Cocoa generally refers to the cooked cocoa that is quickly dried in the factory. Chocolate and hot cocoa, which are common in supermarkets, are not natural foods. A lot of sugar, milk powder and additives are added. The content of cocoa powder with nutritional value is not high.
Raw cacao powder
Raw cocoa powder refers to cocoa beans that have not been baked at high temperature and have not been chemically treated. After being freshly picked, they are fermented at low temperature (about 45 ℃) and then directly ground into powder. The fermented nutrients are more easily digested by the human body. Most cocoa powder sold on the market is subject to chemical treatment and high temperature baking, which is easy to lead to the loss of active substances and enzymes. Raw cocoa powder contains twice or more activity.
Benefits of eating raw cocoa regularly:
Antioxidant, delay the aging process in the body.
Helping to maintain a happy mood; Stabilize the mood, improve the mood and refresh the mind.
It is a very cardiovascular friendly food to maintain healthy heart and brain function, lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke.
It has anti-inflammatory effect, can improve skin texture, and is also very friendly to acne skin.
Dutch processed cocoa VS Natural cocoa
Cooked cocoa powder can also be divided into alkalization and non-alkalization. The difference between the two is whether to add edible alkali. The alkalization process is called alkalization (processed with alkali), also called dutch, which aims to neutralize the acidity in cocoa beans. Most product packages will be marked with whether they have been alkalized.
The color of non-alkalized cocoa powder is yellow-brown, which is difficult to dissolve.
The alkalized cocoa powder has a darker color (blackening), is easy to dissolve, tastes better, and tastes more fragrant, but its nutrients will be lost, especially the content of flavanol (antioxidant) will be greatly reduced.
summary
From the perspective of nutritional value and health: raw cocoa>non-alkalized cocoa>alkalized cocoa. Although raw cocoa powder has the highest nutritional value, sugar-free and non-alkalized cocoa also contains antioxidant species and other trace elements, and is relatively easy to buy and cheap, so it depends on personal conditions.
In terms of taste: alkalized cocoa>non-alkalized cocoa>raw cocoa
The fat content in pure natural cocoa powder is not high, about 10%. Don't worry about causing obesity. If conditions permit, it is appropriate to eat about 15-20g a day.
No matter what kind of cocoa powder contains caffeine, pregnant women are advised not to eat it. After all, there are so many things to eat. Why not compete with one food? If you are greedy, it is recommended to reduce your intake. For example, it will not be a problem to eat some low-sugar chocolate occasionally.
Cacao Nibs: the direct product of chopped cocoa beans. The nutritional value of crushed cocoa is not less than that of raw cocoa.
The most common cocoa powder on the market usually adds a large amount of sugar and other processes, which greatly reduces the health effect and aggravates skin inflammation. It is recommended to carefully check the ingredients and product description when selecting.