The Truth About Cacao: What Research Actually Shows! | Heal Thy Self w/ Dr. G #388

Heal Thy Self with Dr. G

Heal Thy Self

Health & Fitness, Alternative Health

5 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 9 June 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this highly anticipated annual episode, Dr. G delivers the 2025 Heal Thy Self Cacao Product Review. After weeks of testing, lab document requests, and direct communication with brands, Dr. G exposes the shocking truth about your favorite cacao products. Not all cacao is created equal. Some brands are loaded with heavy metals like lead and cadmium. Others are contaminated with mold and mycotoxins. And some companies won't even respond to basic safety questions about what's actually in their products. Dr. G breaks down: Why even organic cacao can exceed safe heavy metal levels The brands that completely ignored transparency requests (red flag!) Which companies provided full certificates of analysis and passed with flying colors How mycotoxins from improperly stored cacao beans can cause liver toxicity and immune suppression The difference between fermented, raw, and roasted cacao and why it matters His complete transparency protocol: what questions every cacao company should answer. This isn't just about flavor; it's about your long-term health. Cacao is medicine, but sourcing matters. Transparency is the new baseline for quality. From the brands that made the top tier to the ones you should avoid completely, this episode will change how you choose your cacao forever. #cacao #chocolate #wellness ==== Thank You To Our Sponsors! Head to boncharge.com and use the coupon code DRG for 15% off. Visit supermush.com and use code DRG20 to get 20% off. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - 2025 Cacao Review Introduction 00:03:00 - The Heavy Metal Problem in Cacao 00:06:00 - Mycotoxins: The Hidden Danger 00:09:00 - Our Transparency Protocol Explained 00:12:00 - Brands That Didn't Respond (Avoid These) 00:15:00 - Mid-Tier Brands: Incomplete Responses 00:18:00 - TOP TIER: The Cleanest Cacao Brands 00:22:00 - Pending Brands & Final Thoughts Hosted by Doctor Christian Gonzalez N.D. Follow Doctor G on Instagram @doctor.gonzalez https://www.instagram.com/doctor.gonzalez/ Sign up for our newsletter! https://drchristiangonzalez.com/newsletter/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Every year people wait on this, the Heal Thyself product review, and today is all about
0:06.3	cacao, one of our most beloved superfoods in the wellness world, but here's the truth.
0:12.8	Not all cacao is created the same. Some of it, some of it is loaded with heavy metals,
0:18.4	and some of it is covered in mold and micro toxins and some you
0:21.6	have no idea what's in it because the brand won't even respond to basic safety questions so in
0:27.6	this episode i'm going to walk you through the 2025 heal thyself cacao product review based on about a
0:35.0	month of investigation lab documents, direct communication with brands.
0:40.3	We're not just talking about flavor.
0:42.3	We're talking about transparency, safety, and purity.
0:45.3	So let's dive in.
0:46.3	So what's wrong with cacao?
0:48.3	Well, heavy metals.
0:49.3	Letting cadmium being the biggest ones that we find in cacao.
0:53.3	Cadmium is often absorbed from volcanic or contaminated soils where cacao is grown.
0:58.7	Lead typically is introduced after harvest during the stage of fermentation, drying, storage, or even transit.
1:05.5	Now, the problem with these heavy metals is they're implicated in kidney damage, hormonal disruption, reproductive toxicity,
1:13.7	cognitive developmental issues, especially in kids. And there's an industry-wide problem.
1:20.1	Even certified organic cacao can exceed safe levels, especially in regions like Peru or the
1:25.9	Dominican Republic. The other problem is
1:27.7	mycotoxin, aflatoxins, okra toxin A, big one that I see in a lot of testing when we do those
1:33.9	micro toxin tests. Okra toxin A across the board, so many people who are consuming high amounts
1:39.2	of chocolate and cacao. These toxins come from the mold that grows on cacao beans when they're not dried or
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 20 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Heal Thy Self, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Heal Thy Self and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.