Properties of cocoa. How useful is cocoa powder?

Each person has his favorite dishes and drinks. Someone loves one, someone else. And this drink is probably loved by everyone. It's about cocoa, known to everyone since childhood.

Beverages

A drink is a liquid that has been specially prepared for drinking. Their recipes were created for centuries. The composition most often depends on the living conditions of people: kvass in Russia, Ayran in Asia, sherbet in the Middle East. They are not similar to each other in taste, they are made using different raw materials, but they are related by one thing - they are called to quench your thirst.

The composition of various beverages includes natural juices, sugar, spices, berries, fruits, milk, syrups, ice cream and other products. They quickly saturate the body with nutrients and quench thirst.

Hot drinks are also good at this task. Coffee, tea, cocoa are universal drinks that are suitable for all seasons. Their benefits for the body are invaluable. In this article, we will consider whether it is useful to drink cocoa.

Drink of the gods

It is such a food product, the taste of which is familiar to almost every person from childhood. Thanks to its rich chocolate flavor and aromatic, somewhat viscous consistency, cocoa has been considered a drink of the gods since ancient times.

In the Middle Ages in Europe, a cup of hot chocolate was a sign of good taste and a sign of prosperity.

Useful substances in cocoa and now make this drink widely used, it is often consumed by lovers of sweet.

History of origin

The history of this product begins in tropical America. There before the discovery of these lands, Columbus produced a drink that was little like modern cocoa: unsweetened and cold. Only men could drink it: nobles, warriors, shamans. The drink contained alcohol, so women and children were not given it.

A variety of ancient recipes are known: with pepper, vanilla, spices. Later, honey was added, hot pepper was removed and heated. So the drink was more delicious.

The first hot chocolate was very strong, then it was diluted with milk. Later, in the 19th century, invented a press that squeezed out cocoa butter from the beans. It turned out a loose powder, which was very soluble in milk or water. This method of making bean powder is used today. Thanks to him, we can prepare this fragrant drink today and feel all the useful properties of cocoa powder. It should be remembered that a good drink will only come from a quality powder.

Composition and properties

So, let's look at how useful cocoa powder is.

The beans, of which cocoa is made, contain proteins, carbons, tannins, minerals, aromatic substances. In addition, there is caffeine and theobromine.

Therefore, if we talk about properties, we must first of all pay attention to caffeine, which has an effect on the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Theobromine behaves like an antispasmodic.

Thanks to the ability of cocoa to produce endorphins, it enhances the mood. Also beneficially affects mental activity and efficiency.

I must say about the additional chemical compounds that are included in the composition. These are polyphenols. They lower blood pressure, so the drink is shown to hypertensive patients.

The substance of epicetin, which is part of the cocoa beans, prevents the occurrence of a stroke and heart attack, is able to prevent cancer.

Cocoa has good properties, and contra-indications are also available for this product. Let us consider them in more detail.

Benefit

What is the use of a cocoa drink? To answer this question, let's look again at the composition of the product and the properties that its use exerts.

This is a very valuable product. It has a tonic effect and a number of healing properties.

A large number of vitamins and antioxidants has a beneficial effect on the supply of oxygen to the brain and protects against sclerosis.

The use of cocoa will help restore strength after colds.

Even more than cocoa powder is useful, it is because there is practically no fat in it, so, unlike chocolate, it will not help to gain excess weight.

The cocoa drink is usually cooked with milk, so it is very caloric. It is able to quickly enrich the body with nutrients. That's why a lot of drinks will not work, because satiety comes quickly. And, therefore, there is no threat of obesity.

It is also approved by cosmetologists, as it increases skin tone, makes it supple, and also helps with stress.

Contraindications

Cocoa is contraindicated in cases of high acidity of the stomach, as it stimulates gastric secretion.

In addition, it is recommended to drink in the morning, as it gives a charge of vivacity, and you can not drink at night, because it contains caffeine.

The tannins contained in it can cause problems with the intestines. Therefore, it is not recommended to drink to people who suffer from constipation.

Cocoa is very high in calories and contains a large amount of organic acids, so it should be taken with caution to people with obesity, kidney disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis.

Also, its exciting effect can be harmful for heart diseases. An allergic reaction to the product is possible.

Therefore, buying cocoa, useful properties and contraindications it should be studied in advance, so that then there is no trouble in the form of heartburn or allergies, for example.

Cocoa Recipes

Traditionally, the drink is prepared with milk. If you want to prepare it for breakfast for the whole family, calculate the necessary amount of products based on one serving: one glass of milk should be taken 1-2 teaspoons of powder and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. Prepare simply: milk warm, add cocoa and sugar, bring to a boil.

To prepare the drink according to the following recipe, the ingredients mentioned above should be added with a small pinch of cinnamon and vanilla. Beat all the whisk, bring to a boil, pour into a cup. And you can enjoy a pleasant taste.

Gourmets can enjoy cocoa with orange. To prepare this drink, take 3 tbsp. L. Orange liqueur, 1/3 of a cup of boiling water, 4 cups of milk, half a cup of sugar, a pinch of salt, 1/4 of a cup of powder. All the dry ingredients, stirring, pour hot water, and boil for a few minutes on medium heat. Then add the milk, stirring, bring to a boil. After that, add the liqueur, mix and pour into cups. Get a very delicious drink of cocoa. Than such dessert is useful, it is visible from its structure.

Dishes with cocoa

The powder of these chocolate beans is very widely used in confectionery production.

It can be added to the usual short pastry and bake a chocolate chip cookie, or in a dough for pancakes, and you will get great chocolate pancakes. Also adding to the dough, you can bake chocolate muffins. Such baking will be very popular with children, because it has a delicate taste.

How useful cocoa powder show a cup of hot chocolate. This wonderful drink with the flavor of cinnamon can warm in the cold winter evenings. Here is the traditional recipe for hot chocolate of the Maya tribe. The highlight of this recipe is cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and also part of the milk is replaced by instant coffee.

There are many recipes for baking, which includes bean powder. Also with its addition make creams for cakes, condensed milk. But a cup of hot cocoa is still for everyone a memory from childhood.