We all know that herbal teas can be extremely good for us and have been used in this ancient practice for thousands of years, but did you know that hot chocolate comes from the same tradition?
That’s right folks. I’m here to tell you that hot chocolate is good for you. Well, this recipe is anyways.
Unfortunately – as we all too often do – Americans have adapted an authentic cuisine and forgotten to pay tribute to its original intentions. The Mayans were the first to brew cacao into a beverage which many visitors found repulsive.
Without the added sugar, this mixture of ground cacao seeds, chili pepper and water was extremely bitter and often hard to swallow for those unfamiliar with the drink.
A Spanish missionary is quoted as saying it “is a drink very much esteemed among the Indians” and “is good for the stomach”.
The intended value of this chocolate drink for the Mayans came from the ingredients and their health benefits, not simply the pleasure of taste.
But who says you can’t have both!
That doesn’t mean you can go ahead and use those packaged mixes. Yuck! There is way to have the rich and decadent chocolate flavor without all the added sugar.
Try this recipe and check out 6 reasons why you can feel good about drinking it:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
- 1/2 teaspoon raw maca powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- Pinch of cayenne and sea salt!
Method:
- Heat the liquids slowly on the stove top.
- Add coconut oil until melted and mix well.
- Stir in the powdered ingredients.
- Add the maple syrup, cayenne and sea salt.
- Serve!
If the delicious taste is not reason enough to love this superfood hot chocolate, here are 6 more reasons you will:
- Hot cocoa has more antioxidants than a glass of red wine and is three times stronger than that of green tea.
- The “hot” in hot chocolate is essential. The temperature as well as cayenne pepper in this cup of cocoa actually encourages the release of even more antioxidants.
- In this cup of cocoa you are getting nearly 600 milligrams of phenolic compound gallic acid equivalents and 550 milligrams of the flavonoid epicatechin equivalents – both have been found effective in the treatment of internal hemorrhages, kidney disease and diabetes.
- Flavonoids help your body process nitric oxide, which is why hot cocoa can improve blood flow, help lower blood pressure and improve your health.
- These same flavonoids can prevent the platelets in your blood from mingling to form blood clots.
- Last but not least, these flavonoids can improve your mental awareness and have been shown to increase blood flow to the brain.
Sources:
http://www.mnn.com/food/beverages/stories/7-health-benefits-of-drinking-hot-cocoa
