Thursday, October 30, 2014

6 Health Benefits of Hot Cocoa

Hot cocoa, a nectar of the gods, a life source of elves, a delicious warmer upper of the ice dwellers, whatever nickname you have for it, we can all agree it is fantastic.

Ultimately, we can thank the Mayans for this wonderful drink. When they weren't preoccupied with creating languages, calendars, and combating conquistadors, they were making drinkable chocolate. However, their version was a spicy, cold variety; the warmer, sweeter version we have come to love today was made by Spanish travelers in 16th century Europe. In that time, hot chocolate was consumed as a medicinal drink.

Hot chocolate used to be consumed for many medical reasons, such as for treating ailments and injuries. 17th century France used it as a way to improve moods, which is still true today (have you seen an angry person drink hot cocoa?) This makes us ask, does hot cocoa still have medicinal properties? 

Yes.

  • Hot cocoa has 2x the antioxidant count of red wine. It doesn't stop there, either, it has 3x more than green tea and 5x more than black tea. 
  • Cocoa has more antioxidants when hot. When you have your cocoa hot, more antioxidants are released, making you have a more health beneficial drink! 
  • It helps with internal hemorrhages, albuminuria, and diabetes. Hot cocoa has phenolic compound gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and flavonoid epicatechin equivalents (ECE). The gallic acid is what is great for the hemorrhages, albuminuria, and diabetes. 
  • Less fat than other chocolate. Compared to a standard chocolate bar, hot cocoa has 8 fewer grams of fat. 
  • It helps with blood clots. The flavonoids help prevent your blood platelets clump together, forming blood clots. 
  • Great for the brain. It helps you think better! The flavonoids help blood flow and oxygen get to the brain, which helps you think better and get a reduced risk of dementia. 
So why not have another cup of hot cocoa? It helps you body in many ways. Need a quick and easy way to buy hot cocoa? Buy from Coffeevines! We carry amazing Swiss Miss hot cocoa. 

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