him as being honest and not sensationalizing...
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this---I don't know what I think yet, but I've got my eye on the issue! I'm a big cacao user...so I need to pay attention :)
Hi Rawkinmom,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Yes I agree that it can be very upsetting to buy things that we think are healthy, and then find out they are not. Yes I agree, I wish I could grow all of my own things as well.
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that it can be hard to figure out what is real or not. I actually did a little looking around on this area. I think he has a valid point. I actually switched what type of cacao several months ago. I do use a heirloom species that is mentioned above and am really happy with it. It is not from his company because I can get it at a local health food store.
The bottom line seems to be how to lessen the cost and produce it faster and therefore make more profit. It is just really scary if you think you are getting the top of the line product.
Everyone has to do their own research and do what they are comfortable with.
Needless to say this has me very concerned. I am careful to purchase my cacao from reputable sources but I taste a lot of chocolate that is not raw and I don't want to be eating CCN-51 either. All the more reason to seek out bean to bar chocolatiers who purchase their beans from Ecuador. I look for words like single source, fair trade, small batch, certified organic, etc. Thank you for posting this video clip, Sasha. I'll have to share this with my chocolate for breakfast community.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue Ann
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I love how you shared other key words that we should be looking for when we purchase chocolate. I was unaware of CCN-51 for a a while, however when I started to look it up, the information was there confirming that we really need to learn more about what we are purchasing. I found it really interesting how on the video they talk about how the CCN-51 plant looks versus the real cacao plant and how they react differently in the environment as well as the different maturation times.