Cocoa Powder and Its Effects on Weight Loss

The word “chocolate” means many things to many people. Many are aware of the delicious chocolate cake that was a treat for their parents when they were kids. Others may know chocolate by the dark, rich luxurious feeling it gives when you bite into a piece. Still others may associate chocolate with the feeling of decadence after a large cup or chunk of dark chocolate is eaten. Whatever your personal associations with chocolate, the one thing that I do know is that chocolate can and does have many healthy benefits that can be had by consuming it on a regular basis. Dark chocolate (sometimes referred to as bitter chocolate) is one of the many different types of chocolate that contain varying amounts of fat, calories, and saturated fat.

 Types of chocolate

 This makes it different from other types of chocolate in that the fat content is lower and some studies have shown that there is some evidence that this type of cocoa is beneficial to lowering blood pressure. In fact, some doctors have even suggested that cacao in moderation may help reduce blood pressure, help prevent heart disease and may lower cholesterol. These claims are largely untested but some evidence is available.

Jun-Chokor or Korean-Korean-based chocolate types of semi-sweet chocolate containing less than forty percent cocoa solids. Most of these are produced in the Asian countries such as Korea, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. The most popular variety is created in South Korea, where this type of chocolate is popular primarily amongst the young population. It is created from crushed chocolate buds and then mixed with juices and sugar. Sometimes it is flavored with fruit juice or other herbs.

Cacao Powder

Cacao powder is one type of dark chocolate that contains emulsifier ingredients, a powder base made from fats and water and flavoring, such as vanilla. There is no apparent evidence that any health benefits come from the use of this type of chocolate. It is believed by some experts that the presence of the emulsifier may keep it from melting completely during heating, but the heat is wasted and no nutritional value is gained.

White chocolate is the sweetest of the three and is usually mixed with milk to make it more palatable. The white chocolate of high quality has a clear pale color and is not bitter. Pure white chocolate has the same chemical makeup as dark chocolate but does not contain the cocoa solids. This type of chocolate has been used for many years by patients of drug administration for weight loss purposes, but it was not until recent years that this cocoa was deemed acceptable for food consumption.

The three major varieties of semi-sweet chocolates are: white, brown, and dark brown. The most favored type of chocolate is the white, because it contains more cocoa solids and sometimes has a very mild and pleasant flavor. Dark chocolate has more cocoa solids and sometimes a stronger and more bitter flavor. The dark chocolate with the least amount of cocoa butter is called bitter chocolate, which sometimes has a bitter taste and is not preferred much. Other variations are: white chocolate can be semi sweet, semi-dark, or bitter chocolate.