Cacao Ceremonial vs Café: 5 razones por las que deberías plantearte el cambio

Cada vez son más las personas que pasan del café recién hecho al cacao ceremonial. ¿Por qué?

If you are a solid coffee drinker, You might be thinking… “Well easy for you to say, there is nothing that can beat that delicious smell and first sip of my morning coffee”. And yes, you might be right! I have been there myself. But, have you ever wondered what happens to your body when you drink coffee every day? Between afternoon crashes, anxiety, digestive issues, restlessness, insomnia, and a potential caffeine dependency, coffee can leave you depleted at the end of the day and make you not feel so very good.

For this and more reasons, I’ll explain to you below, the switch to drinking cacao is made by an increasing amount of people worldwide. Cacao is packed with antioxidants (one of the highest concentrations in any food in the world), magnesium, and mood enhancers that promote focus, reduce stress, and improve sleep. In addition to boosting your immune system and being a natural remedy for coughs, cacao helps to lower blood pressure, prevent strokes, promote overall heart health, aid in digestion, and build strong bones. But on an energetic level, cacao is known to help us open our heart chakra. Something that coffee simply cannot compare to. ***Nota al margen: No confundir con cacao en polvo o chocolate negro al 70-90%. Estoy hablando del auténtico, lo mejor de lo mejor: 100% pure organic Ceremonial Grade Cacao.

Déjame que te lo explique....

My name is Sharon Fernie, and I am the Founder of Herbal Cacao, providing the world with high-quality Medicinal Ceremonial Cacao Blends. Our mission is to support our community in their journey of self and spiritual discovery. I have a deep passion for holistic wellness and ancient traditions. Through Herbal Cacao, I aim to spread awareness about the profound benefits of ceremonial cacao and other medicinal herbs and mushrooms. I strive to create a space where individuals can connect with themselves and each other on a deeper level, to be the love, share the love, and spread the love.

Join me here in the “Herbal Cacao Journal” as we explore the fascinating world of our active medicinal ingredients, cacao rituals, ancient healing practices, and modern wellness techniques. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or just beginning your journey, this blog post in the “Herbal Cacao Journal” is your invitation to deepen your understanding of this sacred plant and its profound impact on mind, body, and spirit. Let’s embark on this journey together, cultivating a community rooted in love, healing, and spiritual exploration.

1. ¿El cacao da energía como el café?

El mito de la cafeína

Most people who drink coffee on a daily basis do so not just for the taste, but also because of it’s energy / alert boosting effects. Especially when we just wake up and have to drag ourselves out of the bed to start the working day, coffee comes in handy and almost essential to some people. Why? Coffee contain caffeine that acts as a central nervous system stimulant. When it reaches your brain, the most noticeable effect is alertness. You’ll feel more awake and less tired, but….

La cafeína puede desencadenar dolores de cabeza. When you consume caffeine on a regular basis, your body becomes dependent on its effects. And because caffeine has vasoconstrictive properties, meaning that blood vessels narrow to restrict blood flow, also the blood vessels that surround the brain, and when consumption is stopped, the blood vessels enlarge. This causes an increase in blood flow around the brain and pressures surrounding the nerves. This can then trigger what is known as a caffeine withdrawal headache.(*) Withdrawal headaches can last for a couple of weeks because it takes the body a while to adjust to not having caffeine in its system.

Instead of caffeine (*), cacao contains something called theobromine (*), which translates as “food of the gods”. Cacao is 99.9 percent caffeine-free. Theobromine is a naturally occurring stimulant that if family to caffeine, but works in a way more subtle way than the harsh caffeine does. It dilates blood vessels (instead of constricting them) to increase blood flow, which gives you the same boost of energy that coffee does—except it lasts longer and doesn’t have all the nasty side effects. Despite being a stimulant, theobromine can also help you to sleep better at night as it helps to balance brain chemistry helping to improve your focus and attention

“My new morning ritual is now not drinking coffee anymore, but cacao as it always opens my heart. What a great way to start the day, with an open heart..”

