I don’t know about you, but sometimes I have a sweet tooth that just won’t go away. I just need that little something to satiate that craving. This week I planned a dessert into my menu so I had that quick sweet snack that I knew would be a wise and healthy choice to turn too – Chocolate Pudding Cups.
What you eat matters, so let’s discuss two of my favorite ingredients from this recipe: chocolate and coconut milk.
Good quality, dark chocolate has great health benefits. Cacoa is the name of the bean from which chocolate is made. It is rich in magnesium (a mineral our body needs regularly), packed with flavonoids (which help our muscles in the blood vessel walls relax), it has mood elevating qualities and is a natural energy booster and stimulant with its caffeine-like compounds. If you are interested in learning more about the health benefits of dark chocolate, check out this article by Dr. Axe by clicking here.
Coconut milk has become a staple food in my house. Not because we don’t consume cow’s milk, but because it is so versatile and its health benefits increase the nutrition in our diet. Coconut milk isn’t the liquid inside the coconut; that’s coconut water. The milk comes from the grated coconut flesh with water added then strained through cheese cloth to create the milk. To highlight the health benefits, coconut milk is high in calories and saturated fats (the good fats that we do want in our diet) along with a variety of vitamins and minerals like manganese, copper, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. It improves heart health by helping to lower cholesterol, builds muscle and helps your body to lose fat, provides electrolytes so we have energy, improves digestion, helps with blood sugar control, helps with anemia, and helps with ulcers. Learn more here and here.
I could go on and on about both foods. Instead, let me give you the recipe to try so you can indulge in the pleasure of the food first, then work to continue to expand your knowledge!
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