What is it?

Our Cacao Nibs are an original heirloom criollo amazonico Cacao from Satipo in Peru. By buying this Raw Cacao you are supporting a sustainable project that is rescuing this original heirloom variety of Cacao, which has been grown by the Ashaninka and Chene people of the Peruvian Amazon for thousands of years.

These certified organic indigenous growers use an age old system of permaculture, where the Cacao trees are planted under the native forest canopy, along with other fruit trees, such as mango, avocado and papaya. All of these trees add their distinctive nuances to the fine multi-floral flavor of this exquisite Cacao.

Raw Cacao Nibs are jam packed with antioxidants, magnesium and bliss nutrients that may help keep you young, healthy and happy.

How to use

Eat a handful whenever you want to feel energized and happy. Goes well in trail mix, especially with Goji Berries.

Health Benefits

Raw Cacao Beans contain 10 grams of flavonol antioxidants per 100 grams, which is an incredible 10%. Research has also demonstrated that the antioxidants in cacao are highly stable and easily available to human metabolism. In the adjacent table you can see that our Loving Earth Raw Chocolate has more antioxidants than Goji Berries and Acai Berries. The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture to measure the ability of antioxidants to absorb free radicals, which normally cause cell and tissue damage. The higher the ORAC score, the higher the level of antioxidants present in the food.

ORAC Scores for top 10 Antioxidant foods per 100g
1)	Loving Earth Raw Cacao Powder*	98,000
2)	Raw Cacao Nibs**	62,100
3)	Loving Earth Raw Dark Chocolate*	27,900
4)	Roasted Cocoa Powder	26,000
5)	Goji Berries**	25,300
6)	Acai Berries**	18,500
7)	Dark Chocolate	13,120
8)	Prunes	5,770
9)	Raisins	2,830
10)	Blueberries	2,400
Source: US department of Agriculture
* Tested by Southern Cross University
** Tested by Brunswick Laboratories, MA, USA

Magnesium for the Heart and Brain

Raw cacao is the primary dietary source of magnesium, the most deficient mineral in western civilisation. Magnesium is the most important mineral for a healthy functioning heart. It also plays a key role in producing energy for the neurons in the brain from glucose. So when there is an abundance of magnesium the brain works with clarity and focus.

Mood elevators and Anti-depressants

Cacao is a great source of serotonin, dopamine, anandamide and phenylethylamine (PEA), four well-studied neurotransmitters, which are associated with feelings of well being and help alleviate depression. Both PEA and Anandamide (the bliss chemical) are found in abundance in the brains of happy people and are particularly released when we are feeling happy. Both of these nuerotransmitters are present in raw cacao in large enough quanitities to affect the brain and lift our moods. Cacao also contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO Inhibitors) that keep neurotransmitters in the bloodstream for longer without being broken down.

We have all experienced the positive feelings associated with eating chocolate, now we have access to pure raw unadalterated chocolate in the form of Organic Raw Cacao. This is much more potent than the processed chocolate and doesn't have any sugar or dairy products blocking the positive effects of all the goodies in Raw Cacao. My experience is that eating 11 Raw Cacao Beans is enough to experience a blissful sense of well being.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size 10g

	Per Serve	Per 100g
Energy	252.2kj	2522.1kj
Protein	1.35g	13.5g
Fat-total	4.68g	46.8g
- saturated	2.5g	25g
Carbohydrate-total	3.18g	31.8g
- sugar	0g	0g
Sodium	1.7mg	17mg