Who doesn’t love chocolate? When it comes to celebrating love and friendship, chocolate is the sweetest gift we can get from a loved one. However, there are consequences that aren’t that sweet!
The truth is, dark chocolate contains powerful antioxidants called flavanols, but also includes cocoa butter, which has high levels of unhealthy saturated fat that can raise cholesterol levels and increase your risk of heart disease when consumed in excess.
So what could be a better option than dark chocolate? The answer is simple: cocoa! One gram of cocoa contains over 30 mg of flavanols whereas one gram of dark chocolate only contains approximately 12.5 mg. What’s more, one ounce of dark chocolate typically contains about 170 calories, 12 grams of fat, and 10 grams of sugar, while one ounce of unsweetened cocoa powder contains only 70 calories, 4 g of fat, and virtually no sugar.
Last but not least, there’s a cancer-prevention food that you won’t get enough of: powdered cocoa, which can be found on the baking aisle at your local grocery store. It may taste bitter by itself, but 2-4 tablespoons (~1 ounce) in foods like oatmeal, smoothies or shakes make a delicious addition to your healthy diet.
