We all love cocoa powder for its taste and its zillions of uses, but you may wonder about what is cacao powder? So, let’s look into it.
What is cacao powder?
Cacao powder and cocoa powder are both derived from cocoa beans. Still, cacao powder is a healthier version of cacao beans than cocoa powder. Cacao beans need to heat to mix sugar with it in the final stage of cocoa powder processing, so it tastes less bitter. However, cocoa powder tastes sweeter but to get all the benefits, one should choose to seek Cacao powder.
Cacao powder may taste bitter than cocoa powder, but in terms of health and beauty benefits, it offers a handful amount of advantages, such as:
- It helps in enhancing your mood
Cacao powder contains a high amount of PEA or phenethylamine, which triggers the mood-enhancing hormones that help stay calm and happy.
- Improve your brain function
As cacao powder is known as a superfood, it is rich in polyphenols like flavanols that help better blood circulation to the brain and heart. Due to the presence of high-flavanols, cacao powder improves brain function.
- Prevents UV damage
Polyphenols are an excellent antioxidant that helps absorb UV rays and may help prevent cancer up to some extent.
- Maintain skin elasticity
Flavanols are plentiful in the production of better blood flow and blood circulation as it improves your blood circulation which ensures your skin elasticity also. Thus it also helps in reducing wrinkles.
- Helps in mild physical exfoliation
Cacao powder has a texture like an exfoliator; it can help in physical exfoliation very mildly without causing any irritation or sensitivity.
- Balancing cholesterol
Cacao powders are rich in antioxidants and omega-6, which can help in maintaining a balance between good and bad cholesterol.
- Helps in insulin secretion
Flavanols can level down the absorption and digestion of the carbohydrates in the gut, improve insulin secretion, controls the sugar level of blood, and reducing the risk factor of type-2 diabetes.
- Helps in weight loss
Cacao powders are rich in poly nutrients, which are low in sugar and fat, and cacao powder is packed with healthy nutrients like omega-6, magnesium which helps you control cravings by increasing the feeling of fullness.
Since cacao powder is an excellent source of iron, fiber, protein, etc., you should try to switch cocoa powder to it for more nutrition and benefits.
