Cacao butter has been used for centuries by Ancient Aztecs and Mayans.  This delicacy is the product of separating the oil from cacao beans.  This oil is then referred to as “cacao butter” since it’s extremely smooth in texture and literally melts in your mouth.  Once the oil cools from being pressed from the cacao beans, it becomes solid at room temperature and can be stored for later use.

Native American used cacao butter extensively for both food and medicine.  It’s extremely beneficial for external application and is a key ingredient in many beauty products due to its moisturizing properties.  It can also serve as a food source and is extremely nourishing to the body due to its high saturated fat content which helps control blood sugar levels and keeps you fuller longer.

Below are the top 5 reasons for adding Cacao Butter into Your Diet!

1. Cacao Butter Improves Skin Health

Cacao butter is one of the best natural skin moisturizers in the entire world.   Many beauty products will specifically add cacao butter into their formula due to its moisturizing benefits.  However, many of these products contain harmful chemicals such as parabens and phythalates.  One study found that phythalates effected androgen levels in both women and men negatively and lowered sex drive (1).  Also, parabens have been shown to spur the certain types of breasts cancer cells (2).

Luckily, cacao butter contains no harmful synthetic chemicals and comes directly from nature.  There are numerous DIY videos on how to make your own cacao butter lotion.  We personally find that simply melting some and rubbing on the skin works fantastic.  A study revealed that cacao butter contained certain bioactive compounds that are extremely beneficial for the maintenance of skin health (3).  In fact, Native Americans of the Amazonia would purposely rub cacao butter on their skin in order to prevent wrinkles and stretch marks.  It has now been proven that cacao butter is extremely effective at removing stretch marks from the skin (4).

2. An Excellent Source of Antioxidants

Like Cacao, cacao butter is full of antioxidants that extremely important for overall health.  These antioxidants help protect the body from free radical damage which is a major cause of premature aging.  Both cacao and cacao butter are extremely high in an antioxidant called flavonoids. Numerous studies have shown that flavonoids are beneficial for overall health and lower the risk of various diseases (5).

3. Improves Heart Health

The flavonoids found in cacao and cacao butter relaxes the blood vessels and help with over circulation in the body.  This in return helps the heart function better and more efficiently.  It also contains the important mineral magnesium which is extremely deficient in the diet of most.  Magnesium is responsible for relaxing the muscles and is required for over 300 enzymatic processes. When we are low in magnesium, our health will naturally suffer and our body will not be running as efficiently as it could be.

4. Helps with Stretch Marks

As mentioned before, Cacao butter is excellent at preventing and reducing stretch marks.  Although post pregnant women often deal the most with this problem the most, cacao butter is not just limited to treating the stretch marks of pregnancy.  Rapid weight loss, aging and exercise (especially weight lifting) can all contribute to embarrassing stretch marks.  Cacao butter works excellent for all these applications and has been shown to naturally protect the skin barrier reducing the likelihood of stretch marks.

5. Great Addition to Recipes

Since cacao butter has the same texture as butter from cows, it makes a great substitute for those avoiding dairy.  It also has a high smoke point so you don’t have to worry about any nutrients being destroyed by heat.

Where to buy Cacao Butter

There are many different types of cacao butter on the market today.  Some are of excellent quality and some you would be better off to avoid.  We personally like Terrasoul Organic Super Foods because it is cold pressed.  Cold pressed means the cacao beans are pressed until the oil (cacao butter) is released.  This process ensures that any heat sensitive nutrients are not lost.  It’s also certified organic and does not contain any harmful pesticides or other harmful ingredients.  It is 100% cold pressed organic Cacao Butter!