Why Food Really Is Our Medicine PLUS Raw Organic Cacao Balls Recipe!

one of the subjects I’m studying at Uni at the moment is called the “Science and Medicine of Food”, and I have to admit, the more I learn about eating whole foods, the more I’m convinced that Hippocrates, (the father of Western medicine), was on the money when he famously said “Food is Medicine”.

Hippocrates believed that illness stemmed from inadequate nutrition and bad eating habits, and if people could learn to improve their eating habits then optimum health would be restored. He also taught other health practitioners to “Leave your drugs in the chemist’s pot if you can heal the patient with food.”

My how the world has changed.

Fast forward to 2014 and most people are on some kind of medication for some kind of illness or ailment.

So I’ve decided to share a Raw Organic Cacao Balls recipe (courtesy of one of my lecturers from Endeavour College) which I made this afternoon and it’s GOOD FOR YOU. Yay, finally some chocolate that we can eat guilt free!

These cacao balls make for a yummy treat (after work, before work – heck, even whilst you’re at work!), particularly when you’re feeling weary and in need of an energy boost.

A quick word on Chocolate, always use RAW ORGANIC CACAO! It’s super high in minerals and antioxidants, and on the ORAC scale (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), which shows the antioxidant values of food it sits around 25,000-50,000 compared to around 4,000-6,000 in red wine. Sorry red wine drinkers …

Raw Organic Cacao Balls

1 cup singular or mixed raw nuts
1 cup pitted medjool dates
½ cup pepitas (or alternatively sunflower seeds, or mix both)
¼ cup goji berries
2-3 heaped dessert spoons of Organic Raw Cacao Powder
1tsp vanilla concentrated extract
1 tbsp raw organic honey
1 tsp organic cinnamon
Desiccated coconut for rolling (Mrs Flannery’s)

(Option – Add 1 tbsp unhulled tahini paste, or maca powder, or spirulina, or protein powder).

Process all of the ingredients, except the coconut, into a food processor until a good crumbly consistency (for about a minute on high).

Roll into walnut sized balls, and then roll in desiccated coconut, and enjoy (makes about 30), or 20 if you make them bigger.

No Time To Eat? Then Grab A Handful Of Nuts!

If your energy drops during the day, or if you get food cravings that result in you “crashing-and-burning,” then grab a handful of nuts!
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Nuts provide a unique comibination of protein (long-term energy release), fibre and healthy fats. They also fill you up and keep your blood-sugar levels stable.

Keep a handful in your handbag or pocket and you’ll find they keep you going right through to your next meal and stop you craving fatty or sugary foods.

And there’s more. Nuts contain the omega-3 fatty acids that are known to be useful in maintaing a good mood so there will be no more excuses for temper tantrums!