How to use cocoa correctly?

Cocoa is not only anti-depressant but also helps to lose weight, because it increases metabolism and allows the body to burn a large amount of calories.

>>>The process of molding chocolate from cocoa

Cocoa originated in Central America and Mexico, discovered about 3,000 years ago. In Greek, cocoa means 'food of the gods'. In the early 20th century, cocoa and chocolate drinks became a typical culinary culture of Europe and popular all over the world.

Cocoa is a year-round green tree, small woody, 4-8m tall, living in natural conditions can be 10-20m high. The fruit is usually large, the fruit shape changes.

Chocolate is a mixture of cocoa and cocoa butter, added with sugar, milk and other substances.(Photo: dark-chocolate-life)

The physical and chemical properties of cocoa beans and cocoa products are complex. They vary according to the quality of the grain and depend on the processing process. Cocoa powder is a solid part of finely ground seeds, pressed for butter. Cocoa butter is the fat inside the seed that is pressed from the granular powder.

Chocolate is a mixture of cocoa and cocoa butter, added with sugar, milk and other substances, eventually packed into bars. Dark chocolate is a chocolate that does not add milk. White chocolate includes sugar, cocoa butter, milk or milk powder and vanilla. White chocolate does not contain theobromine, so it can be used for pets such as dogs, cats .

Chemical composition of cocoa and health benefits

Cocoa rich in phytochemicals is a bioactive substance (eg, flavonoids and carotenoids) that are thought to have health benefits. Cocoa powder contains many chemicals related to serotonin levels in the brain, has antioxidant effects, helps reduce free radical formation. Some studies show that, eating cocoa in moderation, can lower blood pressure, prevent cancer.

Cocoa butter is considered an antioxidant, which acts to neutralize cholesterol in the blood thanks to high levels of stearic acid, does not increase bad cholesterol (LDL), which increases good cholesterl (HDL), prevents infarction heart muscle and stroke

German scientists conclude that eating 6 g of chocolate daily reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke by 37%, as well as reducing the risk of death after stroke, allowing better blood circulation due to the present of flavanoid. Even people who have experienced heart attacks will limit their chances of relapse if they regularly eat chocolate.

Dr. Norman Hollenberg, professor of medicine at Harvard University, said that flavanol-rich cocoa has great benefits in treating two coronary heart disease and cancer. US researchers led by Dr. Diane Becker also demonstrate that eating chocolate regularly helps reduce the risk of blood clots and blood vessel blockages, the cause of heart attacks.Flavonoids in cocoa beans have a similar effect to aspirin for cardiovascular disease, reducing the risk of blood clots.

Photo: ghanacafe.com

Cocoa is not only anti-depressant but also helps to lose weight, because it increases metabolism and allows the body to burn a large amount of calories. In addition, theobromine in it also makes the body feel full and suppress appetite.

Caffeine in chocolate works to help wake up, theobromine and theophylline help stimulate the body and effectively affect psychology, reduce mental stress, and fight stress. Drinking cocoa daily can improve the efficiency of intellectual work, help people remember the test data about memory more easily, improve the type of spatial memory, and accumulate information to continue processing later.

However, researchers do not encourage eating lots of chocolate , as this food also contains sugar and butter. They recommend eating 2 teaspoons of dark chocolate every day in pure form or from dried cocoa beans. Dark chocolate with low dose is also enough to bring anticoagulant effect, not need to eat much. Scientists also recommend that, to prevent diabetes or obesity, dark chocolate can be chosen instead of regular chocolate bars.

Dr Wahida Karmally, head of the Nutrition Department at Columbia University Medical Center, warns that saturated chocolate boosts LDL (bad cholesterol), which is bad for the heart if not selected correctly and "good dark chocolate." healthier than white chocolate or milk chocolate '.