raw cacao with green tea

[maria84]

when i mix cacao/cocoa(however you want to say it) with a caffeine source such as green tea, i get mega buzzed. has anyone else tried this?

it made me wonder if it's a good combination, absorption-wise.

i'm getting my superfood supplements in first thing in the morning now and it's always easier to kill two birds with one stone.

[Revvell]

I don't do caffeine of any kind. It's not been shown to be good for the adrenals.

[kaybee]

i dont know that its necessarily a good combo for your body....sounds like your just getting a super buzz off the caffeine. not sure though

[sport]

Neither of those two are natural foods and neither of them are good for you.

[Seductive Arts]

Neither of those two are natural foods and neither of them are good for you.

Says who? Cocoa has been used for centuries by Native Americans and so has tea by everyone around the world. They are very natural.

People need to start explaining where they get their claims from instead of just saying stuff. You need to explain why they are considered unnatural. Otherwise, it just appears to be another one of those food phobia myths perpetuated by many in the Raw Food community.

[sport]

If your ancestors could not pick it and eat it without processing it then it is not natural.

[sport]

Do you know what "advanced glycation end products" are.
It was reading an article relating to this that I deduced that tea was not good.

There are many reports about the harmfull effects of cacoa and we have debated it many times here.

[Cottonball McFluffy]

Not getting into the healthy or not part of this, but I'd say Maria84 is getting buzzed from the caffeine and caffeine-like substances that can be found in both tea and cacao. That's besides cacao stimulating your happiness-hormones. Not really sure if I would use those two together on a regular basis as artifical stimulant is still an artificial stimulant in my mind, but if it works for you and you don't crash/get detox symptoms when not having this drink, then go for it.

[Seductive Arts]

If your ancestors could not pick it and eat it without processing it then it is not natural.

Okay, this is what I call food phobia. And this kind of talk runs through the Raw Food community. There is a disorder with a name called Orthorexia Nervosa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthorexia_nervosa), which is obsession of eaten so healthy that one paralyze themselves with extreme food restrictions.

This stuff needs to stop. You are eating Raw foods, but raw foods is not good enough, because some raw foods is not "natural".

Take a hint, this guy right here is a Raw Foodist and has Orthorexia Nervousa, which he is being treat for through therapy, and has a whole Youtube Channel on how certain Raw Foodist use Raw Foodism to obsess with eating "pure", "correct" and "healthy" foods. And this disorder applies to health food junkies who are not raw as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn9oiiGzAG8

And see where certain foods are not good enough got him. Video on how unreal his skinny body is...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkNaFoIxO4Y&NR=1


I left his raw board, because I was influenced by a few people on here, who I know see have an eating disorder where even good raw vegan foods were not good enough for all kinds of reasons that have nothing to do with foods being poor in nutrients, affect allergies, or are toxic. I had to clear my head by not coming here for a while, because some just have issues with food. And it took me a while to determine which members on the board have eating disorders disguised as healthy eating, versus other members who are truly normal.

There is nothing wrong with cocoa or tea. If you think that way, then most likely you are not eating a lot of foods, because you can't pick off the tree or vine in order to eat fresh. You might have issues eating nuts, or coconuts, because you might need a knife to whack them open instead of just picking them off a vine and eat like a tomato right there on the spot without any work to them. This kind of thinking can be endless.

Sometimes, some people just take things a little too far.

[sport]

There is nothing wrong with cocoa or tea. If you think that way, then most likely you are not eating a lot of foods, because you can't pick off the tree or vine in order to eat fresh. You might have issues eating nuts, or coconuts, because you might need a knife to whack them open instead of just picking them off a vine and eat like a tomato right there on the spot without any work to them. This kind of thinking can be endless.

Sometimes, some people just take things a little too far.

I guess that we all need to do things our own way and I do eat plenty of food and I am not underweight.
If you read my posts I drank tea for many years after going raw and I used chocolate and I did that because I wanted to and I openly said it.
I no longer feel the need for those or is no longer dependent on them and I am happy for that to happen as they are not natural foods and they are stimulants. Food is meant to nourish and not to stimulate.

[Stina]

I get insomnia from raw cacao. I eat it once in a great while for the rare treat and am very careful to do it in the early part of the day.

[green jeanie]

Hi Sport,

I don't mean to pick on you in any way but the statement:

"Food is meant to nourish and not to stimulate."

reads as a statement laden in personal belief and rigidity.

