The flavanols from cacao have a lot of interesting physiological effects on the human body. But some nutrition scientists cringe when we write about the health benefits of chocolate. Even dark chocolate with very little sugar has too many calories to qualify as healthful, they say. Nonetheless, there are ways to enjoy the flavor of chocolate without all the calories in a chocolate bar.
Q. You have written about the benefits of cocoa and the drawbacks of sugar and fat in chocolate. I have a solution.
While I was on vacation in Guatemala, I was served hot cocoa made with water, no milk or sugar. It is delicious.
Now I make my cocoa using two tablespoons of cocoa powder per cup of hot water. Sometimes I add a little milk or sweetener, as you might to coffee. This solves the problem of extra calories.
A. Thank you for this simple recipe. The natural compounds in cocoa can help relax blood vessels and keep blood platelets from clumping together into clots (Vascular Pharmacology, online, April 11, 2015). This can help lower blood pressure modestly (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Aug. 15, 2012).
When cacao was first domesticated thousands of years ago, people consumed it as cocoa in unsweetened beverages. Your approach seems compatible.
