When I am craving something sweet, I like to find ways to satisfy that craving in a healthy way. Fruit usually does the trick for me, but sometimes I really want some chocolate.
Chocolate, in the form of unsweetened cocoa powder, has some health benefits. The health-promoting compounds found in cocoa powder include a category known as flavanols. Diets high in flavanols may improve cardiovascular health by relaxing blood vessels (which lowers blood pressure) and improving blood sugar control (which may help prevent diabetes).
The problem is that most people consume their chocolate in the form of candy, which contains unhealthy fat, sugar and excess calories that can outweigh the benefits of the pure cocoa powder.
I have been known to add cocoa powder to my oatmeal, but I thought I’d share another favorite way to utilize it.
This recipe for a pudding made with cocoa powder, chia seeds and plant-based milk addresses your chocolate craving but improves the nutrition. Using plant-based milk (i.e., almond, cashew, oat, or soy milk) replaces saturated fat with healthier unsaturated fat. The chia seeds add protein and another dose of healthy unsaturated fat, but it’s the highly soluble fiber in the chia seed that allows the pudding to set. A small amount of maple syrup is used to sweeten the pudding. It’s totally optional, but the cinnamon enhances the sweetness a bit more and may be beneficial for blood sugar.
Recipe:
- 2 cups dairy-free milk
- ½ cup chia seeds
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend on high for 60 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least four hours. It will keep in the refrigerator for four to five days.
Makes four servings. Calories will depend on the type of milk used. I use plain soy milk, which is 80 calories per cup. One serving using the soymilk is about 200 calories.
There are many chia seed pudding recipes out there that do not require blending. I like this blended version because it is smoother, and blending may make the healthy fats in the chia seeds more bioavailable, meaning that your body can absorb the nutrients more efficiently.
Give this highly nutritious pudding a try any time you crave chocolate, even if it’s for breakfast!
• Sherry DeWalt is the healthy lifestyles coordinator for the CGH Health Foundation in Sterling.