In my Green Chia Pudding recipe, I’ve written about copper before, and we’ve talked about it in my Free Facebook Group, The Nourished Life: Nutrition and Wellness (along with other essential micronutrients like Vitamin K2, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and Magnesium.)
To recap, Copper (along with its pal Vitamin C) helps strengthen collagen, vital in bone and skin health, and allows us to produce melanin – which colors our skin, hair, and eyes. So a symptom of a copper deficiency may look like premature aging and graying hair. Copper and Vitamin C also helps regulate our thyroid and sex hormones. Copper, on its own, helps our body convert iron from food into a bioavailable form and allows us to make platelets for blood clotting. Amazingly, this little mineral also helps us eliminate excess serotonin, which can cause symptoms like diarrhea, sweating, irritation, and tremors.
Good Food Sources of Copper
A few years ago, I took the SpectraCell Micronutrient test (one of the testing options I offer to my private clients) and discovered that I was borderline deficient in Copper. Because of this, I increased my daily intake of cacao or cocoa powder. Cacao is a raw and less processed form of cocoa. Besides being high in copper, it’s also really high in magnesium and antioxidants. It was an important food staple of Ancient South American cultures thousands of years ago and was touted for its health benefits and taste. I like to use it in recipes in substitution for premade chocolate chips. Chocolate/chocolate chips have their healthful micronutrient properties diluted based on the cocoa/cacao, milk, and sugar ratio.
Besides cacao, here are some other good sources of copper you can include in your daily food intake:
An Easy Cacao Dessert
One of the easiest and most delicious recipes I have been making for years just got better by substituting pure cacao vs. chocolate chips. This pie has been a staple for last-minute potlucks and get-togethers and is one of my husband’s favorite desserts I make. I recommend this recipe to my clients because it only contains three ingredients, tastes better than a store-bought pie, takes about five minutes, and is set in about 1 – 2 hours. You can use any pie crust for this recipe – I love it with this gluten-free Graham cracker crust or this gluten-free homemade crust.
Try this recipe, and let me know what you think in the comments!
Three Ingredient Cacao Pie
Ingredients
- 3 TBS Cacao or Cocoa Powder
- 1 - 16oz package of tofu
- 1/3C Maple Syrup (room temp)
- Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust
Directions
- Step 1 Add tofu (including liquid) into a food processor.
- Step 2 Puree/blend tofu until smooth.
- Step 3 Add cocoa powder and room-temp maple syrup and blend.
- Step 4 Pour mixture into premade pie crust and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Step 5 Serve chilled.
- Step 6 Refigerate leftovers and keep for up to five days.
