Cocoa is a favorite drink since childhood, which also improves mood and is simply a tasty and healthy addition to breakfast or afternoon snack. Those who carefully calculate calories need to know the calorie content of cocoa, because often we just do not take into account the energy value of what we drink per day. But in the end it turns out that the dieter does not understand why the chosen diet does not help to get rid of extra pounds. In our article, we will take a detailed look at different types of drink and find out whether it is worth drinking during a diet and whether it “fits” into the diet of proper nutrition.
What is the calorie content of cocoa?
So, the drink is different. It was in Soviet times that children and adults made cocoa powder from a bag labeled "Golden Label", but now the choice is huge. The assortment of the popular “Nesquik”, as well as other, less well-known “brethren”, can also be used to purchase cocoa in granules, in disposable bags already with sugar and milk, as well as traditional bitter powder, which is brewed like coffee. So, cocoa powder. Its caloric content is relatively low - 290 kcal per 100 grams of product, while keeping in mind that when brewing you use a maximum of a few teaspoons. If we talk about them, then one teaspoon contains 9 kcal, and in the dining room - 25 kcal. But drinking only the powder diluted with hot water is completely tasteless, so many people add milk, cream, sugar and other fillers to the drink, and here the energy value of a cup of a delicious drink goes up sharply.
Calorie Cocoa with Milk and Sugar
So, we have already found out that in itself cocoa powder does not have such a high energy value. But the calorie content of cocoa with milk is already higher - 67.1 kcal per 100 ml, while the energy value can be slightly reduced by taking non- fat or skim milk as an additive . At the same time, keep in mind that sugar is not included in these 67 kcal, which many add to the taste of the drink. If you love your sweetheart, add 70 more calories to 67 - that’s how much two teaspoons of sugar “weigh”. Despite such calorie content of cocoa with milk, it contains a lot of proteins - 3.2 g, 3.8 g of fat and 5.1 g of carbohydrates - all designed for 100 ml of the product. And if you add cream, even 10%, then there will be even more fat. In addition, these indicators can be safely multiplied by 2-2.5, since the standard portion of cocoa is still 200-250 milliliters. That is, if we mean cocoa with sugar, its calorie content will be within 200 kcal per serving. That, you see, a lot.
Calorie content of the Nesquik drink
Favorite drink kids - Nesquik cocoa. Who doesn’t know the yellow packaging of the product with the painted funny hare ?! Yielding to advertising, children often demand to serve them a drink not from natural powder (which is noticeably healthier), but to cook a treat using this particular product. So, “Nesquik” - cocoa, the calorie content of which is 377 kcal per 100 grams of product, with 52 kcal per serving - 14 grams of dry product. Plus, of course, the drink needs to be diluted with milk. And in the end it turns out about 200 kcal per serving. It is worth noting that the Nesquik drink, unlike, say, natural cocoa, has much less protein in its composition. A portion of the dry product accounts for only 0.6 g, whereas in a natural protein powder is much more. One way or another, only you can choose from which to cook one of the favorite drinks of adults and children.
The benefits of natural cocoa
So, in a powder that has been familiar since Soviet times, there is much more benefit than in an already finished product. So, it contains:
- a large number of B vitamins;
- vitamin A;
- Vitamin E - a solid benefit for the skin;
- vitamin PP;
- as well as a mass of minerals.
Among the latter, a high content of copper, potassium, and phosphorus can be distinguished; also in natural cocoa there are fluorine, molybdenum, manganese, iron, sulfur, zinc and other components that are very necessary for health. Calorie content of cocoa - now we are talking about a natural product, it is relatively small, and if you have a lack of iron in the body, you need to improve blood formation, and also want to protect your skin from sunburn (this is part of vitamin A) - feel free to drink a couple a cup of cocoa every day. And be healthy.
Who is contraindicated in drinking cocoa?
Surprisingly, this drink also has its own characteristics of application. For example, it should not be drunk by those who suffer from the following diseases:
- impaired kidney function;
- gout
- cocoa is also not recommended for those who suffer from frequent constipation - tannins, which are part of the product, can provoke them even more;
- with caution and a little drink the drink should be for people suffering from diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis.
Also, children under three years old should not drink the drink. In the rest, cocoa is shown to a healthy person - it is not only useful, but also uplifting due to its unique smell and taste.
How to brew cocoa?
If you are not used to drinking instant drinks, it will be useful to learn how to brew cocoa. For this you need only a small saucepan. For a pair of drinks, take:
- a glass of milk or non-fat cream;
- 2 tablespoons of natural cocoa powder;
- to taste sugar or sweetener, a little chocolate syrup and so on.
First, pour the indicated amount of powder and sugar on the bottom of the dishes, then mix thoroughly. Add the pre-warmed milk, stirring - your drink should not have a hint of lumps, and then put on a strong fire. As soon as the liquid in the saucepan begins to boil, reduce the gas to a minimum and cook for about two minutes. Done. Your cocoa will become uniform, slightly thick and incredibly tasty. You can add a little chocolate syrup to the cup for decoration , some - here for an amateur - add caramel. So, the calorie content of cocoa brewed in this way (with the addition of milk and sugar) is about 200 kcal per serving. Therefore, if you follow a diet, consider this delicious drink when calculating the energy value of the diet.