Over the past decade, the consensus surrounding fats amongst medical professionals and nutritional scientists has changed. Simply put, eating fats don’t make you fat!
Good fats, in particular, are an essential nutrient that your fat uses to build cell membranes, nerve tissues (including the brain) and hormones.
One of the purest fats naturally found is that of cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is extracted through a fermentation process from the cocoa bean plant. Cocoa butter is also the building block of chocolate. However, with the commercialization of processed foods, many commercial chocolates contain less than 5% cocoa butter or it’s been replaced entirely by ingredients like palm oil.
At ZoRaw, our milk and dark chocolates are 35% and 45% cocoa butter, respectively. Outside of being an essential ingredient for real chocolate, cocoa butter is also packed with nutrients such as polyphenols and rich in essential minerals.
Cocoa Butters also rich in both unsaturated and saturated fats. The science behind the fats in cocoa butter are clear – they are good for your health. Essentially, cocoa butter contains stearic acid, which your liver can convert to a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid. Oleic acid lowers levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol and boosts levels of good (HDL) cholesterol. It doesn’t stop there, studies on cocoa in chocolate have demonstrated the following heart benefits:
- Lowered blood pressure
- Anti-inflammation
- Anti-platelet function
- Higher HDL
- Decreased LDL oxidation
The above benefits have been demonstrated by many studies, please see below for a select few:
Chocolate and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review
Cocoa, Chocolate and Cardiovascular Disease
For more information, please email us directly at info@zorawchocolates.com and remember to enjoy some chocolate knowing your doing your heart some good!