We are no stranger to chocolate, but we are not familiar with the nutritional value and production process of cocoa powder. Do you know what nutritional value cocoa powder has? There are many desserts and beverages processed with cocoa powder, so let’s learn about cocoa powder.
The difference between cacao and cocoa
Cocoa powder is divided into raw cocoa powder and cocoa powder, what is the difference between them? After cacao beans are picked from the tree, they are not directly edible, they need to be dried and fermented in a pile before they are ready. After treatment, if the cocoa beans are roasted at a lower temperature to remove the cocoa butter, you get raw cocoa cacao. raw cocoa retains the maximum amount of nutrients from the cocoa beans, including cocoa flavonols. Raw cocoa is ground into a fine powder, raw cocoa powder.
If high temperature is used when roasting, then what you get is cocoa; ground into powder is cocoa powder. Although cocoa powder has a better flavor and is suitable for making chocolate, many nutrients, especially cocoa flavonols, are destroyed at high temperatures. As for chocolate, it is the product of mixing cocoa butter and cocoa powder after refining. The more cocoa butter, the whiter the chocolate; the more cocoa powder, the darker the chocolate. And there will be a lot of sugar and food additives in the production process. The roaster can adjust the temperature to produce two types of raw cacao and cocoa powder
What is the nutritional value of cocoa powder?
1. Cocoa powder is the food with the highest antioxidant content among all foods.
If calculated by weight, 100 grams of cocoa contains antioxidants = 100 grams of red wine + 100 grams of blueberries + 100 grams of acai berries + 100 grams of pomegranate + 100 grams of goji berries antioxidants combined. Raw cacao has 3.7 times more antioxidants than cooked cacao, 5 times more antioxidants than acai berry, and 40 times more antioxidants than blueberry! Antioxidants protect us from diseases caused by aging!
2. The first magnesium
Magnesium supports the heart, and brain, reduces menstrual cramps, relaxes muscles, enhances flexibility, and alkalizes the body.
3, Rich in iron
Every 28 grams of cocoa contains 314% of the daily requirement of iron. Iron is very important to our blood health oh, and a lack of iron is easy causes anemia.
4, rich in vitamin C.
Every 28 grams of cocoa beans contains 21% of the daily requirement of vitamin C. Remember, once the vitamin C is heated, it will be destroyed!
5, rich in soluble fiber, to help defecation
Cocoa is an important source of phenylethylamine, a neurotransmitter that has been shown to be effective in reducing stress and giving people a feeling similar to happiness. It is also known as the “love chemical”.
6, can make people happy mood.
When we fall in love, the brain will secrete a lot of phenylethylamines, making our heart beat faster and blush. This is probably the reason why chocolate is a must in a relationship. There is no one reason why you should get chocolate. Many processed chocolates contain fewer cocoa nutrients, so if you want the full benefits of cocoa, remember to buy raw, organic cocoa beans or cocoa powder!
7, Protect the heart
Raw cacao is called “Heart Blood” by South Americans because it lowers blood pressure and protects the cardiovascular and nervous systems, making it a very cardiovascular-friendly food.
