LONGECITY

For those interested in supplementing with cocoa for cardio-vascular and other benefits, what is the best way to take it?  Eating a reasonable amount of the darkest chocolate you can find, or taking it in a powdered form, perhaps in a capsule?

The powered form has the seeming benefit of not getting extra fat and sugar, which while reduced in a very dark chocolate is not zero.  However the existing studies on cocoa you find tend to be of consuming it as a dark chocolate.  Is there perhaps a downside to consuming it in powdered form?

You want chocolate that has not been dutch processed. It's easier to obtain this in cocoa powder than to find it in commercial products.

Here is a page that has a comparison of catechins and epicatechins between different chocolate bars. It looks to me that the cocoa powder is a far superior source to any of the sources of commercial chocolate.

https://blog.priceplow.com/epicatechin

Excellent information.  Thanks!

My hot cacao recipe:

2 Tbsp raw cacao powder

1 packet "sugarless sugar" (stevia, inulin, monkfruit blend) or alternative sweetener to taste (stevia extract, additional inulin)

1-2 tsp sugar (for taste, and possibly to avoid cacao induced hypoglycemia)

1-2 tsp pure inulin (sweetness, prebiotic)
Pinch of vanilla powder, ceylon cinnamon
Pinch of chili powder of choice (guajillo, chipotle, cayenne, etc)
200mL flax/nut milk

Heat milk and vanilla first, add cacao and other ingredients at the end.

what does cocoa do, what does it help with?