A large body of research shows that cocoa has many health benefits, likely due to beneficial antioxidants called flavanols that have potential disease-fighting properties. But the hot chocolate that most people drink is likely low in cocoa flavanols. A health-promoting cup of hot chocolate should be rich in cocoa flavanols and not too sweet. Many commercial hot chocolate preparations are very high in sugar and not really that chocolaty (the chocolate “flavour” is often artificial).
Make Your Own. Your best bet is to skip the prepared mixes and make your own hot chocolate. But if you use pre-sweetened chocolate syrups or powders (e.g., Nesquik), you are likely missing out. Even the “low sugar” varieties can be overly sweet, artificially flavoured, and the cocoa that they do contain is typically processed with alkali, which reduces the flavanol content.
It’s not hard to prepare a delicious cup of hot chocolate! Here is a great recipe for a healthful flavanol-rich hot chocolate mix!