Boosting My Brain with Cacao Nibs

My love affair with chocolate goes way back and I often find myself baking with dark, organic, Fair Trade chocolate. Interestingly, a new love has entered my life - cacao nibs.

Yes, these tiny little pieces of raw chocolate have won my heart and my brain. Cacao (pronounced ka-COW) nibs are pieces of cacao beans, 100% chocolate, all the good stuff that is often diminished when processing and creating chocolate products - great brain boosting, mood elevating, bliss-enhancing, and healthy for you-ness.

For maximum health benefits, buy organic, raw cacao nibs. They are naturally vegan and gluten-free. Cacao nibs have a little fat -monounsaturated fat - that is heart healthy (similar to olive oil).

Cacao nibs receive stellar attention from BrainReady.com, as one of their top 5 brain health foods.

Here are some fun ways to boost your brain with cacao nibs:

1. Eat them plain to experience chocolate in a totally new way.

2. Eat them with a dab of honey, maple syrup or agave nectar.

3. Add them to anything - yogurt, your favorite smoothie, desserts (see photo), coffee.

I also found some great ideas on ways to use cacao beans and nibs from Live Super Foods. (Scroll down to "Using Cacao Beans and Nibs at Home.")

I never knew chocolate could be so much fun!

Cynthia