Hot chocolate is “the” winter drink par excellence. If there are as many recipes as there are families in the world, the basics of hot chocolate are always the same: milk + dark baking chocolate, to which you can add spices (cinnamon, cardamom… ), sugar (honey, vanilla sugar…) or even some delicacies (like marshmallows or whipped cream).
Yes, but here it is: “traditional” hot chocolate is not necessarily suitable for all diets. Often too sweet (because we choose a “kitchen” chocolate that contains less than 70% cocoa and we add sugar), it does not work as part of an anti-diabetes diet. And because it’s made from milk, it’s not suitable for vegans.
Hot chocolate, good for memory and for sleep
Worse: “traditional” hot chocolate is often high in calories (on average: 270 Kcal per 100 mL) and not very interesting from a nutritional point of view…
However, there is no question of doing without hot chocolate. Indeed, several studies have shown that this comforting drink also has health benefits: according to American work published in 2013, two cups of hot chocolate a day would help improve memory, and according to a Chinese study from November 2021 , hot milk drinks would improve sleep. So many reasons to adopt this good habit… and not just in winter.
Sources:
- The best diet in the world – Anne Dufour, Carole Garnier and Raphaël Gruman, ed. Leduc.S
- National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES)
Read also :
- 12 good reasons to eat chocolate at Christmas
- 1 chocolate fondant, 5 healthy versions
- Multiple sclerosis: the benefits of cocoa