Melinte Reitzema, - La senda de la Leona

2. Ceremonial Cacao benefits: Improve your mood

El cacao contiene potenciadores naturales del estado de ánimo like anandamide, serotonin, and tryptophan (the “bliss” chemical in our bodies, the “feel-good” chemical in our brains, and a natural antidepressant amino acid). On top of this cacao is also known as “the love drug” (*) In other words, it contains the same chemical our bodies release when we fall in love, which improves moods and increases focus and alertness. You will not find this extraordinary composition of love chemicals in any other food source in the world besides cacao. (Leer más about this topic)

No, unfortunately, coffee doesn’t even come close. Also, don’t fall into the trap of many other store-bought cacao products out there. Chocolate is the highly processed form of cacao and even though it still contains these amazing feel-good chemicals they will be presented in much lower dosages compared to Cacao 100% puro calidad ceremonial.

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3. Ceremonial Cacao benefits :

The most powerful antioxidant food in the world!

Los antioxidantes son sustancias presentes en los alimentos que previenen los daños causados por los radicales libres en las células y tejidos del organismo. Es importante mantener a raya a los radicales libres, ya que pueden contribuir al envejecimiento, el cáncer y enfermedades crónicas como las cardiopatías y la enfermedad de Parkinson. La mayoría de las personas consumen entre 1 y 2 gramos de antioxidantes al día. (*) principalmente de bebidas como el café y el té.

Beverages are a much larger source of antioxidants in the Western diet than food. In fact, 79% of dietary antioxidants come from beverages, while only 21% come from food. (*) El café es rico en varios antioxidantes potentes, como los ácidos hidrocinámicos y los polifenoles, pero Cacao contains one of the highest concentrations of polyphenol antioxidants and flavonoids in any food in the world!

The antioxidant capacity of foods is referred to as its ORAC value, which stands for oxygen radical absorbance quality. In a lab test, a sample of the food is put in a test tube with molecules that generate free radical activity. After a period of time, the food is examined for free radical damage. The less damage there is, the higher the ORAC value. Coffee ranked very high on the list behind several types of berries. But the all time highest source is still Cacao! (Well actually mushrooms and in particular Chaga mushroom)

100g Coffee has an ORAC value of just 3000.

100g Raw cacao has an * ORAC value of over 85,000. (But Chaga will blow you mind with an ORAC value of over 146,700!)

4. Beneficios del cacao ceremonial: la mayor fuente vegetal de magnesio y hierro

El café contiene cinco minerales diferentes, entre ellos calcio y potasio. El valor mineral de 100 g de café es de 2 mg de calcio, 49 mg de potasio, 3 mg de magnesio, 3 mg de fósforo y 2 mg de sodio. Esto es muy bajo en comparación con nuestro favorito, el cacao.

El cacao es extremadamente rico en minerales vitales, necesarios para un funcionamiento corporal óptimo, y cuando digo rico, quiero decir realmente rico. El cacao es una de las fuentes vegetales más ricas del mundo en magnesio y hierro. Además de estos dos minerales tan importantes, el cacao también es rico en calcio, conocido por fortalecer los huesos y los dientes. Y otros oligoelementos clave como el cromo, que ayuda a regular el azúcar en sangre, y el zinc, que desempeña un papel importante en el proceso de crecimiento, el almacenamiento de insulina, la síntesis de proteínas y la producción de esperma. También refuerza el sistema inmunitario.

Other essential vitamins & minerals found in cacao are: vitamine A, B2, B3, B1, E, C and pantothenic acid. And minerals like calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, sulfur and potassium.

¿Sabía que .... that magnesium it is the most depleted mineral in our Western society?! These micro-nutrients is essential for over 300 detoxification processes in the body. Magnesium is also important for a healthy heart and science discovered that the concentration of magnesium is 18x higher in the heart than in the bloodstream. Magnesium also helps turn glucose into energy enabling your brain to work with laser-sharp clarity and focus. Magnesium is therefore also known as “the relaxation mineral” It lowers pain sensitivity, calms the nerves and is also helpful in menstrual cramps due to its muscle-relaxing effect. Just for this reason, i would want to already consume this heavenly drink everyday in my diet.

