image by: JSB Co. For Unsplash+

HWN Suggests

Should I add cocoa powder to my diet?

Cocoa beans are fermented, dried, roasted, and ground into powder for use in foods and beverages. In theory, adding cocoa powder to your diet seems like a healthier way to consume flavanols than eating chocolate bars. But it's not that simple. It turns out that the flavanol content of cocoa powder varies widely and depends on several factors, including the genetics of the particular cacao plant harvested and the makeup of the soil in which the crop was grown. But the way the beans are processed probably has the biggest effect. Dutch processed cocoa is treated with a substance that makes it slightly less acidic, which removes some of the bitterness but also some of the flavanols, according…

read full article

Featured

 Cocoa for pleasure — and health?

Yes, we love cocoa in winter, particularly around Valentine’s Day. But does cocoa love us? While you may want to pass the mug, you also may also need to watch out for the saturated fat and sugar. Researchers at Harvard and Brigham and Women’s Hospital are launching a massive, four-year, 18,000-person, randomized trial to get at some of the truths behind the potential health benefits of cocoa. Earlier observational studies and smaller clinical studies have hinted that compounds in cocoa called flavanols carry health benefits, protecting against everything from heart disease to stroke to dementia, so researchers want to learn more.

 Instant hot cocoa is a starchy disaster. Here’s how to make your own.

There is a time and a place for instant hot cocoa. It’s called “when you want it right this second and have nothing better on hand.” Hot chocolate mix is fine in a pinch, but the reality is that the homemade variety is far tastier, and surprisingly easy to make. Plus, you can stir it up in big batches—because let’s be honest here, once one person wants hot cocoa, everyone else does too.

 One Reason Why Cocoa Is Good For You

We've heard about a jillion times that dark chocolate is good for you, but new research being unveiled this week at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society may help shed light on the reason why.

 The cocoa craze: Experts spill the beans on the science of chocolate

Stanford students love to live the sweet life, and eating chocolate is no exception. “Chocolate is a marvel — the eighth wonder of the world,” Carter Rosenthal ’27 said.

Articles of Interest

How to Make the Healthiest Cup of Hot Cocoa

If you've ever worried that the cocoa you're making isn't good for you, here's a recipe that will totally zap those worries.

Buying Hot Cocoa For The Kids? Why You Need to Choose Wisely

It's warm beverage season again! I live on hot tea but I enjoy the occasional cup of hot chocolate in the cold months as well. Before you buy this year's supply of cocoa, make sure you read the ingredients list because most brands have partially hydrogenated oils (AKA trans fat) in them.

Cacao vs. Cocoa: What’s The Difference?

Turning raw cacao into cocoa powder gradually removes some of the naturally occurring minerals, antioxidants and flavanols from the cacao beans. The remaining nutrients depend on the variety of cacao bean, geographic origin, heat and chemicals used during processing.

Cacao: 5 Little Known Benefits of this Amazonian Superfood

Antioxidants, iron, magnesium, calcium, and mood-boosting neurotransmitters - find out more about why you should be adding cacao to your diet here!

Cocoa and health: a decade of research

It is an appealing idea that a food commonly consumed for pure pleasure could also bring tangible benefits for health. Olive oil, green tea and red wine have been commonly researched in the past and now there is growing interest in cocoa.

Health benefits of cocoa

In modern society, cocoa is being eaten as a confectionery, contrary to its medicinal use in the past. However, since the last decade, there has been a revival of talks about cocoa's health beneficial effects.

Is cacao powder actually healthy?

Cacao powder (pronounced ka-cow) is taking the health scene by storm... and for good reason! There is some real evidence that this chocolate superfood is actually good for you.

Is Cocoa As Healthy As Dark Chocolate?

That depends on the cocoa, which is just chocolate minus its natural fat (cocoa butter). Most commercially available cocoa products have been so processed that they end up providing few, if any flavanols, the heart healthy components of raw cocoa beans.

Notes on chocolate: a thrilling new cocoa powder discovery

A new hot choc favourite in my house is Chocolarder’s House Blend 64%, £12.50. It’s a powder blended from cocoa from two different estates to give just the right mixture of depth and creaminess, in a reusable tin, but the really important bit is that it’s really good hot chocolate.

The Health Benefits of Cocoa Powder

Over the last few years, scientists have published research touting the benefits of chocolate. In response to this trend, researchers at Harvard University, led by nutritionist and epidemiologist Eric Ding, PhD, analyzed 24 of the most comprehensive studies on cocoa (cocoa, which can be used interchangeably with the word “cacao,” refers to the powder derived from cacao beans; cocoa/cacao powder is the base of all chocolate).

These Cacao Health Benefits Are Sure to Blow Your Mind

The star ingredient in your favorite chocolate bar offers so much more than just a sweet, mouthwatering taste (although that’s pretty awesome too).

Why some health experts are making the switch from coffee to cocoa powder

It's not just the basis for a tasty snow day beverage — cocoa powder popularity is on the rise as some health experts and wellness influencers laud it for certain health benefits. Cocoa sales are on the rise and expected to keep growing at least in part due to demand for cocoa powder, according to a market research report published Thursday by Fairfield.

Why the global cocoa market is melting down

Toblerones could soon become luxury goods.

You’re Doing It Wrong: Hot Chocolate

An unfortunate trend has oozed its way through New York and other yuppie hubs over the last few years: ultra-rich hot chocolate, with a texture somewhere between eggnog and pudding, and a butterfat content somewhere between heavy cream and, well, butter. Such hot chocolate is superficially alluring but ultimately regrettable. I speak from repeated experience:

Resources

NutritionFacts.org

We know that the sugar in chocolate isn’t good for us and neither are the fat and excess calories, but natural cocoa powder can be considered a health food.