Raw cocoa (cacao) beans occupy a unique and carefully qualified position within the Primal Diet framework. They are neither freely encouraged as a staple food nor condemned outright, but rather placed in a precise context defined by form, preparation method, quantity, frequency, and pairing. Aajonus distinguished sharply between cooked and processed chocolate, which he regarded as outright harmful, and whole raw cocoa beans that have never been dried, dehydrated, or subjected to any commercial processing, which he considered potentially beneficial in small, controlled amounts.

The primary role Aajonus assigned to raw cocoa beans was as an ingredient in a homemade raw chocolate preparation that could satisfy cravings for chocolate while supplying genuine nutritional benefit. He repeatedly emphasized that the chocolate cravings most people experience are not truly cravings for cocoa or its stimulant compounds, they are cravings for raw fat, egg protein, and the digestive enzymes in honey. The cocoa bean, in the properly prepared raw state and in small quantities, provides a concentrated vehicle for those nutrients, along with flavonoids, circulatory support compounds, and micro-stimulants that in raw form may enhance creative thought and mental function without causing the disease-promoting effects of their cooked or processed counterparts.

Aajonus was explicit that he personally ate raw chocolate only about ten times yearly over a two-year period, typically when people made it for him as a gift, and that he did not crave it except on one occasion. He used this personal experience as evidence that properly prepared raw chocolate, unlike cooked chocolate or commercial chocolate products, is not inherently addictive.

He also confirmed that the Kuna Indians of Panama consume approximately three cups of cocoa brew daily, a fact he cited to rebut claims that no tribal peoples use cocoa, while simultaneously acknowledging that the safe range for people on his Primal Diet is vastly smaller.

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Aajonus stated in his earlier newsletter (Vol. 7, October 30, 2007) that cocoa beans did not contain caffeine or theophylline, attributing only theobromine as their nerve stimulant. He subsequently issued a correction to this position and acknowledged that cocoa beans do in fact contain all three methylxanthine compounds: theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline. These are nerve irritants and nerve stimulants.

Theobromine: Described as similar to caffeine in its nature as a nerve irritant. In its raw form, Aajonus stated it stimulates creative thought processes and does not cause diseases when consumed in micro amounts. When cooked and/or processed, theobromine becomes a free radical, making it genuinely harmful.

Caffeine: Similarly present in cocoa in raw form. In micro amounts, Aajonus stated raw caffeine stimulates creative thought processes and does not cause diseases. The claim that even raw caffeine is "known to produce permanent degenerative alterations in cellular protoplasm" was one Aajonus directly disputed, stating this applies only when these substances are taken in excessive amounts or in their cooked/processed state.

Theophylline: The third methylxanthine present. Aajonus grouped it with the other two and stated that in micro amounts in raw form, it shares the property of stimulating creative thought without causing disease.

He was emphatic that the only safe source from which to obtain these compounds is the raw cocoa bean in its unprocessed state. No other form was considered safe.

Aajonus described the mechanism by which all three stimulants, whether from cocoa, coffee, or other sources, produce their perceived energy effects. These compounds stimulate the production of hormones such as adrenaline, testosterone, and estrogen. This hormonal stimulation makes people believe they have gained new, healthful energy, but Aajonus stated clearly that this is not clean, healthful energy. All endocrine glandular production is meant for emergency purposes only, adrenaline, for example, exists for fight-or-flight responses, not for daily energy production. Over-reliance on adrenal stimulation is not a sustainable or healthy energy pathway.

He contrasted this with the kind of energy ideally derived from the Primal Diet: foods supplying fats and proteins with little carbohydrate, rich in enzymes and bacteria. He stated that after many years of eating proper raw foods, people would develop tremendous energy and stamina comparable to that of primitive Eskimos who could live happily in the most strenuous climates and environments. He described the energy from properly metabolized raw fats and proteins as clean energy, explicitly contrasting it with the hyperactivation produced by cocoa and other so-called superfoods.

