Cocoa powder for gut health

[Hans]

@Hans Are you sure you mean "Cocoa" and not "Cacao"?

Cacao being less processed, I would assume it's healthier.

They said they used cocoa and didn't specify if it's raw or not so not sure. They received the cocoa as a gift. Other studies that looked at cocoa and the gut shows that it's the flavonoids that have a lot of the gut benefits, so that would make cacao a better option for gut health. I haven't tried cacao yet, but I still get gut benefits from cocoa.

 

[JKX]

Not sure if this has been posted before but interesting to the topic none the less...

Dietary Cocoa Reduces Metabolic Endotoxemia and Adipose Tissue Inflammation in High-Fat Fed Mice

In diet-induced obesity, adipose tissue (AT) is in a chronic state of inflammation predisposing the development of metabolic syndrome. Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is a polyphenol-rich food with putative anti-inflammatory activities. Here, we examined the ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Hans]

Not sure if this has been posted before but interesting to the topic none the less...

Dietary Cocoa Reduces Metabolic Endotoxemia and Adipose Tissue Inflammation in High-Fat Fed Mice

In diet-induced obesity, adipose tissue (AT) is in a chronic state of inflammation predisposing the development of metabolic syndrome. Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) is a polyphenol-rich food with putative anti-inflammatory activities. Here, we examined the ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Good stuff. Cocoa intake was 8% which is relatively high I think, but shows that even in such large doses it's still beneficial.

 

[TheBeard]

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[TheBeard]

They said they used cocoa and didn't specify if it's raw or not so not sure. They received the cocoa as a gift. Other studies that looked at cocoa and the gut shows that it's the flavonoids that have a lot of the gut benefits, so that would make cacao a better option for gut health. I haven't tried cacao yet, but I still get gut benefits from cocoa.

So most of the liquid you ingest is milk + cocoa?
Sounds like a lovely drink to sip on all day.

Does it mix well at room temperature or do you have to heat it?

What kind of milk do you use? Pasteurized? UHT?

 

[Hans]

So most of the liquid you ingest is milk + cocoa?
Sounds like a lovely drink to sip on all day.

Does it mix well at room temperature or do you have to heat it?

What kind of milk do you use? Pasteurized? UHT?

Currently using UHT as that's the only kind I can get here that's skim. It mixes quite well at room temp. If the cocoa doesn't dissolve after a while of stirring, then it dissolves after a few minutes if I just let it soak well.
It's pretty boring lol, but it's very convenient.

 

[TheBeard]

Currently using UHT as that's the only kind I can get here that's skim. It mixes quite well at room temp. If the cocoa doesn't dissolve after a while of stirring, then it dissolves after a few minutes if I just let it soak well.
It's pretty boring lol, but it's very convenient.

No allergic reaction or gut discomfort from UHT?

I still get explosive diarrhea from raw organic grass-fed A2 milk if I go passed 1L/day.

I'm on the verge of switching to a "less healthy" pasteurized or UHT version if that means less bacteria and and easier digestion.

 

[Hans]

No allergic reaction or gut discomfort from UHT?

I still get explosive diarrhea from raw organic grass-fed A2 milk if I go passed 1L/day.

I'm on the verge of switching to a "less healthy" pasteurized or UHT version if that means less bacteria and and easier digestion.

Not that I notice. My bowel movements are amazing on this diet though. I'm not sure if they add anything else to the milk, but if they do, I don't really notice that either. I'd prefer to get raw milk and just skim it myself, but I'm not even sure the quality raw milk I get from a farm nearby is even better than what I'd get in the store.

 

[Nomane Euger]

Hans did you experience with other high stearic acid/palmitic acid sources such as palm,Grass fed beef/lamb suet and did notice benefits?benefits similar to cocoa and some that you didnt get compare to cocoa?

 

[belcanto]

Not that I notice. My bowel movements are amazing on this diet though. I'm not sure if they add anything else to the milk, but if they do, I don't really notice that either. I'd prefer to get raw milk and just skim it myself, but I'm not even sure the quality raw milk I get from a farm nearby is even better than what I'd get in the store.

