Cacao powder is easily one of my favorite additions to smoothies, oatmeal, shakes, desserts, and countless other things. Chocolate-flavored foods have always had a special place in my heart, but I never knew until recently that the food I adore so tremendously also has a long list of awesome health benefits.

So, what is cacao? Cacao comes from the beans of the cacao tree, a plant native to Mesoamerica. The plant was founded by the Mesoamericans hundreds of years ago and played a vital role in their culture, as it was used for consumption, trading, religious, ceremonial, and medicinal purposes. 

What is the difference between cacao and cocoa powder? There is a common (and totally understandable) misconception that cacao and cocoa powder are the same. After all, only one letter differentiates the two words. However, cacao and cocoa are not the same, and only one of them holds a vast amount of health benefits. Raw cacao powder is made by pressing un-roasted cocoa beans and grinding them into a powder, retaining the living enzymes and removing the fat: cocoa butter. Cocoa powder, on the other hand, is cacao powder that has been roasted at a very high temperature, and because of the high heat, the live enzymes that hold antioxidants are therefore destroyed.

What are some of the benefits of raw cacao powder? Although it may seem impossible to have something taste so delicious be healthy too, chocolate defies the odds. The list of benefits for this delicious treat are endless. It is super high in calcium, elevates one's mood, prevents tooth decay, encourages nail and hair growth, and is high in antioxidants, which aid to fight off viruses and microbes. Cacao is also the highest plant-based source of iron, an essential mineral that helps transport oxygen throughout the body. The powder also contains magnesium, which improves muscle and nerve function, blood pressure regulation, and other biochemical reactions in the body.

Now that I know of all of the benefits of raw cacao powder, should I eat it everyday?  Well, unfortunately, maybe not. Studies have shown that raw cacao powder and other cacoa-based products can have high concentration levels of cadmium, which is a heavy metal that naturally grows in soil. However, although it naturally occurs in the environment, cadmium cannot be easily digested by the body and can be harmful over time. With that said, cadmium also appears in other "everyday" foods, such as coffee, some teas, hydrogenated oils, junk food, and even potatoes, so it is up to you how you decide to use that information. If you love the taste of cacao but are worried about the harmful effects, you can choose to eat cacao nibs, which have significantly less cadmium than cacao and cocoa, or you can try carob powder, which is a powder similar to cacao that can be used to replace cacao.