Cacao Powder?

About

Instagram

YouTube

Disclaimer

Thankful 2 Plants

›

›

Misc Healthy Foods

›

Cacao Powder?

2 Nov 2020

Is chocolate healthy? Well, chocolate typically has refined sugars, dairy and cacao butter, all of which are discouraged in Whole Food Plant-Based. However, chocolate has an ingredient called cacao powder which is actually awesome!

Cocoa Powder vs Cocoa Butter

Both cocoa powder and cocoa butter are made from cocoa beans. How come cocoa powder is good for us but cocoa butter is bad? At offset 3:51 of this video, Dr Greger explains,

"… the removal of fat from cacao beans to make cocoa powder improves the nutritional profile, since cocoa butter is one of the rare saturated plant fats (along with coconut and palm kernel oils) that may raise cholesterol."

Dutched vs Undutched Cacao Powder?

In this article, Dr Greger explains,

"Try to use unprocessed, undutched cocoa, though. The beneficial flavanols are what give cocoa its bitterness, so manufacturers try to process cocoa with alkali to destroy them on purpose. Thus, when it comes to cocoa, bitter appears to be better."

How much better? In the last few seconds of this video, Dr Greger shows a chart that 'flavonol content' in undutched cocoa powder is significantly more:

Source: Impact of alkalization on the antioxidant and flavanol content of commercial cocoa powders by Miller et al, J Agric Food Chem, 2008 Sep 24;56(18):8527-33. free PDF.

I was wondering: Why does food industry have this process called 'dutch-process cacao powder' in place? Dr Greger explains above that "The beneficial flavanols are what give cocoa its bitterness, so manufacturers try to process cocoa with alkali to destroy them on purpose." This article by Miller et al, published in Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry explains:

"The results shown here are also contrary to the belief that alkalization or Dutch processing destroys all flavanols (19, 20). Instead, about 40% of the natural level of flavanols is retained on average for lightly Dutched powders, and an average of 22% is retained in even moderately alkali processed cocoa powders. This predictable and gradual loss of flavanol antioxidants during the cocoa alkalization process has positive implications for the food manufacturer. From the results reported in this study, it is now possible to balance the benefits of high flavanol contents in natural and in lightly to moderately alkalized (dutched) cocoas with improvements in color, flavor, and functionality to design food products that can satisfy more consumers. It also dispels the misconception that all Dutched cocoas are devoid of beneficial flavanols and antioxidant capacity."

Interestingly, what does Dr Greger himself consume: dutched or undutched cocoa powder? In Isn't regular cocoa powder healthier than alkali-processed "dutched" cocoa? (2012), Dr Greger explains,

"You are absolutely right that alkali-processed “dutched” cocoa is not as healthy (See Update on Chocolate for the graph and Healthiest Chocolate Fix for some other chocolate comparisons). Dutched cocoa can have as few as half the phytonutrients, but that just means you have to use twice as much! Making things even more chocolatey has never been a problem for me, and I just like the taste so much better that my household uses Dutch (like for our healthy chocolate ice cream recipe), but if the taste of regular cocoa works for you, then go for it–you’re getting even more benefit per spoonful!"

Who Should Not Consume Cacao Powder?

In this video, Dr Greger says,

"So, sadly, it really does appear that in acne-prone individuals, the consumption of cocoa may cause an increase in acne."
"… the best available balance of evidence does suggest that if you're bothered by acne, you may want to try backing off on chocolate to see if your symptoms improve."

Videos by Dr Greger

(2009) Kuna Indian Secret

(2 mins) Transcript. Through this short video, Dr Greger informs us that cocoa powder drink is considered a key ingredient behind the good health enjoyed by Kuna Indians.

The Kuna Indian 'cocoa + bananas' recipe is described in this article. Recipe in brief: grind cocoa beans, boil them along with bananas for 10-15 mins. Strain and drink. Apparently, Kuna Indians drink 30-40 oz of this drink every day!

(2007) Healthy Chocolate Milkshakes

(1 min) Transcript. Recipe: cocoa powder (dutch processed, fair trade), date sugar, berries and non-dairy milk. Date sugar is dried, pulverized dates; Dr Greger says we can replace these by blackstrap molasses if we're accustomed to its taste. To appreciate why berries are awesome, see Berries.

(2007) Cocoa Good; Chocolate Bad

(3 mins) Transcript. This video summarizes research into benefits of cocoa powder.

(2009) Update on Chocolate

(1 mins) Transcript.

(2010) Healthiest Chocolate Fix

(1 min) Transcript. Summary: "Which has the highest levels of beneficial phytonutrients: baking chocolate, chocolate syrup, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or semi-sweet chocolate?" Turns out that cocoa powder is the winner.

(2019) Dark Chocolate and Artery Function

(5 mins) Transcript.

Companion blog article: Dark Chocolate Put to the Test for Peripheral Artery Disease (2020)

Another blog article: How Dark Chocolate Affects Our Arteries (2015)

(2020) Chocolate and Stroke Risk

(5 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Dark chocolate is pitted against milk chocolate in a test of artery function."

Companion blog article: Dark Chocolate Put to the Test for Peripheral Artery Disease (2020)

Another blog article: How Dark Chocolate Affects Our Arteries (2015)

(2012) A Treatment for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

(3 mins) Transcript.

(2012) Fat Burning via Flavonoids

(2 mins) Transcript. This video shows the benefits of flavonoid phytonutrients in boosting metabolism. Cocoa powder has flavonoid phytonutrients.

(2018) Best Brain Foods: Greens & Beets Put to the Test

(5 mins) Transcript.

(2018) Does Chocolate Cause Acne?

(5 mins) Transcript.

(2018) Does Cocoa Powder Cause Acne?

(7 mins) Transcript.

(2015) Does Chocolate Cause Weight Gain?

(5 mins) Transcript.

Companion blog article: Chocolate Is Finally Put to the Test (2017)

© Copyright 2008—2024, Gurmeet Manku.

gurmeet@gmail.com