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Did you know that drinking hot chocolate could actually be good for you? Today I’m going over some of the benefits of drinking hot chocolate and my special recipe too!
Benefits of Drinking Hot Chocolate
Why you don’t have to feel guilty about pouring that second cup
I love drinking hot chocolate on a cold night, snuggled up on the couch with a blanket. I knew that cocoa powder was a great source of antioxidants, but I wanted to know just how healthy this hot chocolate really was. There are plenty of benefits of drinking hot chocolate to keep you pouring a cup all winter long.
I drink my hot chocolate sweetened with stevia, so it is sugar free. This also helps keep it guilt free too.
Drinking Hot Chocolate for Health
Cocoa powder is a great source of flavanoids which are high in antioxidants.
Newswise shares that antioxidants “are natural compounds found in some foods that help neutralize free radicals in our bodies. Free radicals are substances that occur naturally in our bodies but attack the fats, protein and the DNA in our cells, which can cause different types of diseases and accelerate the aging process.”
Another study showed that antioxidants in cocoa are higher in than red wine. So drinking hot chocolate can help you stay healthy, slow down the aging process, and help prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. (Let me go pour me a cup now while you keep reading)
Dr.Weil shares that “researchers at Harvard Medical School analyzed 21 studies that involved more than 2,500 participants and found that drinking chocolate is associated with reduced blood pressure, improved blood vessel health and lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and elevating HDL (“good”) cholesterol.”
FSGate list the minerals in cocoa powder: “Just 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder contains 3 to 9 percent of the recommended daily intake of iron, manganese, magnesium and zinc.”
Some people who are deficient in magnesium will show increased cravings of chocolate because their body knows that it is a source of this mineral. For other ways to increase magnesium click here.
Research also shows that the more chocolate you eat, the less body fat you have.
Drinking Hot Chocolate for Thinking
One study showed that drinking hot cocoa may increase your brain’s thinking ability. Cocoa is high in theobromine. This is a phytochemical that improves circulation of your blood. Along with lowering blood pressure, this helps blood also increase flow to your brain which helps increase your thinking ability. Flavanoids in the cocoa also increase blood supply to the brain and has been used for helping patients with dementia. Maybe you should think about drinking a cup of hot chocolate before your next big test to test this theory out.
Drinking Hot Chocolate to make you happy
Cocoa also contains neurotransmitters that act like antidepressants. I know I’m always happier after I eat chocolate. Cocoa may also boost endophins and seratonin
How to make an easy homemade sugar free hot chocolate:
I mix one tablespoon of unsweetened dark cocoa powder in about 1.5 cups of boiling water with a pinch of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and stevia extract to taste. I put mine in my blender and it gets all frothy on top… yummm. It is perfect for a cold night.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of dark cocoa powder
2 Tablespoon of Heavy Whipping Cream
1.5 cups of boiling water
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla stevia liquid
Directions:
Heat up hot water.
Pour all ingredients into blender.
Blend until frothy.
How do you like to drink your hot chocolate?
More Chocolate Posts
Keto Cinnamon Chocolate Fat Bombs
No Sugar Added Double Chocolate Banana Bread
Keto Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Low Carb Chocolate Muffin in a Mug
Low Carb Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
Chocolate Chip Coconut Flour Bread
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Sugar Free Hot Chocolate Mousse
This post is linked up to Weekend Wellness and Healing with Food and Adventures in Mindful Living and Nomday Monday and Naturally Living Mondays and Mama Moment Mondays and Thank Goodness it’s Monday
I'm on a mission to make healthy living feel like a breeze – because who's got time for complicated recipes?
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I know! I’m in love with hot chocolate right now.
I am OBSESSED with hot chocolate…my son and I have it nearly every day during school. I guess it’s my replacement for my prior coffee obsession 🙂 Great post, Angela!! Thanks for sharing with Healing With Food Friday!!
We are pretty obsessed right now too, haha.
This is the first hot chocolate mix recipe that I can get excited about. I have been looking for something to replace the bought packages; those are awful.
Thanks for sharing at healing With Food Friday. This is a featured post for this next week’s blog hop. Hope to see you at the next one tomorrow.
I wished that I had known how to make my own hot chocolate last year when I was pregnant and craving it so badly. I would give in and feel guilty because I knew that it wasn’t good for my baby with gestational diabetes. This is so yummy and has the extra benefits from the tea. In the mornings sometimes I will use oolong tea or roobios tea for another element and some wake me up energy. I’m so glad you like it!
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I am in Ecuador and here you get cocoa powder as well as chocolate to melt for hot cocoa. I do this exact recipe but add a hunk of chocolate (not milk chocolate) and use unrefined cane sugar (panela) to sweeten. Never thought in a million years that I would begin drinking hot cocoa made with water. Never looking back, this helps so much being that I am lactose intolerant!
As if I needed another reason to drink hot chocolate. At least these reasons are healthy.
Great stuff. Going to mention and link this article in one of my article will be published on http://www.thetwoangles.com/.
Thanks for your great effort.
Cheers 🙂