In a workshop, Aajonus made a specific biochemical observation: vitamin A present in chocolate plays a critical role in controlling and balancing the effects of the three nerve irritants, theobromine, theophylline (which he also called "theotheophycin" in workshop speech), and caffeine. He noted that if you heat cocoa even to 128°F, you destroy two-thirds of the vitamin A content. Without sufficient vitamin A, there is no internal control mechanism for the nerve stimulants, which then operate without restraint. This is why he insisted that cocoa be kept strictly raw and never allowed to heat to or beyond 128°F during preparation.

He stated that since there are no enzymes in chocolate, the enzyme-destruction argument for heating is technically irrelevant, but the vitamin A argument is completely valid and sufficient reason to avoid all heat in preparation.

Aajonus stated that raw cocoa contains flavonoids (antioxidants) and that it strengthens blood pressure, the heart, and the vascular system, improving circulation, glucose metabolism, and eyesight. These benefits apply specifically and exclusively to raw cocoa. He did not extend these benefits to cooked or processed cocoa.

Aajonus provided a detailed personal account to illustrate the difference in addiction potential between commercial cooked chocolate and properly prepared raw chocolate. He described that when he was on the Standard American Diet (SAD) and suffering from chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, angina, and diabetes, he was heavily addicted to chocolate, cigarettes, coffee, alcohol, and methamphetamines. He used chocolate, coffee, and amphetamines to generate enough energy to function during the day. By evening he was so jittery and nervous that he needed approximately a bottle of gin or bourbon nightly just to sleep.

He connected this addictive pattern specifically to his SAD lifestyle and the cooked, processed forms of these substances. Since transitioning to his Primal Diet and making chocolate only from whole raw cocoa beans blended with raw egg, raw fat (mostly unsalted raw butter and a little raw cream), and unheated honey, he stated that he has experienced no addiction to it whatsoever.

He also recounted that 38 years prior, when he first made the same combination using raw carob pods instead of raw cocoa beans, he craved it to the point that someone could have described it as an addiction. However, because carob contains no addictive chemicals, he concluded the craving was not addiction but rather the body's intense deficiency-driven need for the nutrients in the formula: the butter and cream fats, the protein in eggs, and the digestive enzymes in honey. After approximately three months of satisfying those deficiencies intensely and repeatedly, the craving subsided and his skin, nerves, and entire body were noticeably healthier.

Aajonus generalized from his personal experience to state a principle: most people who crave raw chocolate to the point of wanting it daily are people who are very deficient in raw fats. The egg proteins and honey enzymes help to digest those needed fats, which is why the combination satisfies the craving even more effectively than cocoa alone would. He considered the cocoa to be an ingredient that carries and amplifies the delivery of fat-protein-enzyme nutrition rather than being the primary active substance.

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Aajonus was extremely precise about what constitutes a truly raw cocoa bean. He stated explicitly: the only truly raw cocoa bean retains its moist skin and must be hand peeled. This is the defining criterion of rawness for this food.

Any cocoa bean that has been dried or dehydrated has been subjected to a process that compromises its raw state. He specifically included the instruction "not dried or dehydrated" in his recipe ingredient lists as a required specification.

Aajonus addressed the broader category of powdered cocoa, cocoa nibs, and other commercially processed cocoa forms in the context of his discussion of "superfoods." He explained that all foods that are powdered must be thoroughly dried so they do not cake and stick in the machines while being ground. When hard foods such as cocoa beans and roots are ground into flour, the machines reach high temperatures through friction. This means that any commercially available cocoa powder, regardless of labeling claims, has been subjected to heat in the grinding process and cannot be considered truly raw. The same logic applies to cocoa nibs that have been dried or processed commercially.

He stated that grinding cocoa beans in a commercial machine generates enough heat and friction to fundamentally alter the nutritional profile and the nature of the nerve stimulants, converting them from micro-dose raw stimulants into free radicals.

Aajonus was unambiguous about conventional, commercial chocolate products. He stated that the fat and sugar in commercial chocolate are cooked and processed, causing them to have a tendency to store in the body without being properly utilized, especially during stressful times. He stated that commercial chocolate contains toxic nerve irritants caffeine and theobromine in their cooked/processed form, which as free radicals cause genuine harm, and that conventional chocolate should not be eaten.

He described commercial chocolate as primarily made of fat and approximately 20% sugar, stating that people crave it because they need fat accompanied with sugars to digest the fat, especially during stressful times. The craving itself is physiologically valid; the commercial form used to satisfy it is not.

