The Indians of Costa Rica are some of the longest living peoples in the world. We spent time visiting the BriBri in the Talamanca mountains. They, like many modern indigenous people, live between two worlds. They wear modern clothes, live in modern houses and carry cell phones. But they still stick to the old ways when it comes to taking care of themselves. And one of the traditions they cherish is drinking chocolate. YES! Chocolate is GOOD FOR YOU! In fact, BriBri drink 5-6 cups of this rich, sugar-free beverage every day and say its powerful antioxidants are the secret to its longevity.
Visit the Bribri in the hills of southern Costa Rica and spend some time with a 72-year-old woman named Ophelia. Ofelia and her family have a estate, or Costa Rican farm, where they allow cocoa plants to grow wild. They do not use chemical products, organic or otherwise. When the red and yellow pods ripen, they harvest the pods full of cocoa beans and take them to a large barn that is cool and dark inside and covered in chocolate dust.
Imagine the scent!
Enter the sweet-smelling barn and you’ll be greeted by mats full of dried cacao beans, white chocolate-filled bags filled to the brim and ready for market, and, my favorite part, little trays of raw cacao squares flavored with things like coconut. , cinnamon, vanilla, chilies, papaya, pineapple, almonds, hazelnuts or wild honey. Samples are free and larger, all natural, fantastically good for you. The bars are for sale.
Talk to Ophelia and she will tell you that she doesn’t eat anything that contains preservatives and never takes any medications, relying only on what she can gather in the rainforest. She will also tell you that the young don’t drink cocoa like the old.
“It’s important to drink cocoa every day,” he will say.
And then she’ll make you a cup of traditional hot chocolate. She will take a disc made of ground raw bean paste and shave it to a powder and boil it in hot water for you. Drink it and savor its bitter richness. It’s definitely not the cocoa your mom used to make. This drink is pure and dark and has little oily circles of cocoa butter floating on top. And it’s packed with heart-healthy fats and cancer-preventing polyphenols.
So this is what I propose. Try replacing your morning coffee with a cup of raw cacao. It will give you a caffeine boost similar to coffee, but without the jittery feeling. It will also keep you from feeling hungry, and because cocoa is full of B vitamins and other feel-good chemicals, it will promote an overall don’t-worry-be-happy feeling.
Here is my favorite raw cocoa hot drink recipe
MORNING COCOA RECIPE
10 ounces of water
2 tablespoons of raw cocoa
A generous pinch of sea salt
a few drops of vanilla
pinch of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of honey
Boil the water with the cocoa and salt. Beat with a fork or whisk. Let it boil for 2 minutes or so (this will ensure the cocoa melts)
Turn off the heat and add vanilla and cinnamon.
Pour into your favorite mug, add honey and stir well.
TO ENJOY!
