Difference Between Raw Organic Cacao Powder, Chocolate Powder, and Cocoa Powder

For the most part, people confuse Raw organic cacao powder, chocolate, and cocoa. It is a valid confusion and this article is designed to try and clarify it for you. So without further ado, the main differences are-

Cocoa Powder vs Chocolate

Chocolate is normally the final product of a number of processes that go into cocoa. Chocolate is ready to eat a version of cocoa. Either as a product used to flavor milk and other foods, or as a bar in its various forms like sauces and syrup. Chocolate is mixed with milk, sugar, and nuts in many cases to get to what we know and love, with that signature ‘love inducing’ taste. At times, it can be flavored with a number of spices as well. Chocolate and cocoa is also an interchangeable term when it comes to cooking and baking. For the most part though, chocolate is technically already fully processed and ready to eat.

Cocoa vs Raw Organic Cacao Powder

The real confusion, however, lies between pure cacao powder and cocoa. Cacao and cocoa come from the same plant and are more or less derived from the same beans that eventually become one of the three. They all come from the cacao plant which has its beans taken from its pods, dried and ground.

 

At this stage, in its raw, unprocessed state, it is called pure cacao powder, or raw organic cocoa powder. It is raw in the sense that it has not received any processing. Even the grinding is done through a cold press method that does not involve any roasting. The result is a powder that keeps living enzymes active but gets rid of all the fatty parts called cacao butter.

 

Cocoa powder, on the other hand, is a completely different product. They look pretty much alike, but everything from taste, smell, and texture is different. Even the nutritional value between them is vastly different. Cocoa powder is made from roasting the dried beans and then ground to create the powder you are obviously familiar with.

 

Now that we have that settled, the next thing to consider is whether or not pure cacao powder is better and its benefits if it is.

 

Raw Organic Cacao Powder Health Benefits

 

Pure Cacao Powder is the purest way to consume chocolate. If you have heard or read of the health benefits of eating chocolate every day as a news headline in a health magazine, what they actually mean by chocolate is cacao and not your favorite bar of Hershey’s. No disrespect to Hershey’s, but cacao is just the healthier option.

 

The preparation of pure cacao powder involves only the bean of the cacao fruit and even the fatty butter will be removed. The cacao butter is the white, creamy substance that is found inside the bean, it looks and tastes like white chocolate. Since the butter is removed, apart from the bean’s natural sugars, there is little fat in cacao.

 

Cacao has naturally occurring flavonoids that help in protecting nerves from damage. It also gives the body an immune system boost. It even helps mitigate the damaged skin takes from UV rays. Pure Cacao Powder has been known to reduce inflammation in animals, even those on a high-fat diet. It has led scientists. They believe that it can play a role in reducing the risk of fatty liver disease and fight obesity when taken as a supplement.

 

Raw Organic Cacao Powder nutritional value

1. A tablespoon of cacao has only 12 calories and about a gram of fat and nearly 2 grams of dietary fiber.
2. There is not much in terms of minerals and vitamins. There are small amounts of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, and a good amount of the vitamin B spectrum along with vitamin K and E.
3. Cacao powder is rarely eaten alone. The foods that it goes with will have their own effect on the nutritional value more than it is a standalone food. It is enhanced by the milk, yogurt, and salads that it ends up on.
4. Raw cacao is also a good source of plant-based protein. One ounce of cacao has about 4 grams of protein.
5. Cacao powder has no cholesterol or trans fats, every ounce can have up to 7 grams of saturated fats.

Raw cacao should have undergone minimal processing. So make sure the ones you buy do not have any additives like sugar or milk. You should consider buying organic so that the farms are supported and cultivation is sustainable.

 

All of the above-mentioned pointers, natural, and raw organic cacao powder has every health benefit. It is normally and wrongly attributed to regular processed chocolate. Every time you hear of chocolate as good for health. You can safely assume that the research was done on pure cacao powder. Your store not bought a bar of sweet, sugary chocolate.