"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

Should I be adding cocoa powder to my weight loss program?

Question
Many doctors and nutritionists recommend eating dark chocolate moderately, and I've heard that I should search for bars which might be 70% cacao. But wouldn't or not it’s easier so as to add a teaspoon of 100% unsweetened cocoa powder to my morning coffee?

Oh It's a good query, especially since considered one of the common warnings about eating chocolate bars is that they typically contain a variety of sugar, fat, and calories. Potential health-promoting compounds present in chocolate include a category called flavanols. These compounds are present in many plants, including cocoa beans, that are the seeds of the cocoa tree. A weight loss program wealthy in flavanols is related to improved cardiovascular health, possibly by improving blood vessels (which lowers blood pressure) and blood sugar control (which can help prevent diabetes).

If you just like the taste of unsweetened cocoa powder in your coffee, there's no reason not so as to add it. But you almost certainly won't get an enormous dose of flavanols in only one teaspoon. If you like chocolate, having just a few small squares of dark chocolate may be technique to satisfy a sweet tooth and barely increase your flavonol intake without adding too many calories and fat. And while dark chocolate accommodates more flavanols than milk chocolate, each selections still contain sugar and fat.

In terms of heart advantages, though, the perfect option is to eat loads of vegetables and fruit for quite a lot of flavanols, in addition to heart-healthy nutrients like fiber, vitamins and minerals. According to Dr. Seso, good food sources of flavanols are berries, grapes, and black or green tea.


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