Many people think that not cocoa and hot chocolate are the same
beverage but the difference may surprise you. Hot chocolate is more
like ground up candy bars with additional fillers and milk solids.
Mostly comprised of sugar and artificial chocolate flavorings. Hot
cocoa on the other hand is made from cocoa powder which is packed with
healthy antioxidants and other nutrients. Cocoa powder has had the
cocoa butter removed and when used with minimal sugar and fat can
rightly be called a healthy drink. When given a choice between two
similar tasting hot beverages, why not chose the healthy hot cocoa and
feel good about it?
This ancient beverage has been around for centuries. Archaeologists
discovered cocoa beans in the burial chambers of the Olmecs who thrives
in 1500- 400 BC. The Oltecs might have been the first users of cacao
but the Mayans soon fell in love with the drink. They called this
concoction chocolatl and drank cocoa powder mixed with spices and
herbs. Mainly used by the kings and upper class, the beans were prized
and sometimes used as currency. Perhaps even the ancients knew that
cocoa had tremendous health benefits.
Fit for a King
Originally these ancient people drank and unsweetened version of hot
cocoa. This hot cocoa recipe was a mixture of ground cocoa beans,
water, wine, and peppers. Often the rulers would consume 20 cups a day.
Soon the Spaniards begin heating the mixture adding sweeteners like
sugar. In England, they added milk and created a sweet after dinner
drink. Europe adopted cocoa powder and became obsessed with it's
newfound love: chocolate.
Not you can stop feeling guilty about wanting to eat chocolate.
Researchers are discovering the truly healthy benefits of cocoa. Cocoa
has the ability to protect circulating lipids from oxidizing and it can
also help you live longer. Cocoa is lterally packed with antioxidants
that prevent cancer. An antioxidant is a substance that inhibits
oxidation or reactions promoted by oxygen and peroxides. Antioxidants
help protect your body from the detrimental effects of free radicals.
Don't settle for Chocolate Flavor when you can Have the Real Thing!
In order to get the maximum health benefits form the hot cocoa you
drink it is important that you start with a high quality cocoa powder.
You can spot a good cocoa powder because it will be dark brown and have
a bitter taste. Real cocoa powder also takes some effort to dissolve. A
whisk works well for this. You can heat milk for the hot cocoa base,
but many people also enjoy non dairy alternatives like: soy milk, rice
milk, coconut milk or water. Add a natural sweetener like agave necter,
rapedura (sugar cane crystals) or honey for a hot beverage that is
delicious and good for you too.
Hot cocoa could be the best tasting nutritional supplement you have
ever had. "Nowhere else has nature compressed such a store of the most
valuable nutrients into such a small place as it has with the cocoa
bean," the researcher Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) once said.
Hot cocoa provides even more antioxidants than green tea, blueberries
or red wine. You certainly can't beat it on a cold or rainy night. Hot
cocoa also contains elements that are help the body make the important
neurotransmitter, serotonin, a hormone that produces a feeling of well
being.
In a recent study by Dr. Dirk Taubert of the University of Cologne,
thirteen adults with untreated mild hypertension ate one 3-ounce
chocolate bar every day for two weeks. Half of the patients got white
chocolate, half got dark chocolate. Participants showed that blood
pressure remained mostly unchanged in the test group that ate white
chocolate. white chocolate does not contain polyphenols. However after
two weeks, the second test group (who ate dark chocolate) their
systolic blood pressure had dropped by an average of five points. Their
diastolic blood pressure, reading fell an average of nearly two points.
In order to get the maximum antioxidants from cocoa it is important for
your body to be able to absorb them. Some studies show that consuming
cocoa along with dairy actually blocks your body from being able to
absorb the nutrients properly. You can still enjoy a delicious cup of
hot cocoa by mixing it with a non dairy alternative. You also get more
antioxidants from drinking hot cocoa than eating a chocolate bar. The
heat releases more flavanoids.
For many years the common conception of hot cocoa was that of a
commercially prepared packet mix that was basically sugared flavored
chocolate turned into a sweetened instant powder and marketed to
children. Now adults are finding that the drink they loved as kids is
better than taking vitamins! Drink your cocoa hot and pure and enjoy
the best tasting health drink available.
