Cocoa can offer some benefits to pregnant women in some ways. It is very important for pregnant women to desist from consuming foods that contain refined sugar because of their low nutritional value; such foods can also increase the risk of the pregnant woman to gestational diabetes. Rather than consume foods with raw or refined sugars, dieticians advice women to consume some little amount of dark chocolate or any other low fat and low sugar cocoa foods. It will be ideal to consult your doctor before you consume raw cocoa seeds.
Chocolate is quite different from raw unprocessed cocoa , chocolate for instance has some ingredients such as sugar, butter and some other less healthy nutrients which make chocolate less healthy when compared with unprocessed cocoa beans. It is also believed that during processing of cocoa seeds, and husks, some appreciable amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are lost, these nutrients are still in wholesome quantities in raw cocoa. Raw cocoa also contains neither additives norpreservatives, it was therefore suggested pregnant women stay away from chocolates that do not contain up to 70% raw cocoa if they want some of these benefits and protect themselves and their growing babies.
Raw cocoa can benefit a pregnant woman in so many ways, cocoa contains B vitamins and some other essential vitamins alongside essential minerals including manganese, Potassium , copper, zinc , calcium, and magnesium. A pregnant woman who has little or no access to nutritional supplements containing these nutrients can have a raw cocoa as substitute. Minerals and vitamins are essential for the growth and development of the fetus, your diet may not provide these nutrients in sufficient quantities, this is why you need natural supplements like cocoa.
Some women find it hard to chew raw cocoa because of its bitter taste; however, with some little nits of honey rubbed by the sides, the bitter tastes become less prevalent. A pregnant woman who is sensitive to bitter tastes of flavor may also add the cocoa beans to some fruit smoothies or some other foods such as mole sauce chili. Some raw desserts including chocolate mousse can also combine very well with cocoa to provide you a much better taste.
Raw cocoa and cocoa foods like chocolate have a significant amount of caffeine, and a high consumption of caffeine has been linked with an increased rate of miscarriage, it will therefore become necessary to speak to your doctor before you start consuming raw cocoa or unsweetened chocolate as a pregnant woman.
Raw cocoa and some other healthy cocoa foods comes with numerous health benefits that far outweighs the potential side effects, it is however more important to exercise some constraints before consuming them in order avoid such likely side effects. The ideal & healthy method of eating hot cacao is with organic coconut milk & stevia with cinnamon added on the top, recipe for “pick me up & feel good” without hype & jitters. The cocoa powder is made by squeezing fat (or cocoa butter) from the bitter chocolate or powdering remaining material. The sweet chocolate is made by adding vanilla and sugar to the bitter chocolate. The white chocolate has sugar, milk solids and cocoa butter.
Long known as the food treat, now cocoa is been used by a few people as the medicine. The cocoa seed is been used for the infectious intestinal diseases & diarrhea, bronchitis, asthma, and as the expectorant for the lung congestion. Seed coat is been used for bladder, liver, and kidney ailments; and diabetes; as the tonic; and general remedy. The cocoa butter is actually used for the high cholesterol.