Content
Cocoa is the seed of the cocoa fruit and is the main ingredient in chocolate. This seed is rich in flavonoids such as epicatechins and catechins, mainly, in addition to being rich in antioxidants and, therefore, its consumption can have several health benefits such as improving mood, blood flow and regulating blood sugar.
In addition to being an antioxidant, cocoa is also anti-inflammatory and protective of the cardiovascular system. To obtain these and other benefits, the ideal is to consume 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder per day or 40 grams of dark chocolate, which corresponds to approximately 3 squares.
Regular consumption of cocoa can provide several health benefits, the main ones being:
- Improves mood, fighting depression and anxiety, since it is rich in potentially psychoactive substances such as caffeine, theobromine, phenylethylamine and tyramine, which is a precursor to tryptophan, which in turn is a precursor to serotonin;
- Prevents thrombosis, because it helps to improve blood flow, preventing blood clots from forming due to its flavonoid content;
- It fights high cholesterol, since it is rich in antioxidants and, therefore, it also helps to prevent atherosclerosis as it prevents the formation of atheromatous plaques;
- Prevents anemia, as it is rich in iron;
- It decreases the risk of diabetes, since some studies indicate that it could slow down the digestion of carbohydrates and absorption at the intestinal level, in addition to protecting the cells responsible for the production of insulin in the pancreas and improving the secretion of insulin. It could also decrease insulin resistance;
- Prevention of diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's, because it improves blood circulation to the brain. In addition, cocoa is rich in selenium, a mineral that helps improve cognition and memory;
- It reduces blood pressure because it improves blood vessels by interfering with the production of nitric oxide, which helps to reduce vessels;
- It helps to regulate the intestine, since it has flavonoids and catechins that reach the large intestine, which could increase the amount of bifidobacteria and lactobacillus, which are good bacteria for health and have a prebiotic effect;
- It helps to decrease inflammation as it is rich in antioxidants, in addition to decreasing cellular damage caused by free radicals and inflammation. Some studies indicate that cocoa consumption promotes a reduction in the amount of C-reactive protein in the blood, which is an indicator of inflammation;
- Helps control weight, as it can help decrease fat absorption and synthesis. In addition, when ingesting cocoa it is possible to have a greater feeling of satiety, as it helps to regulate insulin, however this benefit is mainly associated with dark chocolate and not with milk or white chocolate.
It is important to remember that only dark chocolate, with at least 70% cocoa, also has health benefits, since milk chocolate and white chocolate contain little cocoa and a lot of sugar and fat. In cooking, cocoa can be added to cakes, pasta, biscuits or fruit salad.
In addition, cocoa powder should not be consumed together with products rich in calcium, such as milk, cheese and yogurt, as it contains oxalic acid, a substance that reduces the absorption of calcium in the intestine.
Nutritional information
The following table shows the nutritional composition of 100 g of cocoa powder.
Nutritional composition |
Energy: 365.1 kcal |
Protein | 21 g | Calcium | 92 mg |
Carbohydrate | 18 g | Iron | 2.7 mg |
Fat | 23.24 g | Sodium | 59 mg |
Fibers | 33 g | Phosphor | 455 mg |
Vitamin B1 | 75 mcg | Vitamin B2 | 1100 mcg |
Magnesium | 395 mg | Potassium | 900 mg |
Theobromine | 2057 mg | Selenium | 14.3 mcg |
Zinc | 6.8 mg | Hill | 12 mg |
How To Eat Cocoa Fruit
To consume the fruit of the cacao tree you must cut it with a machete to break its very hard skin. Then the cocoa can be opened and a whitish 'bunch' can be seen covered by a very sweet viscous substance, whose interior has dark cocoa, which is known worldwide.
It is possible to suck only the white gum that surrounds the cocoa bean, but you can also chew everything, also eating the inside, the dark part being very bitter and not like the chocolate that is so well known.
How chocolate is made
For these seeds to be transformed into powder or chocolate, they must be harvested from the tree, dried in the sun and then roasted and mashed. The resulting dough is kneaded until the cocoa butter is extracted. This paste is mainly used to make milk chocolate and white chocolate, while pure cocoa is used in making dark or semi-bitter chocolate.
Cocoa Brownie with Flaxseed
Ingredients
- 2 cups of brown sugar tea;
- 1 cup of flaxseed tea;
- 4 eggs;
- 6 tablespoons unsalted margarine;
- 1 ¼ cup of cocoa powder tea (150 g);
- 3 tablespoons of whole wheat flour;
- 3 tablespoons of white wheat flour.
Preparation mode
Melt the butter in a water bath, add the cocoa and stir until uniform.Beat the egg whites, add the egg yolks and continue beating until the dough is light. Add the sugar and mix until smooth. While mixing slowly with a spatula, add the cocoa, wheat and flaxseed until uniform. Place in a preheated oven at 230ºC for about 20 minutes, as the surface must be dry and the inside moist.
Know the difference between the types of chocolate and their benefits.
Watch in the video below what are the other foods that also improve mood: