A steaming mug of hot chocolate is a wonderfully indulgent winter drink. Although we’re all for enjoying a winter indulgence as part of a balanced diet, we’ve created a more nourishing option that’s nutritious enough for (almost) every day, if you like! Why not give our healthy hot chocolate a try – we’d love to know what you think!
Ingredients (Serves 2):
- 2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon of ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Preferred sweetener (optional), to taste; we love 100% maple syrup for it’s caramel-like flavour
- 500 mL milk (or calcium-fortified non-dairy alternative)
Tip: You might also like to add any (unflavoured) powdered supplements, such as collagen, if you’re taking them!
Method:
- Sift the cacao powder and spices together into a small bowl, and divide among two serving mugs.
- If using, add your preferred sweetener to each mug.
- Gently warm the milk on the stovetop.
- Add a small amount of heated milk to each mug and stir to dissolve the dry ingredients into a smooth paste.
- Top up each mug with the remaining milk, stirring to combine, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Nutritional benefits:
- Cacao. Different from the heat-treated cocoa powder found in a regular block of chocolate, raw cacao is a fantastic source of polyphenols, including flavonoids, anthocyanins and phenolic acids, which impart antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects within the body. Consumption of raw cacao is associated with improved blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure, as well as enhanced learning, cognition and memory.
- Spices. Including warming, antioxidant-rich spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and vanilla inches us closer to our goal of 30+ unique plant-derived foods each week, helping to cultivate healthy and diverse populations of beneficial bacteria within the gut microbiome. Cinnamon also supports healthy blood glucose control, and in combination with vanilla also provides some ‘sweetness’.
- Milk. We love cow’s milk and calcium-fortified soy varieties, as both are good sources of protein and calcium. Cow’s milk is also good source of tryptophan, an amino acid (or protein building block) that supports the body’s own production of serotonin (the ‘happy hormone’) and melatonin (the hormone involved in regulating the sleep-wake cycle).
For expert dietary support to meet your unique goals and requirements, book your first appointment with one of our wonderful Accredited Practising Dietitians today.
Written by Caitlin Branch, Student Clinical Nutritionist and Amanda Smith, Accredited Practising Dietitian.
References
Razola-Díaz, M. D. C., Aznar-Ramos, M. J., Verardo, V., Melgar-Locatelli, S., Castilla-Ortega, E., & Rodríguez-Pérez, C. (2023). Exploring the nutritional composition and bioactive compounds in different cocoa powders. Antioxidants, 12(3), 716. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12030716
Silva, M. L., Bernardo, M. A., Singh, J., & de Mesquita, M. F. (2022). Cinnamon as a complementary therapeutic approach for dysglycemia and dyslipidemia control in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and its molecular mechanism of action: A review. Nutrients, 14(13), 2773. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14132773
