How Healthy is Cocoa Powder?

Who doesn’t enjoy a good cup of cocoa? Cocoa is one of the world’s most popular flavors. It’s so much fun that it’s practically addictive. Cocoa powder’s rich, deep flavor pairs well with a variety of foods, including smoothies, coffee, and oatmeal. Many people also make savory chocolate sauces to use with meat. Aside from its amazing flavor, cocoa powder has a slew of other advantages. Cocoa is known to provide a wide range of health advantages.

What is Cocoa Powder?

Cocoa powder is an unsweetened chocolate product that gives sweets and beverages a rich chocolate flavor. When the fat from cacao beans, known as cocoa butter, is removed during processing, cocoa powder is formed. The dry solids that are leftover are ground into cocoa powder, which is now sold.

Types of Cocoa Powder

Cocoa powder comes in two forms:

The Natural Cocoa Powder

The most common type of cocoa powder found in stores and in recipes is natural cocoa powder. Natural cocoa powder is the most generally available and cheapest alternative for obtaining cocoa powder, and it also contains a significant number of beneficial nutrients. It is occasionally labeled on packaging as “unsweetened cocoa powder” or “pure cocoa powder,” indicating that it has not been treated beyond the initial separation from the cocoa butter and grinding into a powder. It has a light brown color and has a delicious, complex, and bitter taste. Regular cocoa powder, like cocoa beans, is naturally acidic, with a pH of 5.3 to 5.8. This makes it an excellent ingredient to baking soda-based recipes, since the cocoa will initiate the chemical reaction that gives your final bake lift and lightness.

The Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder

Dutch-process cocoa powder also known as “alkalized,” “European style,” or “Dutched” has a smoother and mellower, with earthy, woodsy undertones powder. It’s vital to note that while Dutch-process cocoa powder isn’t acidic, it frequently necessitates the use of baking powder in recipes that call for it. It is washed in a potassium carbonate solution, which reduces the acidity of the chocolate to a pH of 7. The Dutch process darkens the color of cocoa powder, which can range from light reddish brown to a darker brown.

10 Health Benefits of Cocoa Powder

Cocoa powder has so many great health advantages that you won’t think something so tasty could be so beneficial for you. These advantages have long-term implications that can improve your overall health.

Low Calories/High Fiber

A tablespoon of cocoa powder contains roughly 10 calories, depending on the brand. There are only one gram of fat, three grams of carbohydrates, and one gram of protein in this snack. Aside from these modest figures, cocoa powder has a lot of fiber, up to two grams per tablespoon. Fiber is essential for a healthy diet, and this 3-to-2 carb-to-fiber ratio is one of the best on the market. Cocoa powder is a simple and tasty way to increase your fiber intake while consuming very few calories.

A Source of Strength

Caffeine is present in moderate amounts in cocoa. This aids in the production of energy and the reduction of fatigue. It contains not just a significant amount of caffeine, but also magnesium. Magnesium is found in roughly 14 percent of your body’s daily value in two teaspoons of cocoa powder. Magnesium is known to naturally keep your body energized and has been the ability to protect your body from a variety of ailments, including high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, and osteoporosis. That being said, if you need to keep your body energized and awake, one of the healthiest methods is to drink cocoa.

Mood Booster

Grab some cocoa if you’re having trouble regulating your mood or just need a mood boost. Cocoa is a known natural antidepressant that can keep you feeling happier in a healthy way. The mood-enhancing compounds anandamide can be found in cocoa, and this compound aids in the production of euphoria. It also has the ability to have an influence on the brain’s reward center. It interacts with your neurotransmitter systems, releasing dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, all of which make you feel good.

Prevents Tooth-Related Issues

Studies show that the more cocoa powder in your diet, the higher the chances of reducing tooth decay. The antibacterial capabilities of some chemicals contained in the cocoa bean husk are known to help combat plaque. It’s even possible that it’ll be even more effective than fluoride at preventing cavities. CBH, a chemical present in cocoa powder, is known to aid in the hardening of your enamel. Add more cocoa to your diet if you want to preserve your pearly whites as lovely as possible.

Protects your Heart

The anti-inflammatory antioxidant flavonols are abundant in cocoa. These antioxidants are beneficial to your heart and circulatory system as a whole. Flavonols help to protect your body from heart disease, enhance blood circulation, and reduce the chance of stroke. Other antioxidants included in cocoa, known as polyphenols, help to lower HDL (bad cholesterol) levels and prevent atherosclerosis (artery hardening).

Increasing Metabolism

Cocoa polyphenols help to enhance your metabolism, allowing you to lose weight more quickly. It also boosts your body’s ability to digest dietary fat and prevent it from accumulating as fatty tissue. Because cocoa aids digestion, it prevents weight gain.

Increases your Sex Appeal

We all know how seductive anything prepared with chocolate is. This is due to cocoa’s aphrodisiac properties. If you want to go into someone’s heart, give them something with the rich, deep, enticing flavor of cocoa powder. Phenethylamine, another mood-enhancing molecule found in cocoa, releases the same endorphins that are generated when we fall in love, thus it can help boost your sex life.

Keeps Wrinkles at Bay

You only need to consume your daily amount of cocoa to achieve healthy and smooth skin. Polyphenols in cocoa help preserve your cells from early oxidation, preventing your skin from looking wrinkled and old. It can also improve the texture of your skin and make it glow. Cocoa butter as a moisturizer is also found to maintain a skin that is soft and smooth, in addition to ingesting cocoa powder. With a bit more chocolate in your diet, you will definitely look younger and brighter.

Sharpens the Mind

Cocoa aids in memory and cognitive performance. It helps increase blood flow to the brain and can also help reduce age-related memory loss and cognitive impairment. Several studies show that cocoa may help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological illnesses. So adding a little more cocoa to your diet can help your brain stay sharper for longer and improve your memory.

Aids your Digestive System

A diet high in cocoa can considerably improve your digestive health. When the flavanols in cocoa are metabolized, they transform into a prebiotic. Prebiotics help to assist in boosting your digestive health when combined with probiotics. They also help to improve the health of your entire digestive system by balancing the bacteria in your gut and ensuring that the “good” bacteria in your stomach proliferate.

Now that you Know…

Finding healthy ways to incorporate cocoa into your diet can have a significant impact on your health. Any of the benefits of cocoa will be negated if it is consumed with a large amount of processed sugar. Furthermore, researchers believe that mixing cocoa with dairy milk reduces the antioxidant potency of cocoa so take note.
Simply adding a spoonful of pure cocoa powder to your favorite smoothie or overnight oats recipe can provide you with the extra cocoa you need to improve your health. To have the most influence on your body, try some new dishes that use this product in its raw form. What cocoa can do for your heart is truly remarkable, so make sure to jump on it.