10 Health Benefits of Cocoa

Cocoa is the seed of the cocoa fruit and the main ingredient in chocolate. It is rich in flavonoids and antioxidants, having even more than açaí and blueberry, which brings the following health benefits:

Improve mood and fight depression and anxiety, by increasing the production of serotonin, the hormone of good mood. Prevent thrombosis due to the presence of flavonol; Fight high cholesterol, because it is rich in antioxidants and prevent the formation of atheroma plaques; Prevent atherosclerosis, by preventing the accumulation of cholesterol in blood vessels; Prevent anemia, as it is rich in iron; Reduce the risk of diabetes, due to antioxidant flavonoids and for helping to fight insulin resistance; Prevent problems such as dementia and stroke, by improving blood circulation, cognition and memory; Reduces pressure because it improves the quality of blood vessels; Helps regulate the intestine because it has flavonols and catechins that reach the large intestine where they can increase the amount of bifidobacteria and lactobacillus, which are good for health; It helps to control inflammation, which can be seen by reducing the amount of C-reactive protein in the blood.

To obtain these benefits, you should consume 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder per day or 40 g of dark chocolate, which is equivalent to about 3 squares of the bar.

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, cookies or fruit salad.

In addition, cocoa powder should not be consumed with products rich in calcium, such as milk, cheese and yogurt, as it contains oxalic acid, a substance that decreases 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 shell. 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, since the dark part is very bitter and does not look 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 flour; 4 eggs; 6 tablespoons unsalted margarine; 1 xícara cup of cocoa powder (150 g); 3 tablespoons of flour whole wheat; 3 tablespoons of white wheat flour.

Method of preparation

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 beat 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.