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Aajonus specifically described the labor involved in obtaining truly raw cocoa beans. In a workshop he stated: "It's hell to peel those fresh green ones." He was referring to fresh, moist, green cocoa beans in their original state. The peeling must be done by hand because the skin must be intact and moist, evidence that the bean has not been dried or processed, and must be removed manually rather than mechanically, as any mechanical process would involve heat and compromise the rawness.

The fresh green beans with intact moist skins are the starting point. The skin is then peeled off by hand. What remains is the raw cocoa bean proper.

After peeling, the raw cocoa beans must be ground into powder. Aajonus specified that this should be done in small amounts in a coffee-bean grinder or blender without reaching high temperatures, in order to retain rawness and nutrition. The key constraint is temperature: the grinding process must not generate sufficient heat to raise the temperature of the cocoa above the threshold at which vitamin A and other nutrients are destroyed, which he indicated begins at 128°F, at which point two-thirds of vitamin A is lost.

In his recipe instructions, he specified blenderizing cocoa beans in an 8-ounce jelly jar until they become powder, and then adding the other ingredients and blenderizing until smooth, with the explicit instruction do not let it get hot.

Aajonus documented an optional fermentation step for the basic chocolate recipe. After blending the complete recipe mixture, if a slightly rum-tasting chocolate is desired, the mixture should be allowed to stand at room temperature in a warm, dark cupboard for 5 to 7 days with the lid on tightly. This creates a fermented variation with a distinctive rum flavor.

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Every chocolate preparation Aajonus documented requires substantial raw fat. This is not optional or a matter of flavor preference, it is biochemically necessary. He described in the context of other stimulant-rich foods that the fat provides a buffer, chelating agent, and protective matrix for the nerve-active compounds. Raw fat binds with, transports, and moderates the effects of theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline, preventing them from acting as free radicals and ensuring they remain in their controlled micro-dose physiological role.

His standard formula specifies 6 tablespoons of raw fat per approximately 2 tablespoons of pure cocoa beans, this is the safety ratio he recommended for weekly consumption.

Every chocolate recipe Aajonus documented includes one raw egg. The egg protein serves multiple functions: it helps digest the raw fat that is the primary nutritive purpose of the formula, it provides complete amino acids, and together with the honey enzymes it creates the digestive environment that allows the fat to be properly assimilated rather than stored unused. He stated explicitly that the egg proteins and honey enzymes work together to help digest the raw fats that deficient people are actually craving when they crave chocolate.

Unheated honey is present in every formulation. Aajonus identified its role as supplying digestive enzymes that help the fat be properly digested and assimilated. This is a consistent theme across his work: unheated honey provides enzymatic support that cooked honey completely lacks. It also provides the sugar component that helps transport and digest the fat, Aajonus noted that chocolate cravings involve needing fat accompanied with sugars to digest the fat.

The combination of raw cocoa bean (as powder), raw fat (butter and/or cream), raw egg, and unheated honey creates a formula where: - The fat moderates the nerve stimulants - The vitamin A in the raw cocoa (preserved by keeping it cold during processing) controls the theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline - The egg protein and honey enzymes ensure the fat is digested and not stored - The overall nutrient density satisfies the underlying deficiency that drives chocolate craving

Without all of these components in proper proportion, Aajonus did not consider the cocoa safe to consume.

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No topical applications for raw cocoa beans, nibs, or powder are documented in these sources.

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2 tablespoons of pure cocoa beans weekly, blenderized with raw egg, 6 tablespoons of raw fat, and unheated honey. This is the upper boundary of safe regular consumption for most people on the Primal Diet.

Symptoms of excess begin when people consume half a cup or more daily for several days of the full chocolate mixture, particularly when undiluted. Below this threshold, and within the weekly 2-tablespoon guideline, Aajonus stated no harm occurs for most people.

He documented eating the raw chocolate mixture approximately 10 times yearly for 2 years, typically when people made it for him as a gift. He explicitly stated this cannot be called addiction and that he craved it only once during this period.

