Hot Chocolate - Health Benefits

The Aztecs have the word "chocolatl", which means "foamy water". This phrase was dubbed hot chocolate. It is prepared using cocoa, water or milk with added sugar. For taste, some consumers add cream or spices. Cooking can exist in two variations:

1. Hot chocolate with a classic look. Small chocolate pieces melt and whip into foam. Add milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. The drink is thick, viscous and greasy in nature. The product contains a fairly large number of calories. One glass of such a “cocktail” contains 250 kcal.
2. For cooking use powder. It remains after the oil is completely squeezed out of the cocoa beans. The basis for the preparation of the drink is milk or water. This composition is a budget option for the drink. It turns out to be liquid in consistency and simple to prepare. A similar drink belongs to the category of dietary products with a content of only 30 kcal in one glass.

The Aztecs milled the grains until a paste formed. Then it was mixed with water, alcohol and hot pepper were added. Often such a drink accompanied many ritual ceremonies. In the 16th century, the Spaniards brought the product along with the recipe to their homeland. Then the drink gained distribution in other European countries. Everywhere began to open institutions, clubs where visitors could try hot chocolate.

Its use was associated with good taste and a sign of respectability. The high cost of the drink was the reason that its use could only afford members of high society. Used it for therapeutic purposes. It was used for healing wounds, raising tone. Men with his help increased libido.

To prepare the drink, a teapot with a short spout was used. He had a lid and a wooden handle. It also included a whisk, which whipped foam. The oily film was removed with a spoon. The drink was poured into small cups and saucers. To slightly reduce the price for it, they began to dilute it with milk. At the same time, taste came to the liking, and this technique began to be applied on an ongoing basis.

At the end of the 19th century, the drink acquired a more democratic character. Learned how to get cheaper beet sugar. In addition, a recipe for producing butter and powder from cocoa beans was invented. Chocolate was made from butter, and a drink from powder. Now it is used by wider social groups.

Beneficial features

You can talk about the benefits only when all kinds of additives are present in the very minimum amount:

1. The product contains a large amount of zinc. This element is extremely important for the body. With his participation, protein is synthesized, DNA and RNA molecules are built. The body experiences an increased need for zinc during puberty.
2. Using this drink can prevent sunburn.
3. Together with him, a person improves mood, there is a surge of vigor. A sufficient content of the natural neurotransmitter phenylethylamine leads to an increase in vitality.
4. The presence of gallic acid stops internal bleeding. This has been proven by American scientists.
5. The presence of flavonoids provides blood thinning, as a result of which its circulation improves.
6. Hot chocolate can fight many parasites, the culprits of a number of diseases.
7. The processes associated with the formation of cancer cells are inhibited.
8. Being a source of a vitamin-mineral complex, it can act as an assistant in the fight against vitamin deficiencies.
9. The presence of theobromine has a calming effect on the endings of the nerve vagus.
10. A lingering cough will disappear if you drink a cup of hot chocolate.
11. The antibacterial properties of tianin will eliminate inflammatory changes in the throat.
12. Caffeine stimulates brain activity.
13. Under the influence of the product, endorphins are secreted, and they are known to be hormones of happiness.
14. Thanks to procyanidins, the skin becomes younger, and the wound surface heals much more intensively.

Criterias of choice

The benefits of hot chocolate depend on the quality that cocoa beans possess and the way the drink is prepared:

1. Cocoa is obtained in industrial production (fertilizers are used for cultivation). There is a type of organic cocoa in which fertilizers are not used. But the highest quality species is the "living" cocoa, when the fruits are harvested by hand.
2. Some resellers disrupt the technological chain of its production, as a result of which the product loses most of its beneficial properties.
3. Naturalness is confirmed by a rich brown color. Fat in it should contain at least 15%. High-quality powder does not leave lumps when wiped.

Prescription Compounds

1. Melted chocolate is prepared as follows. Chocolate chips are used to form chips. It is placed in a water bath and milk is added in a ratio of 50:50. The addition of spices and sugar is carried out in accordance with taste preferences.
2. Raw beans are soaked for a quarter of an hour. Then they should be grated with a grater or passed through a coffee grinder. A mixture is prepared consisting of one quarter cup of cream and three quarters of milk. It is put on fire and the chocolate chips are dissolved in it. In this case, use a whisk.

For weight loss
To diversify the diet will help the use of this low-calorie product. Instead of sugar, hot chocolate is replaced with its substitute, and a skimmed product is used as milk.

Unloading mono-diet
Once a week, exclusively melted chocolate and unsweetened coffee are consumed. 100 g is consumed per day, and three cups of coffee. Such fasting days help to lose extra pounds.

Harm

It can be reduced to the following positions:

1. A high concentration of purines can contribute to salt deposition.
2. With the use of hot chocolate, calcium is absorbed worse.
3. The product is considered a strong allergen.
4. Perhaps a negative effect on the body of pesticides and fertilizers used in the cultivation.
5. The product raises blood sugar, therefore it is categorically contraindicated for diabetics.

The use of hot chocolate is associated with benefits for both health and mood. But you need to use only a quality product.

Video: how to make hot chocolate