Learn about these 5 benefits of Cacao powder and how it impacts your gut health
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It is thought that the Maya civilization were the first ones to consume cacao powder, and was introduced to Europe when Spanish conquered the Americas in the 16th century. Cacao powder became very popular for its health-promoting benefits.
Benefits
Cacao powder can be found on iHerb. I am proud to say that we are partner of iHerb. This mean will gain a small percentage if you decide to purchase a product from their shop via this link.
What came first? The chicken or the egg? In our case the EGG. I have personally been a big fan of iHerb, even before I started blogging. They deliver high quality products for a good price. I like to uphold these quality standards for this blog as well and will never recommend irrelevant or unethical products.
Antioxidant
Antioxidants fight free radicals that can damage cell molecules and contribute to ageing and cancer. Antioxidants also feed beneficial gut bacteria.
Anti-inflammatory
Chronic inflammation has been associated with several conditions, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and cancer.
Muscle recovery
Exercise induces muscular injury leading to inflammation and oxidative stress, which can create changes in gene expression.
Lowers LDL
LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol or also called “bad” cholesterol has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Improves blood sugar
Hyperglycemia is associated with an increased risk of several chronic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes.
Improves cardiovascular function: lowers blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, and improves blood flow, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.1, 2
Anti-diabetic effect: flavonoids can slow down carbohydrate digestion and absorption in the gut, therefore improving insulin response.3
Anti-cancer: certain types of cancers have been reduced by flavonoids in animal models4 and humans.5
Recommended dosage: at least 1 tbsp daily (5 gr), but 2-3 tbsp are recommended in order to get enough bioactive ingredients that confer the health benefits.6
Where to include: you can add cacao powder into your smoothies and chia & oat pudding, create desserts like a vegan chocolate mousse or drink some hot cocoa.