PEA is known as “the molecule of joy,” and only present in two foods, chocolate and blue-green algae. It is the chemical produced in the brain when we are fully happy and immersed in the moment, especially when involved in a creative act like writing or painting, dancing or making music. PEA is also very good for the brain, and improves brain function. When I take the PEA extract Blue Manna, I feel more focused, alert and intelligent. Physically, it promotes healthy joints and tissues. And if all that wasn’t enough, PEA also affects the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, which increase mental positivity. It is the presence of PEA which largely seems to account for the common folklore wisdom that chocolate makes a good substitution for sex, as we get the same increased levels of PEA when we are in love. “Some 50% of women reportedly claim to prefer chocolate to sex, though this response may depend on the attributes of the interviewer.” (chocolate.org)
Aphrodisiacs
A box of chocolates is the most popular gift to give on Valentine’s day. As well as the loved-up feelings we get from the PEA in chocolate, the neurotransmitters affected by chocolate make us feel happy and alert, and the minerals magnesium and sulphur both loosen the muscles and make us more relaxed. On top of that, cacao is one of the best dietary sources of arginine, an amino acid also known as nature’s Viagra. Arginine increases blood flow to the heart and the genitals, increasing arousal and improving sexual appetite.
MAO Inhibitors
Cacao contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) which inhibit monoamine oxidase enzymes (MAOs). This has the effect of increasing the levels of neurotransmitters in the body, and having an antidepressant effect. When we are young, we naturally produce high levels of neurotransmitters, thus MAOIs facilitate a youthful attitude to life and have anti-aging properties. They also act as an appetite suppressant. Cacao seems to have the effect of regulating the body’s natural appetite: it helps us tune into what our bodies actually need, rather than eating out of habit or for emotional comfort. Most regular consumers of raw cacao report weight loss and an improved ability to stabilize their weight at the level they feel most comfortable with. Additionally, MAOIs are present in significant amounts in shamanistic plants such as ayahuasca. This would account for the enhanced psychic sensibility that many cacao-lovers experience.
Stimulants
Cacao contains subtle amounts of the methylxanthines caffeine and theobromine. These are both stimulants, however both are proving to have far different effects when consumed raw rather than cooked. The presence of caffeine is one of the primary reasons people cite for avoiding chocolate, but in our experience, the caffeine in raw chocolate has little to no effect. Personally, I have a highly developed and sensitive system which cannot tolerate even small doses of substances such as alcohol and caffeine. Before we discovered raw chocolate, if I was to eat even the tiniest amount of cooked vegan dark chocolate, I would feel the negative effects of the caffeine. I get a tense, wired, edgy feeling from caffeine that I never get from raw cacao. When we first started making chocolate bars, one batch of cacao nibs we were sent had been toasted by accident. It only took a few days of consuming these toasted nibs for us all to notice an increase in aggressive feelings and mood swings. This to me was enough proof that the caffeine in cacao only has negative effects once it has been heated. Homeopathic research has come to a similar conclusion that the physiological changes are caused by substances released during heating.
So why is cacao such a magical food? Why do people go completely crazy for it, while others are vehemently against it? I believe cacao is a wake-up food. It wakes you up to your full power, to who you truly are, to the potentiality of the moment, to the infinite and abundant nature of the universe. For a lot of people, this is too much to handle. We are brought up to believe in limitation and suffering. For people whose whole lives are based around this paradigm, cacao brings up too much fear. How could I step outside of the box I’ve created for myself? How could I let go of my ego’s definition of who I am, and be fully, spiritually in the moment? For many people this is too big a leap to make, and they cannot find a place for the cacao gods in their hearts. But for the majority of people, the opposite is true. Most people feel limited and restricted in their lives. They are dying to break out of the box, to live a bit more freely, to embrace who they fully are and be given a chance to soar. Cacao gives them a taste of what this could be like, and that is a wonderful feeling. And remember, with our thoughts we create the world. So when we experience that cacao high, every time we break out of a restricting thought pattern, we are telling the universe we are willing to accept a greater truth, a higher reality.
For example, you are having a tough morning with the kids. Two of them are fighting, and the baby has had you awake all night. There is a big pile of washing to do, and a heap of emails you are dying to get a peek at. It’s 11 a.m. and you are starting to flag. Eat a piece of toast, or a few rice cakes, and you are more likely to stay locked in that negative pattern. How hard this all is; why do mums get so dumped on; why don’t I have more help? But eat some raw cacao with its super-dynamic loved-up switched-on energy, and your whole mindset changes. You find yourself laughing at their bickering instead of taking it seriously, and rather than shouting at them and losing your temper, you join in the rough and tumble and make a game of it. Or you notice what a glorious sunny day it is outside and bundle them all up to the swings where you bump into one of your favorite friends and sit there putting the world to rights while the children get to burn off their energy. The vibration you are sending out to the universe then is that parenting is fun and easy, and miraculously the universe sends you situations that match that vibration; your husband comes home and spontaneously attacks the wash basket for you instead of watching TV, and a friend offers to have the kids over the next day which gives you a chance to disappear into your emails. Whereas if you had been in a grump all day about the hopelessness of your situation and the misery of parenthood, that is just the situation the universe delivers for you, the next day, and the next day, and the next day, until you can change that record in your head.
Cacao is the food of the goddess. Goddess energy is about being in the moment; it is about surrender, acceptance, and loving everything. It is about flowing, and being present and giving, giving, and more giving. When we eat cacao, it puts us right back in touch with our goddess energy. It puts us fully in the moment, and loving it, ready to give some more. For instance, you have had a long busy day at work. You’ve come straight home for dinner and had a delicious raw soup. You know you should call your mum because she called over the weekend and you haven’t had a chance to return her call; she will be waiting, getting anxious that you are neglecting her. Have some ice cream for dessert and you’ll more likely end up in front of the TV, feeling guilty that you haven’t called again. But eat a piece of chocolate as an after-dinner treat, and bam! There is that extra energy you needed to pick up the phone and show your mum you really do care. You speak for half an hour, and she feels so much better because she got to speak with you, and you feel so much better because you made your mum happy.
Cacao is also a major sunfood. Sunfoods are the foods that carry strong yang energy: they are expansive, they help us reach up and out and are strengthening and energizing. They keep our energy rising and ascending. Thus they help us deal with our blockages, because they give us the insight to rise above them, to meet them head on and to move beyond them. Perhaps there is a boy that you like. He said he would call that evening, but he has a habit of letting you down. When he does call, he is always charming and funny and gorgeous; unfortunately, he more often doesn’t call than he does. Instead of sitting at home, wasting time on Facebook, waiting for the phone to ring, you eat some raw chocolate, call up a girlfriend, and go out for a dance. And who knows, maybe you meet a charming, funny, gorgeous boy who does call!
Are you getting the picture now? At first sight, it may seem simplistic to say that a food can change your life. But what we are really saying is your consciousness creates your reality, with your thoughts you make the world. Basically put, we are all a chain of chemical reactions, endless cause and effect. The food you put in your mouth is made