Im trying to get the health benefits of cocao (antioxidants, lowers blood pressure, etc). What have you guys found to be the cheapest and most effective method? I recently purchased the Ghiradeli Unsweetened Cocao and mix it with my protein shake after my workouts.
Also I was curious how much do you take and when is the best time. Thanks!
[quote]MAF14 wrote:
I like 1-2 TBSP of Hersheys in my coffee or tea. Add splenda and half/half, tastes pretty good too.[/quote]
I do the same exact thing with the dark version.[/quote]
According to the tubs, the Dark has less Anti-O’s/health benefits if that’s a concern.[/quote]
Really? Wow thanks for mentioning that because I prefer the regular version since the dark is a little more bitter. By tub you mean it’s listed on the container right?
I also use the hersheys special dark powder.
Never seen any other kind of Hersheys powder
I use so much Cocoa however I don’t really worry about quality as long as it’s 100% Cocoa Powder.
I use a couple tblspoons in my coffee before working out
Sometimes add a bit to protein shakes
And oatmeal
and milk
And when dieting or on special occasions I’ll straight eat a square of pure Baker’s.
I’m pretty sensitive to Caffeine so Chocolate really seems to pep me up.
But mostly I use it as an anti-inflammatory.
It’s also supposed to put more nitrogen in your blood and stimulate test production.
Idk how true that is but I think it helps
And in this world
Believing something pretty much makes that thing reality.
Oh and as far as the best Cocoa
I’ve got a bar of Ghiraridhelli (Fuck Spelling) 83% Cocoa I’m eating bit by bit.
And When I eat it I believe it to be the best
so it is the best
So there’s your answer
Appreciate what you’ve got
Or something like that.
[quote]MAF14 wrote:
I like 1-2 TBSP of Hersheys in my coffee or tea. Add splenda and half/half, tastes pretty good too.[/quote]
I do the same exact thing with the dark version.[/quote]
According to the tubs, the Dark has less Anti-O’s/health benefits if that’s a concern.[/quote]
Really? Wow thanks for mentioning that because I prefer the regular version since the dark is a little more bitter. By tub you mean it’s listed on the container right?[/quote]
Yah lol tub/container… Something on the side should mention how the Dutch blend or whatever has less. I prefer the regular too.
Maybe I’m jaded, but I tend to skip major brands when it comes to “health” foods… stuff like Lipton green tea, Hershey’s chocolate anything…
anyone else feel like this?
I like to eat some Green & Black’s 85% dark chocolate, or some fair trade 65% dark chocolate chips (forget the brand though). Would get higher % chocolate chips, but that’s the highest I’ve seen.
are you looking for cacao powder or for the more commercialized cocoa powder (like for hot chocolate)? Big difference in quality and purity between Hershey’s and say Pacari cacao powder
Cacao nut is the raw bean. Then there is the cacao tree.
I’m not sold on the benefits of cacao… The cocoa powders you guys seem to be talking about is processed and heated, to my knowledge that pretty much kills the nutritional benefits.
Then, the cacao bean itself seems to be only digestible by animals with several stomachs. Every time I’ve eaten cacao bean chunks, or blended them in a shake, they don’t seem to get digested.
So what’s the official word on cocoa powders? Is there are there any real benefit to cocoa powders considering the processes used to make them? Part of the whole pitch for cacao beans back when T-Nation published the article about them was about how they are nutrient and mineral dense because there was virtually no processing or heating…
So what’s the truth bout it? 2nd time I’ve asked this.
Do all chocolates contain antioxidants?
Commercial cocoa powders sold for baking and drinking, and commercial chocolate blocks
and bars, lose their original antioxidants through processing. This means they are not good
sources of antioxidants.
also different source: “When choosing a chocolate product, consider looking for an organic certification. Over 30 different pesticides are used when growing cocoa beans, which are one of the world’s most heavily sprayed crops. Certified Organic chocolate is made from cocoa plants that were not sprayed with chemical pesticides or herbicides, which could leave behind a residue in your chocolate.”
[quote]storey420 wrote:
This may be a nod to your question Severiano
Do all chocolates contain antioxidants?
Commercial cocoa powders sold for baking and drinking, and commercial chocolate blocks
and bars, lose their original antioxidants through processing. This means they are not good
sources of antioxidants.
also different source: “When choosing a chocolate product, consider looking for an organic certification. Over 30 different pesticides are used when growing cocoa beans, which are one of the world’s most heavily sprayed crops. Certified Organic chocolate is made from cocoa plants that were not sprayed with chemical pesticides or herbicides, which could leave behind a residue in your chocolate.”
[/quote]
Thanks!
So maybe the minerals in the sort of chocolate powders from Hersheys will still be there, but you sure as hell aren’t getting any anti oxidants from hershey chocolates.
So my understanding is as follows. Organic is good, but if the processes which make the powder to not leave it in a raw state, then you can go ahead and spend as much money as you like on an organic cocoa powder and it will likely still be processed in the same way that say Hersheys is heat processed, and you still wont get the anti oxidant benefits of chocolate.
So it seems that if you want the most from your cocoa, you are going to want to get a RAW cocoa powder, certified organic to avoid chemicals? The other thing, I wonder how much the cocoa bean is effected by pesticides given the bean is completely insulated from the cocoa fruits flesh… Better safe than sorry I suppose. Other thing is given cacao in it’s raw state is a raw plant, how digestible is it, and are we really able to get the nutrients from it or do we need some special cow like stomach(s) to be able to extract the nutrients? Does the process of turning it into powder make it more readily absorbable by our guts, or is it more like grass and protected by micro silica and crap?
Hmm, so if I want a cheap and inexpensive way to get the health benefits of cocao or cacao? When I was searching it up, I found this What Are the Health Benefits of Unsweetened Chocolate? | livestrong and decided to go with the Ghirardelli since its what popped up when I typed its name into google.
I actually had bought that from vitamin shoppe but returned it because it was $10 for just 10 servings. I found it kind of expensive, but maybe searching online would be a better option.
What are any advantages to the powder I already have?