Hi Hans, how do you make your chocolate milk? I'm interested in your diet. :)

 

[Hans]

Hi Hans, how do you make your chocolate milk? I'm interested in your diet. :)

I usually have 500ml of milk throughout the day, so whenever I'm going to drink milk, I just stir in 1 tsp of cocoa powder in the milk and drink it. If I didn't want to drop fat right now, I'd have extra maple syrup or maple syrup just for the sake of more sweetness.

 

[belcanto]

I usually have 500ml of milk throughout the day, so whenever I'm going to drink milk, I just stir in 1 tsp of cocoa powder in the milk and drink it. If I didn't want to drop fat right now, I'd have extra maple syrup or maple syrup just for the sake of more sweetness.

Thank you.

 

[sladerunner69]

The book states that caffeine and theobromine are poisonous, which is not true at all. Those amounts are also very low in cocoa. Perhaps it's harmful to certain animals in certain doses.
Plus, he's talking about 7.5-10% of total feed, which is certainly a very big amount. 1 tbsp of cocoa is about 10g, which is less than 1% of total food intake for most people. I'm sure it can cause issues in large amounts as it can contain a fair amount of oxalates, phytic acid, heavy metals, mold, endotoxin, etc.

In terms of the microbiome, I'm also not sold on what's supposed to be good, but if it does lower inflammation and cortisol and increases dopamine, it's not all that bad. All food has some sort of effect on the gut.

Apparently it is the theombromine that is highly toxic to dogs, and why they can die from it. What To Do If Your Dog Eats Chocolate

It is interesting to me that a substance can be so harmful to the canine, another mammal, yet is beneficial to us humans...

 

[bk_]

I have tried all sorts of chocolates (powdered, milk, dark organic, etc) over the years and they all have one thing in common for me: constipation and serious gut irritation. What’s with that?

 

[Hans]

Apparently it is the theombromine that is highly toxic to dogs, and why they can die from it. What To Do If Your Dog Eats Chocolate

It is interesting to me that a substance can be so harmful to the canine, another mammal, yet is beneficial to us humans...

Yeah. It's because they can't metabolize it fast enough and then it builds up to toxic levels.

 

[Hans]

I have tried all sorts of chocolates (powdered, milk, dark organic, etc) over the years and they all have one thing in common for me: constipation and serious gut irritation. What’s with that?

Perhaps you have a certain bacterial strain that feeds a lot on the cocoa and produces a lot of toxins. Most likely similar to people that are sensitive to starches.

 

[Rafael Lao Wai]

I have tried all sorts of chocolates (powdered, milk, dark organic, etc) over the years and they all have one thing in common for me: constipation and serious gut irritation. What’s with that?

I hardly get constipated from any fiber anymore after taking doxycycline, so I too would guess it's a bacterial issue, just like Hans said.

 

[pauljacob]

Here's an informative article on Cadmium in Cocoa. Says the damage to kidneys depends on amounts consumed over time.
Cadmium in Chocolate: Should You Be Worried?

And here's two more fascinating scientific articles on those delicious, but potentially dangerous, nibs:
https://blog.hannainst.com/determining-the-alkalinity-of-cocoa-ash/

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onlinelibrary.wiley.com

 

[bk_]

Perhaps you have a certain bacterial strain that feeds a lot on the cocoa and produces a lot of toxins. Most likely similar to people that are sensitive to starches.

Perhaps there is a strain I have that feeds specifically on cocoa. I don’t have a problem with any starches or fibre rich foods anymore. I can consume corn, potato, rice, bread, etc. without issue.

There is something specific about chocolate that even a small amount causes me to not have a bowel movement the next day and have sticky sludge in my stool. I’m able to handle olive oil and coconut oil at any amount fine as well so it’s not fat malabsorption.

 

[Chophouse360]

@Hans do you literally just mix this with milk and sugar and drink it? Like literally make hot chocolate?