During preparation, the mixture must not reach 128°F. At this temperature, two-thirds of the vitamin A in the cocoa is destroyed. Vitamin A is the internal control mechanism for the three nerve stimulants. Without it, the stimulants operate without regulatory control, making the preparation no longer safe in the same sense.

Some individuals who persistently overate developed apparent tolerance and became asymptomatic despite continued excess. Aajonus documented this without recommending it, implying that the absence of symptoms in this case reflects adaptation rather than safety.

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Makes 1 cup, to be used in many recipes

Ingredients: - 1/3 cup whole raw cocoa beans (peeled) (not dried or dehydrated) - 1 whole raw egg - 3 tablespoons unheated honey - 3 tablespoons unsalted raw butter (room temperature) - 2 tablespoons raw cream (optional: replace 1 tablespoon cream with 1 tablespoon raw coconut cream) - ½ inch vanilla bean

Method: Blenderize cocoa beans in an 8-ounce jelly jar until they become powder. Add butter, honey, and egg and blenderize until smooth. Do not let it get hot.

Rum Variation: If a slightly rum-tasting chocolate is desired, let the completed mixture stand at room temperature in a warm dark cupboard for 5 to 7 days with lid on tightly.

Workshop Description: In a workshop Aajonus described the basic process more casually: "You get it into a powder, you put your butter and honey in there, and you've got bitter chocolate. Just the way it used to come when I was a kid. You know, bricks of chocolate, and then you put all the sugar in it to make it sweeter. We just put a little bit of cream and more honey in it, when you may want to make it into something."

He described the taste as being like old-fashioned bitter chocolate bricks, the kind sold before sweetening was added commercially. He indicated that with additional cream and honey, the mixture can be used as a component in many other recipes.

Serves 8 to 10

Preparation: Very lightly butter the bottom and sides of an 8 x 6 x 2½-inch Pyrex baking dish. Place in the freezer while making the crust.

Crust: - 1 cup raw walnut halves - 4 large raw Medjool dates, stones removed and dates chopped (room temperature) - 2 tablespoons unheated honey

(Note: The full cheesecake filling ingredients were partially cut off in the source but the crust components and preparation vessel were documented. The base chocolate component is the Natural Bitter Chocolate recipe above.)

Aajonus documented carob-based chocolate substitutes which he described as having no ill side effects whatsoever and promoting good health, with no restrictions on quantity. These are presented here for contrast with the cocoa preparations:

Basic Chocolate Substitute: - 4 parts raw fat to 1 part unheated honey - ½ cup unsalted raw butter placed in a small canning jar, immersed with tight lid in a bowl of hot water no hotter than hand can stand without burning when immersed for 4 seconds, until mostly melted - 2 to 3 tablespoons unheated honey - 1 to 2 tablespoons raw carob powder - Mix until even consistency - Can be refrigerated to harden, or eaten warm - May be eaten on bananas topped with crushed raw nuts

Coconut Cream Variation: Juice the meat of fresh coconut to render coconut cream, and use it in place of butter in the recipe above.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Substitute: - 1 cup unsalted raw butter - ½ cup raw peanuts or other soft nut (blend alone until nuts become flour) - 4 tablespoons unheated honey - 1 whole raw egg - 2 heaping tablespoons raw carob powder - Butter should be at room temperature (soft) - Blend all ingredients together until dark and rich-looking - May be refrigerated or eaten soft

Mint Chocolate Substitute (2 Servings): - 7 tablespoons soft unsalted raw butter - 1 raw egg - 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves - 2 tablespoons unheated honey - 1½ tablespoons raw carob powder - 2 drops organic vanilla extract - Blenderize all ingredients together in an 8-ounce jar on medium speed for 30 to 40 seconds - Refrigerate to harden for 2 hours (to preserve nutrients in eggs, do not refrigerate for more than 4 hours)

Pecan Fudge (1 Serving): - 2 ounces pecan halves - 4 tablespoons unsalted raw butter - 1 raw egg - 3 tablespoons unheated honey - 2 tablespoons raw carob powder - 1 drop organic vanilla extract - Blenderize pecans in an 8-ounce jar on high speed until they are flour - Place remaining ingredients in jar, stir, and blenderize on medium speed until smooth - Place in small bowl and refrigerate to harden for 2 hours (not more than 4 hours) - Alternative 1: To make chunky, blend all except 1 ounce pecans until smooth, crush 1 ounce pecans into bits and stir into mixture, refrigerate 2 hours - Alternative 2: Substitute walnuts, pine, or hazelnuts for pecans

