Page 8 - Inspire Health January/February 2017

• super food

C“PaOTohcfWeao”

By: Leah Porche, RD Put some FAVHFEOEWRREITOAEFRWMEAYAYS
cacao nibs in
First things first: How do we your granola Try a cacao
pronounce such a word? My or trail mix for energy ball recipe
official opinion is that it is a surprising
pronounced, “kah-cow,” much like for a quick and
ka-POW, which just so happens to be bite healthy pop
a good explanation of how it tastes!
The flavor of raw cacao powder, or Add cacao
a cacao nib, is intensely bitter with powder to
a chocolaty-coffee undertone. This your morning
less-processed substance is the elder smoothie to
cousin of cocoa, which is made into cocoa start your day
powder (think Nestle Quik), then into with a bang
cocoa liquor, and ultimately chocolate.
While both versions have the same origins
and have similar health benefits, I give
the gold to cacao. It is not as processed
as cocoa, so it retains its plethora of
nutrient-rich components, including
fiber, iron, antioxidants and more. For
something that generally lands under the
dessert section, that is an impressive list
of nutrients. But even more impressive is
that cacao boasts a higher concentration
of antioxidants than goji berries,
acai berries and blueberries. These
antioxidants have been shown to reduce
the damage caused by free radicals in the
fight against cancers as well as aging, so
go ahead and add this super food to your
diet today.

RISE & SHINE • 1 scoop of ice
SMOOTHIE • 1 tsp. cacao powder
• 2 Tbsp. honey simple syrup (or 1 Tbsp. honey)
BY LEAH PORCHE • ½ cup cold brew coffee
• 3/4 cup almond milk

8 INSPIRE HEALTH JANUARY · FEBRUARY 2017