Everyone has their favorite foods and drinks. Someone loves one, someone else. And probably everyone loves this drink. We are talking about cocoa, known to everyone since childhood.
Beverages
A drink is a liquid that is specially prepared for drinking. Their recipes have been created for centuries. The composition most often depends on the living conditions of people: kvass in Russia, ayran in Asia, sorbet in the Middle East. They are not similar to each other in taste, different raw materials are used in their manufacture, but one thing is related to them - they are designed to quench thirst.
The composition of various drinks 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 to the body are invaluable. In this article, consider whether it is good to drink cocoa.
Drink of the gods
This is such a food product, the taste of which is familiar to almost everyone since childhood. Due to its rich chocolate taste and aromatic, somewhat viscous consistency, cocoa has long been considered a drink of the gods.
In the Middle Ages in Europe, a cup of hot chocolate was a sign of good taste and a sign of prosperity.
Nutrients in cocoa and now make this drink widespread, it is often used by lovers of sweets.
Origin history
The history of this product begins in tropical America. There, even before the discovery of these lands, Columbus made a drink that looked a 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 they began to add honey, removed hot pepper and heated. So the drink was tastier.
The first hot chocolate was very strong, then it was diluted with milk. Later, in the 19th century, they invented a press that squeezed cocoa butter from beans. The result was a loose powder that was well soluble in milk or water. This method of making bean powder is still used today. Thanks to him, today we can prepare this fragrant drink and feel on ourselves all the beneficial properties of cocoa powder. It should be remembered that a good drink will be obtained only from high-quality powder.
Composition and properties
So, let's see what cocoa powder is useful for.
The beans from which cocoa is made contain proteins, carbons, tannins, minerals, and aromatic substances. In addition, there is caffeine and theobromine.
Therefore, if we talk about the properties, we must first pay attention to caffeine, which has an effect on the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Theobromine behaves like an antispasmodic.
Due to the ability of cocoa to produce endorphins, it improves mood. It also has a beneficial effect on mental activity and performance.
I must say about additional chemical compounds that are part of the composition. These are polyphenols. They lower blood pressure, so the drink is indicated for hypertensive patients.
The substance epichetin, which is part of cocoa beans, protects against the occurrence of stroke and heart attack, can prevent cancer.
The inherent benefits of cocoa are those of this product. Let's consider them in more detail.
Benefit
What is a cocoa drink good for? To answer this question, let's look again at the composition of the product and the properties that its use has.
This is a very valuable product. It has a tonic effect and a number of healing properties.
A large number of vitamins and antioxidants have a beneficial effect on the supply of oxygen to the brain and protects against sclerosis.
Drinking cocoa will help restore strength after a cold.
What is more useful than cocoa powder is the fact that it has practically no fat, so it, unlike chocolate, will not contribute to weight gain.
Cocoa drink is usually prepared with milk, so it is very high-calorie. It is able to quickly enrich the body with nutrients. That is why a lot to drink it will not work, because saturation occurs quickly. And, therefore, there is no threat to obesity.
It is also approved by cosmetologists, as it improves skin tone, makes it elastic, and also helps with stress.
Contraindications
Cocoa is contraindicated in case of increased acidity of the stomach, as it stimulates gastric secretion.
In addition, it is recommended to drink it 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 intestinal problems. Therefore, it is not recommended to drink it to people suffering from constipation.
Cocoa is very high in calories and contains a large amount of organic acids, so it should be taken with caution in people with obesity, kidney disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis.
Also, its stimulating effect can harm heart disease. An allergic reaction to the product is possible.
Therefore, buying cocoa, its beneficial properties and contraindications should be studied in advance so that later there will be no troubles in the form of heartburn or allergies, for example.
Cocoa Recipes
Traditionally, the drink is prepared with milk. If you want to cook it for breakfast for the whole family, calculate the necessary amount of products based on one serving: take 1-2 teaspoons of powder and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar per glass of milk. It is prepared simply: warm the milk, add cocoa and sugar, bring to a boil.
To make a drink according to the following recipe, add a small pinch of cinnamon and vanilla to the ingredients mentioned above. Beat everything with a whisk, bring to a boil, pour into a cup. And you can enjoy the good taste.
Gourmets can enjoy cocoa with an orange. To prepare this drink, take 3 tbsp. l orange liquor, 1/3 cup boiling water, 4 cups milk, half cup sugar, a pinch of salt, 1/4 cup powder. All dry ingredients, stirring, pour hot water, and boil for several minutes over medium heat. Then add the milk, stirring, bring to a boil. After that, add the liquor, mix and pour into cups. It will turn out a very delicious cocoa drink. The usefulness of such a dessert is evident from its composition.
Cocoa dishes
The powder of these chocolate beans is very widely used in the confectionery industry.
You can add it to regular shortbread dough and bake chocolate cookies, or to pancake dough, and you will get great chocolate pancakes. Also, adding to the dough, you can bake chocolate muffins. Such pastries will be very popular with children, as they have a delicate taste.
What is useful cocoa powder will show a cup of hot chocolate. This wonderful cinnamon-flavored drink can warm you on cold winter evenings. Here is a traditional Mayan hot chocolate recipe. The highlight of this recipe is cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and some of the milk is replaced with instant coffee.
There are many baking recipes that include bean powder. Also with its addition make creams for cakes, condensed milk. But a cup of hot cocoa is still a memory for everyone since childhood.