This Valentine’s Day, you can spread the love by giving delicious cacao-rich Keto Zone Chocolate Brownies.

These low-carb brownies are gooey and chocolatey.

Unlike traditional high sugar-brownies, they spread the love by promoting brain, heart, and whole-body health.

Keto Zone Chocolate Brownies for Valentine’s

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 scoops Keto Zone® Hydrolyzed Collagen (Chocolate Flavor)
• 3/4 cup erythritol or other low-carb sweetener
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee (optional)
• 10 tablespoons grass-fed butter
• ¼ cup 80% sugar-free dark chocolate chips (extra for sprinkling)*
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon (sugar-free) vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a square 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper (or grease very well).
2. Whisk almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, erythritol, and instant coffee in a medium bowl, making sure to break any clumps.
3. Melt butter and chocolate in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well. If not completely melted, repeat for 30 seconds and stir again. Allow cooling slightly.
4. Add eggs and vanilla to chocolate. Then, fold in dry ingredients until mixed (do not overmix and brownie may become too cakey).
5. Pour batter into baking dish. Optionally, sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp sugar-free chocolate chips over top of batter.
6. Bake for ~20 minutes or until toothpick comes out just moist. Cool for at least 30 minutes. Makes 16 small squares.

*If unable to find sugar-free chips, chop a sugar-free 80% cacao bar

Nutrition information: 206 calories, 20 gm fat, 5 gm carbs, 3 gm net carbs, 3 gm protein

Recipe adapted from gimmedelicious.com

5 Ways Keto Zone Chocolate Brownies Spread the Love

Using cacao is a great way to spread the love this Valentine’s Day. In these brownies, the cacao:

Supports Heart Health by Reducing Inflammation and Oxidative Stress

Cacao contains nitric oxide, which increases artery dilation and blood flow to reduce blood pressure especially in older adults and those with hypertension (1, 2).

What’s more, cacao may reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack.  One review of over 157,000 people showed that higher chocolate consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and death (3).

Next, cacao reduces inflammation, which is vitally important to heart health. Cacao’s flavanols reduce proinflammatory cytokines while increasing anti-inflammatory ones (4).

Lastly, cacao fights oxidative stress with more than 300 different antioxidant compounds (this is 20 times the antioxidant power of blueberries). Since deadly artery plaques require oxidation, cacao’s antioxidants can fight this process and reduce the risk of blockage.

Improves Brain Function and Reduces Stress

Cacao contains health-benefitting compounds called flavanols. They cross the blood-brain barrier to affect brain health and mood (5).

Phenethylamine (PEA) is one of cacao’s flavanols. It has natural pain- and stress-reducing properties. It also increases endorphins to improve focus.

In addition, cacao can improve mood by raising serotonin levels. It also contains theobromine, a mild stimulant sometimes used in the treatment of depression.

Lastly, cacao can increase blood flow by up to 10% to the brain, improving brain health and cognition in those with and without a deficit, indicating a potential use for those suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Cacao Improves Insulin Sensitivity

When cells are more sensitive to insulin, they are healthier. They deal with carbohydrates better, require less insulin to store them, and store less fat.

The flavanols improve insulin sensitivity, and they:

• Slow down carbohydrate digestion and absorption in the gut
• Improve insulin secretion
• Stimulate the uptake of sugar out of the blood into the muscle (6)
• Lower risk of type 2 diabetes (6)

Cacao Reduces Fatigue

Sure, cacao has a small amount of caffeine. But even more important, cacao can fight fatigue with its potent energizing nutrients including:

• Iron. Cacao is high in absorbable iron, which increases oxygen delivery to the cells.
• Magnesium. One serving of cacao provides 100 mg of magnesium, ~25% of daily needs. Magnesium is typically deficient in adults. Adequate magnesium is associated with better energy, better sleep, fewer muscle cramps (including night cramps), and better overall health.
• Nitric Oxide (NO). When cacao’s flavanols increase NO, they help the body deliver and use oxygen better in the cells, decreasing fatigue.

In fact, a small study from London showed a decrease in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome symptoms after 8 weeks of cacao treatment (7).

Cacao Potentially Fights Cancer

Individual components of cacao have been shown to induce cancer cell death and prevent the spread of cancer cells in test tube studies (8).

In animal studies, scientists have reduced breast, pancreatic, prostate, liver and colon cancer, and leukemia with cacao components (8).

Bottom Line

Keto Zone Chocolate Brownies are the perfect treat to spread the love this Valentine’s. They are low-carb, cacao-rich, and whole-body healthy.