To learn more about some ancestors, I recently visited Cousin Connie. She’s not my first cousin. There are several branches of our family tree between us. Despite her advanced age, Connie’s mind is clear. She owes her longevity and good health to “clean living.” I’m sure those things contribute to Connie’s health. When I found out that she’s a huge fan of hot chocolate- preferring it over coffee, that got me thinking about this steamy, tasty drink. Read this informative article and learn about the awesome health benefits of hot chocolate!
Choose the Healthiest Kinds of Hot Chocolate
If you’re concerned about getting too many calories, sugar or fat from drinking hot chocolate, choose sugar-free or low-fat versions. Choose hot chocolate that’s made with water or skim milk instead of whole milk.
Swiss Miss make a delicious “No Sugar Added” hot chocolate mix that’s only 60 calories a serving. It contains 1 gram of saturated fat and 7 sugars. A regular cup of Swiss Miss (with marshmallows) hot chocolate that’s made with water contains 120 calories, 2 grams of fat, and has 19 grams of sugar.
The Awesome Health Benefits of Hot Chocolate
Hot Chocolate Contains Beneficial Antioxidants
Antioxidants, according to www.medterms.com, are “Any substance that reduces oxidative damage (damage due to oxygen) such as that caused by free radicals.” Research has proven that antioxidants help prevent cancer, heart disease, aging and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) because they lower the number of free radicals in your body.
If you’re drinking tea or red wine to receive the benefits of antioxidants, you may be cheating yourself by not drinking hot chocolate. According to CBS.MarketWatch.com, hot chocolate beats tea and wine hands-down when it comes to antioxidant concentration. To get the same amount of antioxidants that are present in a cup of hot chocolate, you have to drink two to three cups of green tea, or two glasses of wine.
A Cornell University study revealed the same results. An awesome health benefit of hot chocolate is that it contains gallic acid that acts as an antioxidant. Gallic acid is used to treat internal hemorrhages, albuminuria (the presence of albumin in the urine, which can indicate kidney disease) and diabetes.
Professor Chang Yong Lee, the leader of the Cornell study, added that the “hot” in “hot chocolate” is important as well. More antioxidants are released when it’s heated up. Drinking hot chocolate is healthier for you than eating chocolate because of its lower amount of saturated fats too.
Additional Benefits of the Antioxidants in Hot Chocolate
Another awesome health benefit of hot chocolate is the flavonoid antioxidants it contains. Flavonoids are what gives chocolate its dark color. Therefore, the darker the hot chocolate, the better it is for you.
Flavonoids benefit your body because they help process nitric oxide. According to
www.medterms.com, nitric oxide relaxes the blood vessels, “kills parasitic organisms, virus-infected cells, and tumor cells”, and it “…controls the supply of oxygen to mitochondria (cell powerhouses that generate energy).” Drink a cup of hot chocolate and it will improve blood flow, help lower your blood pressure, and promote heart health.
The flavonoids in hot chocolate also have an “aspirin-like” effect. That means, they help prevent platelets in your blood from clumping together and forming clots.
According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, drinking hot chocolate can help you think better too. The flavonoids increase the blood flow and oxygen to the brain. Since dementia is caused by a reduced flow of blood to the brain, researchers think this disease could be treated with cocoa.
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7B62914923-22D2-415E-A674-067537007A72%7D&siteid;=google&dist;=google
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_chocolate
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http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11291
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031119080419.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3248455.stm
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/flavonoids
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=22508
