You’ve had a busy morning and revived your energy levels with a quick lunch break. But when 3 p.m. strikes, you’re hit with the dreaded mid-afternoon energy slump. Despairing, you reach for a sugary treat or a cup of coffee, knowing its effects will be frantic and short-lived. It’s not the right remedy, but you are so desperate you don’t know what else to do!

Sound familiar?

We have all experienced times when we feel physically and emotionally drained. The good news is there is an ancient (and delicious) remedy that can healthfully rejuvenate to get you through the afternoon and all the way to dinner - Ceremonial Cacao!

Tried and tested for centuries

Cultures have been using Ceremonial Cacao as an energy source for centuries. The Aztecs and Mayans believed Cacao was a gift from the gods, and the Olmecs left it on the tombs of the dead to energize their souls as they travelled to the next world. The Incas consumed it regularly, to supercharge their stamina, focus and energy levels and Emperor Moctezuma II was said to drink gallons for its vitality and aphrodisiac properties.

Today, this sacred medicine is used to open the heart, improve cognitive performance, memory, and creativity and support overall health and well-being. Most notably, Ceremonial Cacao provides lots of energy and helps squash fatigue due to its high levels of compounds and nutrients that help boost blood flow to the brain and ramp up energy levels.

Ceremonial Cacao is an antioxidant superhero

Of all the foods that contain antioxidants, Ceremonial Cacao is one of the best, with nearly four times the amount of regular chocolate, an incredible 20 times more than the mighty blueberry, and over 100 times more than bananas! Consuming antioxidants every day helps improve energy metabolism, as well as aerobic performance during acute and chronic exercise.

Rich source of magnesium

Ceremonial Cacao is known as one of the richest sources of magnesium on the planet so it can help you meet the daily recommended amount of 300mg for men and 270mg for women. Known for optimizing the body’s use of oxygen, it helps boost energy levels and torch calories while building strong bones and regulating blood pressure. 

The power of the PEA (Phenylethylamine)

Ceremonial grade cacao also contains vast amounts of PEA (Phenylethylamine), known for increasing energy levels, alertness and concentration. Phenethylamine also increases the release of dopamine and serotonin, the “happy hormones” linked to mood and mental health.

Move over coffee...

Love your morning latte for its energizing properties but dread the jitters that come with it? Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, allowing just one cup of coffee to instantly perk you up. However, the more cups you sip, the more severe its effects are, and daily overconsumption can quickly lead to a caffeine addiction, which is characterized by cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

If you crave the rich aroma of coffee and the energized feeling it provides, know that Cacao ticks all those boxes – and so much more!

Ceremonial Cacao offers the similar mood boosting clarity that you feel when you sip that first cup of coffee but keeps you energized for longer without the crash, making it ideal for those who are super sensitive to the jitters coffee can cause.

How so? Cacao is rich in theobromine, a mild natural stimulant that promotes slow-release, focused energy but without the anxiety and heebie-jeebies. It also helps burn fat, boost serotonin levels and support cognitive function and overall mood. Remarkably, despite being a stimulant, theobromine is also a well-known sleep remedy as it helps to balance brain chemistry.

Theobromine and caffeine are similarly constructed types of pharmacologically active chemicals but with different side effects. Theobromine is milder with a slow onset, long-lasting, and, most importantly, non-addictive; caffeine, on the other hand, is intense, fast-acting, short-lived and can be quite addictive.

Here’s a few everyday activities that cacao can help improve your performance in:

At work or school

Studies show that Cacao can improve brain function by increasing blood flow, making it beneficial for sustaining cognitive performance and improving measures of general cognitive abilities such as attention, memory and processing speed.

A review  in the May 2017 edition of Frontiers in Nutrition revealed that flavanols may benefit our brain function. Flavanols are a form of flavonoids, plant-based substances with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, and Cacao is brimming with them!

Before and after exercise

Sip a Cacao 45-60 minutes before exercise to give your body enough time to absorb its Epicatechin. This clever flavonoid (which is a potent antioxidant-rich compound) allows oxygen and nutrients to reach muscle cells efficiently whilst detoxing and removing toxins.

Sipping a cup of natural Creation Cacao before working out can improve your stamina and performance. When we exercise, we cause inflammation in our muscles and joints, so consuming Cacao before or after training helps reduce any pain.

Ceremonial Cacao's sky-high levels of magnesium help relax muscles, inhibit cramping, and replenish red blood cells, which pump oxygen throughout the rest of the body.

Using Ceremonial Cacao after training is great for helping replace glycogen stores critical for muscle recovery. Team with protein like milk or almond butter to help push along the process of muscle rebuilding.

For enhancing creativity

The phenylethylamine and anandamide occurring naturally in Cacao trigger the 'bliss' molecules. When stimulated, they facilitate focus, attention, creativity, motivation, and drive and move us into the 'flow state' where it is easy to lose track of time, allowing us to deliver the best results.

Each time we enter a flow state or experience an "aha moment", the brain is showered with five chemicals of flow - dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, anandamide, and endorphins.

Ceremonial Cacao is one of the natural substances on earth that triggers these five brain chemicals of flow.

Sipping a cup of Ceremonial Cacao while you create is the perfect way to nourish your body and allow yourself to be your most energized and imaginative.