Gingerbread Balls (1 Serving): - 3 tablespoons unsalted raw butter - 1 tablespoon unheated honey - 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root - 1 tablespoon raw carob powder - 2½ ounces raw walnut or pecan halves, pine or hazel nuts, or sunflower seeds - Warm butter and ginger in a 4-ounce jar, capped and immersed in a bowl of mildly hot water - Blenderize nuts in an 8-ounce jar on high speed until flour - When butter melts, add honey and blenderize for 5 seconds - Add nuts and carob powder and stir for 60 seconds - Put on plate and let stand for 2 hours until it firms - Form into balls - To harden further, refrigerate for 30 minutes - Alternative 1: Make chewier by using honeycomb - Alternative 2: Stir in 1 teaspoon soft fresh bee pollen - Alternative 3: Finely grate coconut meat and roll balls in grated coconut

Fudge Parfait / Mint Fudge Parfait (2 Servings): - Premake Pecan Fudge recipe - 5 ounces raw cream - 3 tablespoons raw milk - 1 raw egg - 3 tablespoons peeled and seeded fresh papaya - 2 teaspoons unheated honey - 2-inch square Pecan Fudge - Blenderize 2 ounces cream, milk, egg, papaya, and honey in 8-ounce jar on medium speed for 5 seconds - Pour into serving bowl, place in freezer for 10 to 16 hours, or use ice cream maker - Cut fudge into thin layers and alternate fudge layer and ice cream layer in dessert glass - Blenderize 3 ounces cream in 4-ounce jar on low speed until stiff, top with whipped cream - Mint variation: Chop mint leaves until 1 tablespoon, blenderize 3 ounces cream and chopped mint until stiff, top with mint whipped cream

Gingerbread Ice Cream (1 Serving), carob-based: - 1 egg - 4 tablespoons raw cream - 4 tablespoons raw milk - 1 tablespoon raw carob powder - 1 tablespoon unheated honey - 1 to 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root - Blenderize all ingredients in 12-ounce jar on medium speed for 10 seconds - Pour into ice cream maker and churn until firm

Toxin-Absorbing Gingerbread Ice Cream (makes approximately 2 quarts): - 1 pint raw milk - 1 pint raw cream - 2 raw eggs - Two-inch section of fresh ginger root - 4 ounces unheated honey - 1 to 3 ounces raw carob powder - Slice ginger root (peeled or not) and blend with other ingredients - Pour into ice cream maker

Note on Carob with Milk: Aajonus noted in a teaching exchange that carob powder is full of pectin and draws up fats, which can cause minerals to cake in the body and make digestion more difficult. When using carob in a milk-based preparation, he recommended including cream with the milk because the carob draws some of the fats in, and "the milk needs cream to work." He specified that if you are going to add carob powder to chocolate milk, it is better to have cream in it.

In a workshop Aajonus described the old-fashioned process he used:

"You can get raw chocolate, you know, cocoa beans, cacao beans they call them, and make your own chocolate. The old way, with honey, you just take the nut, I peel them so they're actually raw. And let me tell you, it's hell to peel those fresh green ones. But you get it into a powder, you put your butter and honey in there, and you've got bitter chocolate. Just the way it used to come when I was a kid."

He indicated that by adding a little bit of cream and more honey, the basic bitter chocolate paste can be transformed into a chocolate component suitable for use in many other recipes. He stated explicitly: "You can have raw chocolate. You can have almost raw anything except breads and cakes."

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The Natural Bitter Chocolate recipe (1/3 cup whole raw peeled cocoa beans blended with egg, butter, honey, cream, and vanilla) functions as a base ingredient rather than a standalone recipe. Aajonus documented its use in cheesecakes (specifically the Raw Orange Chocolate Cheesecake), other dessert recipes, and as a spread or sauce. The single batch making 1 cup is intended to be incorporated into multiple preparations rather than consumed all at once.

