{"id":610,"date":"2016-10-03T22:10:24","date_gmt":"2016-10-03T22:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/?p=610"},"modified":"2017-11-27T18:11:01","modified_gmt":"2017-11-27T18:11:01","slug":"cacao-almond-milk-mocha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/cacao-almond-milk-mocha\/","title":{"rendered":"Cacao Almond Milk Mocha: Have Your Chocolate Cake &#038; Eat It, Too"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This drink\u00a0has a special place in my chocolate-loving heart. And there is a lot to share about it &#8212; but I have to start by saying that\u00a0you need to try it\u00a0for the simple reason that <strong>it tastes amazing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Our goal with this mocha\u00a0was to create <strong>a delicious treat that you feel good about enjoying. <\/strong>No sacrificing the delicious part, though, which is why we had numerous recipe trials and stakeholder tastings. Treats <em>have<\/em> to taste great. Period. And this mocha is a treat.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What is the Cacao Almond Milk Mocha?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-645\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Cacao-Almond-Milk-Mocha-Final-small.jpg?resize=300%2C241\" alt=\"Cacao Almond Milk Mocha\" width=\"300\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Cacao-Almond-Milk-Mocha-Final-small.jpg?resize=300%2C241&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Cacao-Almond-Milk-Mocha-Final-small.jpg?resize=150%2C120&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Cacao-Almond-Milk-Mocha-Final-small.jpg?resize=239%2C192&amp;ssl=1 239w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Cacao-Almond-Milk-Mocha-Final-small.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>It\u2019s a mocha (a chocolate latte) made with organic raw cacao, sugar, almond milk, and Streamline espresso.\u00a0Compared to a typical mocha it has:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>less sugar &amp; fat (including less saturated fat)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>no dairy or additives<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>more antioxidants and greater health benefits<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><b>more energy-boosting goodness<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><br \/>\nIt&#8217;s not as\u00a0sweet as\u00a0a typical mocha (although we add the sugar separately\u00a0and can add more or less to accommodate your taste) and has a hint of nuttiness that beautifully complements the espresso. You do NOT need\u00a0to be a health nut to love the taste! In fact, many prefer\u00a0the flavor to a typical mocha before even knowing the health benefits.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What\u2019s Cacao?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3>The Healthy Precursor to Chocolate<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_648\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-648\" style=\"width: 256px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-648\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Cocoa_beans.jpg?resize=256%2C194\" alt=\"Cacao Bean\" width=\"256\" height=\"194\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Cocoa_beans.jpg?w=256&amp;ssl=1 256w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Cocoa_beans.jpg?resize=150%2C114&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Cocoa_beans.jpg?resize=253%2C192&amp;ssl=1 253w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 256px) 100vw, 256px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-648\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By Mikkel Houm\u00f8ller via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If we trace chocolate to its origins in nature, we land on cacao beans. Cacao beans are\u00a0packed with antioxidants and nutritional value.<\/p>\n<p>Chocolate is made by roasting and processing cacao beans. Roasting cacao beans at high temperatures to make cocoa or chocolate changes the structure of the food, causing it to\u00a0lose much of its nutritional value.\u00a0Chocolate processing also adds milk and lots of sugar to roasted cacao.<\/p>\n<p>Articles reporting\u00a0the wonderful health benefits of chocolate are often\u00a0actually referencing\u00a0the health benefits of the flavanoids in cacao, which\u00a0are present in relatively\u00a0small amounts in most chocolate.<\/p>\n<p>With\u00a0the Cacao Almond Milk Mocha, we wanted to have our chocolate cake and eat it too. So we went\u00a0back to the original source of\u00a0chocolate: raw cacao that&#8217;s still packed with flavanoids.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Raw cacao<\/strong>, which we use in the Cacao Almond Milk Mocha, <strong>is NOT roasted or processed<\/strong>, so it <strong>maintains its\u00a0naturally occurring\u00a0health benefits.<\/strong> It\u00a0has about 4-8 times the antioxidant content of dark chocolate.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What\u2019s so great\u00a0about cacao?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Antioxidants<\/strong>: Cacao is full\u00a0of flavanoids (antioxidant nutrients). Raw cacao has<strong> more antioxidants per gram than almost any other food! <\/strong>More than blueberries, raspberries, goji berries, etc.\u00a0We know. It&#8217;s crazy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Energy<\/strong>: In addition to caffeine, cacao has theobromine, which provides energy<\/li>\n<li><strong>Other nutrients<\/strong> such as magnesium, fiber, and iron are also found in cacao<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Studies show that the flavanoids in cacao can <strong>help the\u00a0heart &amp; brain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3>Heart Health<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Lower blood pressure<\/li>\n<li>Lower cholesterol<\/li>\n<li>Prevent blood clots<\/li>\n<li>Lower insulin resistance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/heart-health\/chocolate-pros-and-cons-of-this-sweet-treat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/heart-health\/chocolate-pros-and-cons-of-this-sweet-treat<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Brain Health<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Improve attention, executive function, and memory<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/blog\/cocoa-sweet-treat-brain-201502057676\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/blog\/cocoa-sweet-treat-brain-201502057676<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why Almond Milk?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_649\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-649\" style=\"width: 199px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-649\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Almonds.jpg?resize=199%2C300\" alt=\"Almonds\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Almonds.jpg?resize=199%2C300&amp;ssl=1 199w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Almonds.jpg?resize=100%2C150&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Almonds.jpg?resize=128%2C192&amp;ssl=1 128w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Almonds.jpg?w=256&amp;ssl=1 256w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-649\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By jules \/ stonesoup via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Cacao Almond Milk Mocha\u00a0is made to order so we can use soy milk, whole milk, or skim milk if you&#8217;d like. We chose almond milk as the default\u00a0for this drink for a few reasons:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>We love the flavor of almond milk<\/strong> with the cacao and Streamline espresso!<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.berkeleywellness.com\/healthy-eating\/food\/article\/sweet-news-about-chocolate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The jury is out on whether cow&#8217;s\u00a0milk prevents our bodies from absorbing nutrients in cacao<\/a><\/strong>. Some studies indicate that milk does inhibit nutrient absorption, others\u00a0indicate that it does not. By using almond milk, we\u2019re steering clear of dairy altogether.<\/li>\n<li>Like cow\u2019s milk, <strong>almond milk has calcium, but it has less sugar and saturated fat.<\/strong> Compared to cow\u2019s milk, almond milk has:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li>Just as much calcium &amp; vitamin D<\/li>\n<li>Fewer calories<\/li>\n<li>No saturated fat (cow\u2019s milk has 5g saturated fat per serving)<\/li>\n<li>No sugar and less carbohydrates<\/li>\n<li>Vitamin E (cow\u2019s milk has no Vitamin E)<\/li>\n<li>More fiber (cow\u2019s milk has no fiber)<\/li>\n<li>More Iron (cow\u2019s milk has no Iron)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>But really, taste it.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>If you&#8217;re\u00a0hesitant &#8212; because how is cacao really going to taste? &#8212; \u00a0come in on a Monday or Friday morning when I&#8217;m at the cafe and\u00a0ask me to try one. I&#8217;ll be happy to make you one. And talk your ear off about it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This drink\u00a0has a special place in my chocolate-loving heart. And there is a lot to share about it &#8212; but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-coffee"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=610"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":911,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610\/revisions\/911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavitadolcecafe.com\/staging\/6170\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}