Cocoa: The Food of the Gods

I grew up in Pennsylvania and one of the highlights of my summers was the annual trip to Hershey Park. The lampposts are topped with Hershey Kiss shaped streetlights and the air in the town is infused with a pleasant chocolate smell. There is a museum/factory where you can take tours and learn all about chocolate but the real fun is the amusement park and the Sooper Dooper Looper!

Funny thing is that I have never been much of a chocolate eater and it is only in recent years that I have added cocoa to my arsenal of nutrient dense foods. I am sure that everyone has heard somewhere from someone that chocolate is “good for you” but what exactly does that mean? How much, what type and really what does it do?

While you might flag this and say “conflict of interest”, Hershey has an entire Center for Health and Nutrition devoted to studying the health benefits of this food. The site is full of great information and is worth a look http://www.hersheys.com/nutrition-professionals/default.aspx For instance, cocoa powder is the end product after much of the fat or cocoa butter is removed, natural cocoa powder has no modifications, and alkalized or “Dutch” cocoa is treated to raise the pH and reduce some of the bitterness.

Research on the health benefits center on the antioxidant compounds in cocoa. Think of antioxidants as substances that counteract damage to your cells caused by environmental pollutants, substances in our food and water, aging, and even exercise. This is where the concept of nutrient density enters the equation again. Food choices that are whole and unprocessed and include fruits, vegetables, teas, beans, and seeds that are rich in antioxidant activity can help to minimize the damage our cells undergo on a day to day basis. While still in their infancy, studies on the compounds in chocolate and cocoa have revealed benefits for the heart, brain, managing blood sugar and decreasing the signs of aging.

Both dark and milk chocolate contain flavanols but dark chocolate has more and white chocolate has none. If you want to add this food to your diet as a way to increase the quality of your nutrient intake, then I would suggest using organic unalkalized cocoa powder and/or cacoa nibs. Cacao nibs are made from crushed beans and are the original chocolate chip. They are crunchy and flavorful. For the organic cocoa I buy NOW brand http://www.nowfoods.com/Foods/real-food/Products/M074399.htm as they list the actual flavanol content. Nativas Naturals is a brand of the nibs that can be found at Whole Foods http://www.navitasnaturals.com/products/cacao/cacao-nibs.html

So the next question is: how much cocoa is needed to provide health benefits? Most studies used much more than you would want to add to your diet so there are no clear guidelines as of yet. And don’t get confused by the recommendation to add cocoa flavanols to your diet and translate that into “eat more chocolate.” Chocolate is high in saturated fat, sugar and calories. To reap the health benefits of the flavanols stick to unprocessed cocoa powder, bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened unprocessed dark chocolate and cacao nibs.

Here are some suggestions for adding this nutrient rich food to your diet:

· Add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder to your recovery smoothie

· Add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to your favorite black bean soup recipe

· Add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder or nibs to hot cereals

· Add ¼ cup cocoa powder to pancake batter or muffin batter

· Get out of your recipe rut and try a recipe for mole – chocolate is a key ingredient

· Stir a tablespoon cocoa powder or cacao nibs into your yogurt

· Add cacao nibs to salads, trail mix, anywhere you would use chocolate chips

This Valentine’s Day why not treat yourself to this luscious recovery smoothie:

2 Tbs organic cocoa powder

1 cup frozen cherries (also full of antioxidants)

1 scoop protein powder or 1 cup high protein yogurt like Greek yogurt

1 cup low-fat chocolate dairy or soy milk

Enjoy adding this nutritious food to up the quality of your diet!

‘Tis the season for upping the quality of your diet

Nutrient Density. Do you know what this term means and if you do are your actively apply the principle? A nutrient dense diet is something akin to choosing high octane fuel for your car over the regular unleaded. Octane is a measure of anti-knock properties, i.e. performance and the higher the octane generally the higher the performance. The same goes with your diet: fuel up with nutrient dense choices and power your body through back to back workout sessions, speed recovery time and decrease your risk for a host of chronic diseases.

Make a commitment to add an extra serving of fruit and/or vegetable to each meal and snack:

· Eat the skins of your potatoes and leave them on when making mashed potatoes.

· Substitute spaghetti squash for pasta and top with your favorite sauce and diced vegetables.

· Choose whole fruits over juice the majority of the time.

· Buy whole carrots and eat the skin instead of buying baby carrots.

· Add dried apricots to your whole wheat couscous.

· Grill fruits like peaches and pears along with your vegetables.

· Add fruit to your salad – dried cranberries, fresh raspberries and mandarin oranges work well.

· Add spinach and peppers to your omelet.

· How about adding fruit to plain yogurt instead of buying the fruit yogurt?

· Snack on hummus and veggies.

· Make green smoothies for breakfast or snacks by adding a handful of kale or spinach to some yogurt or protein powder. Throw in a few dried dates to make it thick.

· Start your lunch and dinners with broth based low-sodium vegetable soup or try it as a snack.

· Add a layer of vegetables to your lasagna.

· Make a puree base of vegetables, fruits or beans and add to just about everything. The Sneaky Chef has some great free recipes http://www.thesneakychef.com/free_sneaky_chef_recipes.php

You can also make some targeted changes when it comes to upping the quality of your protein intake:

· Substitute a starch like a potato for a serving of beans.

· Ever try beans for breakfast? In many cultures this is the norm.

· Trade in the dark meat for white meat.

· Grill and broil your meats instead of frying them and use olive oil instead of butter.

· Include fatty fish twice a week.

· Include a vegetarian protein based meal once or twice a week.

Then there are the grains. Aim to make most of your choices whole and unprocessed:

· Choose whole grains for everything: pasta, couscous, rice, barley, pastry and regular baking flour, hot and cold breakfast cereals. You may have to look a bit harder but whole grain versions do exist!

· Mix up your grains and try quinoa, millet, amaranth and bulgur. They can all be substituted in place of rice.

As we embark on a new year, make a commitment to up the quality of your diet. If you have a tip to share I would love to hear it.