Aajonus consistently positioned raw carob as a fully safe substitute for cocoa that provides the flavor experience of chocolate without any of the nerve stimulant concerns, without any quantity restrictions, and with no ill side effects. He stated the carob-based preparations "promote good health" and that "you may eat as much of those chocolate substitutes as are appealing to you." The carob substitutes were included specifically for people who crave chocolate, as a way to satisfy that craving without any of the risks associated with theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline. Unlike cocoa, carob contains no addictive chemicals whatsoever.

He documented his own extensive experience craving the carob-based mixture 38 years before the newsletter was written, attributing that intense craving to fat, protein, and enzyme deficiencies rather than any chemical in the carob itself, and noting that once those deficiencies were resolved over approximately three months, the craving naturally subsided.

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Aajonus documented receiving an email that condemned cooked, processed, and raw cocoa beans as dangerous. He identified multiple specific claims in that email and addressed each directly:

Claim 1: Cocoa "greatly shortens animals' life span or kills them immediately." Aajonus stated this information was exaggerated and appears made-up according to his research. He asked what animals were force-fed raw cocoa beans in the manner described and found no credible evidence. He noted that he knows thousands of people who eat raw cocoa and not one has died or gotten sick from it.

Claim 2: No tribal peoples eat cocoa. Aajonus directly contradicted this with the documented example of the Kuna Indians of Panama, who consume approximately three cups of cocoa brew daily.

Claim 3: Aflatoxins in chocolate are highly toxic. Aajonus responded by placing aflatoxins in context: they are lowest in beans and highest in grains such as wheat, rye, corn, and peanuts. Therefore, he argued, it would be much more dangerous to eat breads, pastas, cereals, peanut butters, and any manufactured grain product than to eat cocoa beans. The danger hierarchy makes cocoa relatively minor compared to standard grain-based foods.

Claim 4: Feces and rodent hair in chocolate make it dangerous. Aajonus acknowledged this is true but stated it is true of almost all processed foods. He drew a distinction between cooked and processed commercial chocolate products, which are subject to industrial cooking and processes, and whole raw cocoa beans used to make raw chocolate recipes, which are "not intrinsically problematic when eaten in moderation."

Claim 5: Raw cocoa causes the most problems and is extremely addictive. Aajonus countered this by distinguishing his SAD-era addiction to cooked commercial chocolate from his Primal Diet experience with raw cocoa. He had been addicted to commercial chocolate along with cigarettes, coffee, alcohol, and methamphetamines during his sick years. Since making his own raw chocolate from whole cocoa beans, egg, fat, and honey, he experienced no addiction whatsoever, consuming it only about 10 times per year.

Claim 6: Theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline in any form, raw, processed, or cooked, "produce permanent degenerative alterations in cellular protoplasm." Aajonus directly disputed this, stating that in micro amounts, raw theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline stimulate creative thought processes and do not cause diseases. The only safe source for obtaining these compounds is raw cocoa.

Aajonus situated cocoa in a broader critique of the commercial "superfood" industry. He explained that all commercially available powdered "superfoods," including cocoa powder sold as raw, must undergo thorough drying to prevent caking in machines during grinding. When hard foods like cocoa beans and roots are ground into flour, the grinding machines reach high temperatures through friction. This means no commercially powdered cocoa can be considered truly raw, the very process of producing the powder destroys its rawness and nutritional integrity.

He described people who consume commercial "superfoods" including cocoa as being "hyped up", a form of overstimulation that he characterized as being on drugs rather than experiencing clean, healthy energy. He stated these substances "over-activate the digestion, everything" and that the energy they produce is not clean, sustainable energy but rather a form of pharmaceutical-grade stimulation disguised as nutrition.

Aajonus provided extensive autobiographical context for his positions on chocolate. He described being a heavy cooked-food eater before transitioning to the Primal Diet, consuming donuts (including powdered donuts, which he described loving intensely), cooked well-done steaks, and mostly carbohydrates all day. He was diabetic during this period. He described eating boxes of chocolate-covered cherries, up to 50 in 40 to 45 minutes, demonstrating the addictive power of cooked commercial chocolate. He stated that by contrast, when he smells cooked vegetables or cooked pastries now, he wants to vomit from the smell alone, demonstrating how completely his relationship to food changed through years on the Primal Diet.

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