Cacao is a powerful prebiotic,- meaning a happy healthy gut

El cacao ayuda a mantener felices y sanas las bacterias beneficiosas del intestino. Las bacterias beneficiosas del colon se alimentan de antioxidantes y, como has podido leer antes, el cacao contiene una cantidad extrema de polifenoles (el antioxidante más potente de todos). Se descomponen y dan lugar a pequeños metabolitos que se absorben en el torrente sanguíneo, donde tienen efectos beneficiosos.

Además, no tienes que preocuparte de que sea tan ácido y agresivo para tu sistema digestivo como el café; su nivel de pH suele estar entre 6,4 y 6,8.

5. Beneficios del cacao ceremonial: ayuda a adelgazar

Coffee is a beverage that is not just highly promoted for its energizing effects, but also a lot of people worldwide are drinking coffee to help lose weight. A popular way to help achieve losing weight is to consume fewer calories than you usually take in. In that sense, black coffee is an ideal beverage to drink for weight loss as it contains less than 5 calories per serving (one 8-0z cup). However due to the high caffeine content, coffee can also mess up your sleep. Even though the high caffeine content is associated with increased metabolism, poor sleep is again linked to increased appetite and hunger. Also, bear in mind what the other nasty side effects of too much caffeine can do to you…

Por otro lado, el cacao ayuda a perder peso, ya que mantiene la sensación de saciedad durante más tiempo.

¿Cómo? Aparte de ser una bebida llena de compuestos felices, el cacao también está cargado de nutrientes y contiene alrededor de un 50% de grasa del tipo bueno. Estas grasas buenas no elevan los niveles de colesterol en sangre y ayudan a transportar nutrientes y oxígeno a todas las células del cuerpo. ¿Recuerdas que mencioné que el cacao también ayuda a abrir los vasos sanguíneos?

Los hidratos de carbono presentes en el cacao son en su mayoría fibras alimentarias solubles que nos mantienen saciados durante más tiempo. También se cree que el consumo de cacao aumenta la producción de una proteína llamada adiponectina. Los adultos con un mayor nivel de adiponectina en sangre tienden a tener niveles más bajos de grasa corporal.

Un estudio reciente tried to analyse the effects of cacao on patients who are suffering from high-fat induced obesity. The study showed that consumption of cacao along with a high-fat diet, prevented weight gain due to the diet. The anti-obesity activity of cacao works on a genetic level. Meaning; it turns off the genes which are responsible for the synthesis of fatty acids, so these fats do not get accumulated in the system and prevent weight gain.

Todos estos beneficios adicionales descritos anteriormente se suman al consumo de cacao. Y ni siquiera he mencionado el delicioso sabor del cacao.

¿Estás preparada para hacer el cambio?

Después de leer todos estos increíbles beneficios de beber cacao ceremonial, en comparación con el café ¿estás considerando en hacer el cambio? Si es así, todo lo que hace falta ahora es un cambio de mentalidad. Aquí tienes algunos consejos para ayudarte en la transición.

Empieza poco a poco. Si eres nuevo en esto del cacao ceremonial y no quieres renunciar por completo al café, ¡no pasa nada! Muchos amantes del cacao empiezan sustituyendo sólo 1 taza de café por cacao al día y toman cacao con una dosis muy baja. Si este es tu caso, te recomiendo que empieces con sólo 1 pieza (10 gramos) para notar el delicioso sabor, ¡además de un efecto corporal! Con el tiempo, puedes ir añadiendo más cacao a tu gusto. PD. Para evitar los síntomas de abstinencia como los dolores de cabeza mencionados anteriormente. Recomiendo encarecidamente este paso

Confiar es el primer paso para realizar cualquier cambio. Confía en que el cacao cuidará de ti.

Establece tu intención for your morning beverage. What would you like to gain from consuming this. What would you like to experience, More joy, peaceful morning start, more energy, nutrients to feed your body? What ever it is for, with intention we create meaning and make this more powerful.

Thank you for reading my blog post in our Herbal Cacao Journal.