As an herbalist, of over 20 years, I would say all foods nourish, they just nourish in different ways and for different purpose.

Stimulating the system is not always detrimental. Sedating the system is not always detrimental. Nourishing is appropriate at times. Fasting is appropriate at times.

The trick to "listening to one's body" is learning what is appropriate WHEN and in which conditions and how to promote endurance and proper biorhythmic harmony.

Tea and cacao have medicinal qualities that can not be denied or over looked. As with all things in life, even good things such as sleep, fats, sugars, sex, ambition etc etc they can be overdone and addictive.

That doesn't negate their value inherently.

Wisdom to choose proper foods is up to the individuals ability and consciousness based on their individual system. Rigid belief structures, IMHO are sourced in fear.

Much love, gj

[JCB44]

Hi Sport,

I don't mean to pick on you in any way but the statement:

"Food is meant to nourish and not to stimulate."

reads as a statement laden in personal belief and rigidity.

As an herbalist, of over 20 years, I would say all foods nourish, they just nourish in different ways and for different purpose.

Stimulating the system is not always detrimental. Sedating the system is not always detrimental. Nourishing is appropriate at times. Fasting is appropriate at times.

The trick to "listening to one's body" is learning what is appropriate WHEN and in which conditions and how to promote endurance and proper biorhythmic harmony.

Tea and cacao have medicinal qualities that can not be denied or over looked. As with all things in life, even good things such as sleep, fats, sugars, sex, ambition etc etc they can be overdone and addictive.

That doesn't negate their value inherently.

Wisdom to choose proper foods is up to the individuals ability and consciousness based on their individual system. Rigid belief structures, IMHO are sourced in fear.

Much love, gj

Well said green jeanie

[sport]

I have always said " a little of what you fancy does you good" but I think that treats should be just that and not in regular use.
I am finding that as I get more in tune with what my body wants I am hearing the signals more clearly and taking any of the more stimulating items is no longer being tolerated.
At first I thought that this was a bummer as I was no longer going to enjoy treats but I realise that I feel so much better without them. Now if I allow myself a treat I find that I do not enjoy it and it was just the memory that I enjoyed and I loose some of my vitality as a result.
All of the years that I was having tea I considered it a treat and I put the hot flush that I got afterwards down to the temperature even though I was cooling it reasonably well before I drank it. I now find that I can drink water at the same temperature without any hot flush so something in the tea is effecting me.

[Non]

Yes these things can be abused if you become dependent on them. Therefore don't make it a habit, don't take too much at a time, and don't take too "regularly" if at all.

The addiction part is real. Once you learn about the causes of addiction and how everything can be addictive, sex and sugar included you will see. It acts on dopamine and other neurochemicals closely related to the reward circuitry and for energy.

So yes.. now how about raw green yerba mate with green tea? Green tea btw is not raw, it is usually steamed or oxidized in some way, that uses high heat. Most of the green teas anyway.

I'd say the effect is the theobromine, the caffeine, the phenylethylamine in cacao, and the smaller amounts of caffeine PLUS the l-theanine. For a better effect on the l-theanine you might want to try matcha or gyokuro green tea. If you can find raw green tea, that is of gyokuro, and sprout your own brown rice you could make somewhat of a raw vesion of genmaicha green tea. Hm I wonder if you used rice rejuvelac on the tea what that would too. Maybe some sprouted seeds of those for enzymes? ie cacao, green tea, yerba mate sprouts. Lol biotechnology. Though I think if you have the rejuvelac that would be enough. Some kind of fermented 'tea' beverage like kombucha.

[green jeanie]

another insight would be that

"treat" inverted is restriction/punishment........neither have much to do with nourishment.

again, i am not bashing on you sport. these insights come from personal reflections on my own unwinding with food hang ups

that said, i can't imagine having caffeine......

loves

[Raw Angel Mom]

when i mix cacao/cocoa(however you want to say it) with a caffeine source such as green tea, i get mega buzzed. has anyone else tried this?

it made me wonder if it's a good combination, absorption-wise.

i'm getting my superfood supplements in first thing in the morning now and it's always easier to kill two birds with one stone.

Well, because i was exausted and i had to stay awake, i had raw chocolate with cacao nib in it and some green tea. Well i had a major migraine and it lasted too much for my taste, lol... It isn't a good combination for me. I am ok with the chocolate alone, the green tea alone but most certainly not both of them together.

