Cocoa drink

In the modern world, many food products that have been popular since half a century ago are hopelessly outdated and deprived of attention, and are not always deserved. A cocoa drink is a prime example of such a situation. The history of the cocoa drink began in the era of the ancient civilizations of Maya, Aztec and Inca, which settled in modern Latin America. People became aware of the beneficial properties of cocoa in those distant times.

In pre-Columbian America, a cold drink was made from the fruits of cocoa wood, which more resembled porridge from kako beans and water. The ancient name of the drink sounded like a chocolatl, which means "foam water" in the Aztec language. The Spanish conquistador Cortes landed on the Mexican coast at the beginning of the 16th century. The Indians mistook Cortes for the highest deity and arranged a feast in honor of the guests, at which they treated the Spaniards with a chocolatl cocoa bean drink.

The Spaniards did not like the taste of the drink, but it was simply impossible not to notice its encouraging effect on the human body. Therefore, Cortes brought the Aztec recipe to Spain, where chocolatl was transformed into hot chocolate, and then into a cocoa drink. The beneficial properties of cocoa are determined by the chemical composition of the beverage, which contains a number of biologically active compounds.

Types of cocoa

Currently, there are several types of cocoa that vary in both composition and method of production. The following types of cocoa are distinguished:



hot chocolate, a drink that is made from cocoa or melted chocolate bars, with milk added.

cocoa beverage is made from powder with addition of water or milk. Moreover, for the preparation of cocoa powder, both cold milk or water and hot can be used. In both cases, you get a tasty warming or cooling drink

Cocoa composition

The calorie content of cocoa depends on the composition and method of making the beverage. The average cocoa calorie content is 69 Kcal in 100 grams of powdered product. However, the composition of cocoa as a beverage may differ, since in addition to the cocoa powder, milk, water and food additives are present in the final product. Nowadays, the composition of the cocoa drink no longer boasts a hundred percent naturalness of the original ingredients. What is more good or harm to cocoa?

Cocoa benefits

Cocoa drink is rich in the content of vitamins and minerals in its chemical composition. For example, organic acids, sucrose, saturated fatty acids, dietary fiber and starch. In addition, the benefits of cocoa as a drink are the content of vitamins A, B, PP and E, as well as minerals such as potassium, sodium, iron, calcium and phosphorus. Each of these beneficial substances plays an important role in the life of the human body.

Therefore, it can be argued that the vitamin-mineral composition is an exceptional benefit of cocoa for humans. Cocoa is different in its taste and contains less caffeine than other drinks we are used to starting our day with every morning. Daily consumption of the cocoa drink contributes to improved brain function. Cocoa contains natural antioxidants and helps in restoring the immune system after suffering severe infectious diseases.

Damage to cocoa

Unfortunately, for all the benefits, there is also harm from the cocoa drink. Cocoa beans contain both harmful and beneficial purine substances in large quantities. On the one hand, purines participate in the metabolic processes of the body, and on the other, a large content of these substances in the blood can provoke a number of complications and diseases. Cocoa is also contraindicated for use in kidney and bladder diseases.