Think cocoa is for winter only? Think again!
Sure, it’s most appealing to face into a steamy cup when it’s frosty outside. But a rich, deep cocoa drink is so satisfying year round. And while in Arizona I do tend to switch from cocoa to smoothies in summer, when I lived in Seattle a hot cup of cocoa was pretty much welcome year round!
As a “joyful nourishment instigator” (self-care coach, fitness trainer, fitness nutrition specialist, herbalist, and motivation maestro), one of my specialties is inspiring people to LOVE fueling their healthiest best bodies. Embracing chocolate plays a tasty role in that joy!
Like many wellness pros, I consider cacao a healing food as well as a pleasure source, and there’s ample evidence to support that this beloved treat is a well-rounded nourisher. Of course, chocolate candy is not a healthy food; too many people confuse “cacao” with the highly-processed, hyper-sweetened mainstream supermarket bars that bear little resemblance to their cacao origins. Most studies on chocolate’s benefits are conducted with unsweetened, minimally processed cacao.
But dark chocolate is actually included in the Healing Foods Pyramid™ as part of a balanced whole foods/plant-based diet. Quality dark chocolate is rich in fiber, iron, magnesium, copper, manganese and other minerals. It’s also loaded with biologically active organic antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids (a class of polyphenols including flavanols, procyanidin and catechins), among others. It has more antioxidants than many fruits and vegetables—more phenolic antioxidants than most foods, in fact.
There is scientific evidence that cacao can improve heart health (yes, really!), increase blood flow, lower blood pressure, [yup!], improve brain/neuro function (including in dementia) and cognitive performance, protect skin, lower inflammation, reduce stress hormones, boost immunity, and more.
For cocoa/cacao beverages, you can use either raw minimally processed cacao powder or cocoa powder that’s dutch-processed with alkali (and generally milder in flavor). Either type of powder has less fat than bar chocolate and is probably the healthiest way to consume cacao (though I do love my 80-90% bars!). Cacao powder is much higher on the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity, representing antioxidant capacity) scale than cocoa powder. But even cocoa powder has value.
For the most healthful chocolate beverages, unsweetened is the way to go (you can sweeten lightly as needed). I prefer raw cacao, but will very occasionally use lightly roasted, minimally processed varieties (as long as it is still plain without milk or sugar or processed additives—no mixes!).
I’m a cacao aficionado, so I love to try every organic and fair-trade cacao powder I can find. My current fave is Rawmio. I’ve also liked Zeal, Sow + Bloom, Viva Naturals, Navitas Naturals, and Earth Circle Organics. The varietal/origin you choose will give you a different flavor and even a different texture.
So here are my FIVE favorite energizing, soothing, nourishing and immune-boosting cocoa recipes for a happy healthy yummy winter! (They’re versatile—and vegan, too!)
NOTE: The quantities of nutrient/herbal boosters don’t need to be super exact; these are just good starting points. ¼ tsp, ½ tsp, 1 teaspoon….whatever! More will give you more benefits, but may change the flavor in ways that take a bit of getting used to. Work up slowly. But I do encourage experimentation!
Your ratio of hot water to hot “milk” may also vary and I suggest trying organic unsweetened almond, cashew, pecan, walnut, macadamia or coconut milk (I tend to use almond or macadamia myself—a blend of the two is creamy!).
For each recipe, my preferred method is to make a rich paste or smooth thick liquid out of the powders with a little hot water, then add your hot plant milk of choice to that and stir. Add any other liquid ingredients (if any) and enjoy! (NOTE: Sometimes I use just the hot water and leave out the “milk” entirely!)
So for each recipe, instructions are:
· Add enough very hot water to make a paste or a thick liquid.
· Add ½ to 2/3 cup hot nut/plant-based milk of your choice.
· Sweeten (optional!) with 1 tsp date sugar, ½ tsp honey/maple syrup; adjust to taste
Find one that appeals to you for its flavors or specific benefits, and give it a sip!
Mushroom Maca Mesquite Superfood Power Cocoa
1.5-2 T organic cacao powder of your choice
½ tsp maca root powder (white, red, purple or black—I like this one)
¼-½ tsp reishi mushroom powder
¼-½ tsp cordyceps mushroom powder
¼-1/2 tsp. mesquite powder (optional) — OR try 1/2 tsp beet root powder for a nitric oxide boost plus natural sweetness
Cozy Chaga Cordyceps Chai Cocoa with Cardamom
1.5-2 T organic cacao powder of your choice
½-1 tsp chaga mushroom powder or tincture
½-1 tsp cordyceps mushroom powder
1/8 tsp ginger powder (optional) or Blue Lotus Rooibos Chai Masala Powder
less than 1/8 tsp cardamom powder
Calming Pumpkin Pie Peace Cocoa
1.5-2 T organic cacao powder of your choice
½- 1 tsp mucuna pruriens powder
¼-½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
½-1 tsp. powdered magnesium glycinate
Immune-Boosting Mexican Chocolate
1.5-2 T organic cacao powder of your choice
½-1 tsp immunity mushroom blend such as Superfeast’s Mason’s Mushrooms, Four Sigmatic 10-mushroom blend, or Real Mushrooms 5 Defenders
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cayenne or chili powder
Robyn’s Chocolate Golden Milk
1-1.5 T organic cacao powder of your choice
1 to 1-1/2 tsp turmeric paste, Gaia Golden Milk powder, or plain turmeric
Dash of black pepper
1/8 tsp ginger AND/OR 1/8 tsp cardamom powder
NOTE ON MUSHROOMS: you always want pure fruiting bodies for your nutritional adaptogenic mushrooms, not mushroom grown on mycelium (oats or other grain). You want the whole mushroom, not ground-up grain! Sourcing, extraction and so forth are really important. My number one choice for yummy, quality mushrooms (singles and blends) is Superfeast, a wonderful family-owned AU company that now has a US site. Use code ROBYNLAND for 10% off! Real Mushrooms, Four Sigmatic and Healthforce Nutritionals are also adequate choices.