I am not surprise that you felt that way. Green tea has caffein and so is the cacao. I am not personally a chocolate person and i don't eat it that much.

[Seductive Arts]

I guess that we all need to do things our own way and I do eat plenty of food and I am not underweight.
If you read my posts I drank tea for many years after going raw and I used chocolate and I did that because I wanted to and I openly said it.
I no longer feel the need for those or is no longer dependent on them and I am happy for that to happen as they are not natural foods and they are stimulants. Food is meant to nourish and not to stimulate.

If you want to eat that way, fine. But to say that good food that are healthy and nutritious are unnatural is unhealthy talk.

There is nothing wrong with processing foods as for it being a food preparation, which is totally different than modern form of food processing of bleaching, preserving and using unnatural chemicals in the food which makes it poor quality.

So what you got to crack open some beans, like coco or garbanzo, mash it together in a bowl to make cocoa or hummus. This doesn't make food unnatural, no more than people doing gourmet raw makes food unnatural, because they want to use a food processor, blender, or a food dehydrator. This is processing food as well. To a certain degree, using a knife on food is processing it, unless one is actually just eating food off trees and branches without using any kitchen utensils at all, because our ancestors didn't have fire, which paved the way to melt metals to make knives. Therefore, based on your theory, using a knife, spoon, fork, cups, bowls can be considered highly unnatural, since the very first man and woman didn't have access to these things as well. The only natural of all natural is eating with your fingers, again, plucking food off a tree or branch.

The only true unnatural foods are foods that make people sick and deteriorates health overall (like processed sugar, flour, mercury fish, or hormone pumped meats) and instead of improve health, and create longevity of life. Which can be relative, because one person's blessing is another man's curse, let's say with nuts. Some people are allergic to it, and others are not. That doesn't mean that nuts is unhealthy and should be avoided by everyone is the world because nuts are just unhealthy for some people with food allergies.

Like for instance, I don't have a problem with a person wanting to try Fruitarian to see how being on the diet might affect their body from a medical point of view. But I get concerned with someone say stuff like Fruits is the only true food that people should eat, because Mother Nature should drop me food from a tree. Because if I pull a carrot out of the ground, I am going straight to hell for killing a carrot, since the carrot didn't give me permission for me to take it out the ground. Therefore, a carrot is not a natural, pure food, instead it is murdered or killed food. And all the people who are not Fruitarians are causing potato, spinach or corn genocide. And Mother Earth is weeping!

I would like to say I am joking, but I have seen people talk this way on various vegan boards, raw or not.

We shouldn't have food phobias, or food hang ups.

[sport]

We shouldn't have food phobias, or food hang ups.

Well I will continue to only eat the food that is good for me. Your body is yours and you are free to put what ever you want in to it.

[maria84]

Thanks for all the responses!

I have quit caffeine from tea or coffee for a week and intend to keep it that way.

I have however, continued using raw cacao.

I googled it and found one source (http://tiny.cc/ubcy0) that said it only has 70 mg per 100 g which ends being only 3.5 mg per 5 g tsp. I only found the one source though. Does anyone know any differently?

[Mikey_H]

Seductive Arts, I really like the posts you have made in this thread as I feel very much the same about much of what you have said.

It seems to me that fear of food is very prominent among self-proclaimed health communities because most people have had some sort of self-battle with foods at one point in their lives because of the modernized food system we have grown in. The fact that we as a species actually have to "limit" ourselves instead of making sure we get ENOUGH nutrition and energy is what causes this dilemma.
In addition I think the fear of food and the "lumping" of all things that are not deemed "pure, natural, RAW and unprocessed" is FAR more unhealthy both mentally and physically than any REASONABLE food option that might not happen to be purely raw and/or vegan. The reality of industrialization of cheap crops and large-scale factory farming has caused people to make non-logical assessments about ALL foods that aren't raw/vegan. Because let's face it, those kinds of modern foods are damaging... and when it all comes down to it it's about balance, staying close to local and organic sources, REGARDLESS of raw/vegan or not.

Back to the topic, I have never had any negative experiences with raw cacao beans. Only positive has come out of it for me, and when I hear ludacris non-sensical arguments such as "cacao tastes bad for a reason therefore our ancestors wouldn't have eaten it" I just laugh.... as IF kale, cabbage and broccoli all tasted amazing to each and every one of us.... ick, not always.
I'm sure it doesn't work for everyone, which comes to the obvious end answer, EVERYONE'S DIFFERENT. The end.