By now you know that one of our favorite indulgences is chocolate—sometimes we go for milk chocolate and sometimes dark chocolate. We love them both equally and definitely don’t discriminate! However, most of our clients tell us they tend to like milk chocolate better, yet they typically go for dark chocolate because they’ve heard it’s healthier. Ironically, when it comes to the health benefits of chocolate, it’s not necessarily the milk chocolate or the dark chocolate that makes one chocolate healthier than another, it’s the amount of powerful phytonutrients naturally found in cocoa beans, called cocoa flavanols.
So although dark chocolate has a higher percentage of cocoa, and theoretically should have more flavanols and be healthier than milk chocolate because of this, this isn’t always the case! That’s because the amount of cocoa flavanols in a specific chocolate all boils down to the way the chocolate is processed. In fact, some cocoa beans have been processed so much that the chocolate doesn’t even contain any flavanols at all! (You can read more about this here.)
So what do the cocoa flavanols do for you and how can you be sure your chocolate is delivering them?
Cocoa flavanols support healthy circulation. This means that aside from promoting cardiovascular health, they improve the flow of oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body, helping you to perform and feel your best while nourishing your skin, eyes, muscles and all parts of your body—and who doesn’t want that?! Hello gorgeous complexions, energized muscles and strong hearts!
Look for 200 mg of cocoa flavanols or more—this is the amount that you want daily. Clearly, we all want to reap the benefits of cocoa flavanols, so ideally, flavanol content would be listed on labels so we would know the chocolate that would be best for us to eat, especially since most commercial chocolates are highly processed. The good news is that most major chocolate manufacturers are looking for ways to keep the flavanols in their processed chocolates and some do list the amounts. We’re optimistic that all brands will list their flavanol level in the future and hope this labeling takes place soon.
For all die hard chocolate and flavanol fans: At the present time, since it’s not processed, raw cacao does retain the flavanols and can be purchased as whole beans (peeled or unpeeled), nibs, or powder. For those who have never had raw cacao, just be aware, this is not the sweet chocolate that you may be accustomed to! And if you have the nibs, consider sprinkling them on the delicious recipe below!
In the meantime, if you’re indulging in a little bit of chocolate and don’t care about the benefits, then go for a small amount of what you like. However, if you’re like most of our clients and when you indulge you want to be guaranteed that you’ll flood your body with health-promoting cocoa flavanols, you’ve gotta give this CocoaVia Chocolate Mousse a whirl! It’s deliciously satisfying and doesn’t break the calorie bank! Plus, it’s super easy to make– it uses just 3-ingredients.
So you’re probably wondering what ensures that this decadent chocolate treat is packed with flavanols. Well, the secret ingredient is the CocoaVia® daily cocoa extract supplement—it uses a patented Cocoapro® process, guaranteeing the highest concentration of cocoa flavanols (250 mg) available in a dietary supplement. You can get it online at www.cocoavia.com and www.amazon.com. Or pick it up in the supplement section at Vitamin World, King Soopers, Fred Meyer, Wegman’s, Harris Teeter, and independent natural food retailers throughout the country. To find the store closest to you, please visit the store locator.
CocoaVia® Chocolate Mousse
Indulge in this guilt-free chocolate mousse!
Ingredients:
1½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
Sweetener of choice to taste (example: 1 tsp. honey)
1 packet of CocoaVia® Dark Chocolate Unsweetened supplement
Directions:
Step 1:
Whisk together for 30 sec – 1 min.
Step 2:
Pipe into an individual cup and serve chilled.
Step 3:
Garnish with some nuts, chocolate shavings, or fresh fruit.
Nutritional Information: Calories 80, Carbohydrates 9g, Sugar 4g, Protein 10g, Fat 1g, Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g, Caffeine 17mg*, Cocoa Flavanols 250mg**
*Caffeine in CocoaVia® supplement ≤ 20 mg/packet
**Measured Cocoa Flavanol content in CocoaVia® supplement
For more information about CocoaVia®, other CocoaVia® products and additional CocoaVia® recipes, please visit CocoaVia.com
This post was sponsored by CocoaVia®. The Nutrition Twins work with CocoaVia® to help people to improve their health.
- 1½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- Sweetener of choice to taste (example: 1 tsp. honey)
- 1 packet of CocoaVia® Dark Chocolate Unsweetened supplement
- Step 1:
- Whisk together for 30 sec - 1 min.
- Step 2:
- Pipe into an individual cup and serve chilled.
- Step 3:
- Garnish with some nuts, chocolate shavings, or fresh fruit.
