A Nutritionist Told Us to Drink Hot Chocolate

Sarah Britton is a Toronto-born, Copenhagen-based holistic nutritionist. Her blog, My New Roots, has earned her the title of Quinoa Queen, but as we learned when talking to her for our new years health series, Britton’s knowledge goes way beyond ancient grains. And no, we’re not going to talk about kale, either.

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Photo credit: Sarah Britton

Since the beginning of the new year, nutritionist Sarah Britton has been schooling us on how to be healthier while still eating like we do. And oh, we do. Her point, in our Non-Cleanse Cleanse, is that eating healthy shouldn’t mean eating boring…ly.

Enter hot chocolate. We DEFINITELY didn’t think things were going to get THIS good. “We’re talking all-raw and all-superfood-packed deliciousness to satisfy your sweet tooth and your healthy tooth (you do have one of those, I promise),” said Britton, who learned the trick from yoga instructors who drank the stuff to keep up their stamina. The health benefits of a healthy hot chocolate recipe come largely from maca, a root that helps relieve stress and maintain high energy levels. (You can buy maca in health stores and online, and read more about it here.)  In addition to that, there’s a good dose of ginger (aids digestion), cayenne (clears congestion and boosts the immune system), and, of course, raw cacao (a great source of magnesium). Hot chocolate does a body good. Who knew?

Superfood Haute Chocolate 
Serves 1

1 ½ cups milk of your choice or water
2 Tbsp. raw cacao powder
2 tsp. maca powder
1 Tbsp. coconut sugar
Pinch sea salt
Pinch cinnamon powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch ginger powder
Small piece vanilla bean, scraped (optional)

Boil water or warm milk on the stove and let cool slightly. If using raw nut milk, do not heat above 118°F.

Whisk in dry ingredients. Serve immediately with a cinnamon stick, if desired.

 

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