Chocolate for what?!
I think the word “immunity” is flying around like the word “fire” - the word of quarantine for sure. Definitely not for a bad reason - we know that keeping our immune system strong is important for fighting off viruses like COVID-19 which is a type of coronavirus. The good news is that you can eat things to help support your immune system. The better news is that one of those things is cacao - as in one of the ingredients in chocolate! Pump the breaks a little - I’m not saying to go eat a bunch of Hershey’s bars, BUT I am saying you can make some pretty delicious things that also support immune function.
Cacao is very rich in polyphenols which makes it a powerful antioxidant.1 Antioxidants help to combat stress in the body at a cellular level. When you get an infection or a cut your body responds with inflammation to start the healing process. Our bodies can get inflammation from stress as well and if our body doesn’t have enough antioxidants to combat that stress we can get chronic inflammation which can cause all sorts of problems from cardiovascular disease to diabetes to a weak immune system. This makes cacao beneficial to immune health, cardiovascular health, brain function, and cancer prevention - love live chocolate!1
Most cacao is sold in the form of chocolate which has lots of sugar, milk, emulsifiers, and additives to make it sweet and addictive. Unfortunately, that means a Reeses Pieces Peanutbutter cup isn’t going to help your immunes system. But Cacao can be purchased as a powder to cook or bake with at home and eating some dark chocolate - 85% or higher - will give you some extra polyphenols to help support your immune system.
Nerd alert:
Recipes:
Black bean Brownie video
Recipe adapted from https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/ @ambitiouskitchen
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 eggs (1/2 cup apple sauce)
1/2 of a large ripe avocado
3 tablespoons of melted butter (sub coconut oil)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup (sweeten to taste)
Additions:
2 tsp of collagen powder
2.5 tablespoons of coffee
1 tablespoon of cacao nibs
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp mushroom powder
Grease the baking dish or line with parchment paper and pre-heat the oven to 350. Place all the ingredients in a blender starting with the wet ones first. Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture in your lined or greased baking dish making sure to evenly spread the mixture in the pan. Once the oven has reached 350 put the brownies in for 30 - 35 minutes. Check that they have baked all the way through testing with a butter knife. When they are done allow them to cool for 15 - 20 minutes before cutting.
