Cocoa Powder Chocolate Antioxidant Food Source Custom Search Single best source of chocolate antioxidant power? Natural cocoa powder. Look for it on the ingredients label or bake with it. Choose it over dutched cocoa to maximize your antioxidant intake. You need all the flavanol antioxidants you can get to fight off those damaging free radicals. Natural cocoa powder is a rich source that's readily available. It's best for baking too. Make it homemade and a little bit healthier. Learn the simple secret to preserving those precious antioxidants. Don't destroy dark chocolate's health benefits.
What are Antioxidants?Your best friend! Antioxidants are free radical fighters. What are free radicals? They are unstable molecules that form as your cells go about their daily business. They a very active and may damage your cells and DNA. Your body has it's own system for fighting free radicals. But things like pollution, cigarette smoke and sunlight can stress your body's defense. You cells and DNA can be damaged increasing the risk of diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's. Antioxidants from dark chocolate can help fight them. Provide your body with backup!
Cocoa PowderNatural cocoa powder has an ORAC score of 80933 per 100 grams. That's a lot of chocolate antioxidant power to back up your body's defenses!But if you dutch (treat with alkali) that powder, the ORAC score plummets. Down to 40200 per 100 grams, maybe less. The greater the degree of dutching, the more antioxidants destroyed. So the natural choice should be natural cocoa. Your best bet for health benefits. Check the ingredients list and purchase products made with natural cocoa powder. Don't bake out any benefits. Learn the secret to preserving those precious antioxidants when you bake.
Antioxidant Preserving SecretChocolate antioxidants are susceptible to damage. The Hershey Center For Health And Nutrition tested chocolate to find out how baking and cooking would affect the flavanol antioxidant levels.Turns out it wasn't the heat that destroys antioxidants. It's the baking soda. So choose a recipe that doesn't call for baking soda. Like these:
Chocolate cheesecake recipe,
chocolate pie,
dark chocolate brownie recipe,
or flourless chocolate cake.
Hershey research found that combining the two preserved more flavanol antioxidants.
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