Did you know?

Natural cocoa powder contains more antioxidants per cup  than red wine, blueberries, and tea. Natural, unsweetened cocoa powder is almost 2 times stronger than red wine, 2-3 times stronger than green tea, and 4-5 times stronger than that of black tea. A triumph!

Cocoa’s healthy compounds add to the growing evidence that high levels of flavonoids (antioxidant activity) are shown to fight cancer, heart disease, and even aging. Ah ha! I always knew chocolate was the fountain of youth.

“Although we know that antioxidants are important for good health, nobody knows the exact daily amount required per person,” says Chang Yong Lee, Ph.D., head of the study and a professor of food chemistry in Cornell’s Department of Food Science and Technology, located in Geneva, N.Y. “Nevertheless, a cup or two of hot cocoa every once in a while can provide a delicious, warm and healthy way to obtain more antioxidants.”

Alright everyone, this good-bit of chocolate info isn’t meant to send you sprinting for the box of Swiss Miss with candy marshmallows, but rather send you on a quest for a natural cocoa that can be doctored and served anyway you like – mindfully.

This favorite winter beverage can easily be sweetened with, the milk of your choice, vanilla, or all natural marshmallows (yes, they’re out there). To make your hot cocoa extra rich, melt in a few dark chocolate chips – my favorite!

Today, I’m trying Green & Blacks organic hot chocolate drink made with bittersweet and dark chocolate – just add milk.

A toast to the season!

P.S. Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa (sans mini mallows)

 Ingredients: (Yuck!) sugar, nonfat dry milk, modified whey, cocoa, corn syrup, hydrogenated coconut oil, everything else is less than 2%. What is “everything else?” Really, I want to know.